ICCA is hailing as historic a training programme being created by the association for China’s meetings industry.
The International Congress and Convention Association signed an MoU with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) to offer tailor-made training for meetings industry professionals in China.
CCPIT also announced that ICCA will be a co-host of CEFCO (China Expo Forum for International Cooperation) from 2021 onwards.
“We achieved an unprecedented milestone with the signing of MoU with CCPIT,” said Senthil Gopinath, ICCA chief executive.
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“This partnership is very much welcomed in our efforts to convert our global intellectual resources into customised services.”
The cooperation was agreed at the opening ceremony of CEFCO 2020, which was held January 9-11 in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi region in southwest China.
ICCA said that a closed-door meeting between Gopinath and Zhang Shenfeng, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), was held as a result of the strengthening business links between the two organisations since 2014.
Cefco is organised by the CCIPT and has traditionally focused on the exhibition industry. But the January forum included the associations segment for the first time in its plenary session due to its importance to the China economy.
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The Forum attracted around 1,000 delegates, including experts from the exhibition and convention business, and senior government officials.
Shenfeng said: “We hope to leverage on ICCA’s intellectual resources and leadership to design customised courses with country-specific needs to brush up the meetings capabilities of local professionals.”
Gopinath added: “We work with our industry partners to ensure that those in the convention industry meet high standards of professionalism. Our aim is to support the local industry through such certification programme with ICCA.
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“The expectations of the meetings industry have changed over the years just like our discerning clients, therefore the course will offer a structured curriculum that integrates industry needs with emerging trends and hands-on training.
“We will intensify our effort to provide localised education courses, especially in times like this, we stand by China in full solidarity and the current coronavirus outbreak does not deter us from working with China.”
The next CCPIT is scheduled for January 14-16, 2021, in Fuzhou.
