IFTM held this semester, for the first time, a series of activities under the theme “#Eventprof for a Day”. The Institute invited people working in the field of events to give talks to Year 4 undergraduate students enrolled in the IFTM Festivals and Events course.
A professional racing driver, Mr. Nicholas Lai Chi Hou, was the guest speaker at the first session, on 29 September. An event planner, Ms. Jorgina Kok Hio On, presented the second session on 17 November.
IFTM Lecturer in Festivals and Events Mr. Ubaldino Couto initiated the #Eventprof for a Day series.
“Although 2020 has been an unusual and an extraordinary year for many of us, the silence, inaction and uneventful campus allowed us to reflect deeper, and to revisit what teaching means and what learning is,” Mr. Couto says.
He points out that many universities around the world use specific periods in the academic calendar for guest lectures by alumni, by figures in industry or by other outstanding speakers, making the speakers, as it were, professors-for-a-day. By leveraging the working experience and life stories of the guest speakers, the lectures enrich the curriculum, inspire students in their career planning, and contextualise the links between theory and practice, Mr. Couto says. The #Eventprof for a Day activities are intended to build on those principles, bringing external speakers into the classroom to complement the teaching and to enrich student learning.
“The hashtag ‘#eventprof’ typically refers to professionals in the events industry, as well as professors in events. On Instagram alone, tags related to ‘#eventprof’ are over 1.8 million,” Mr. Couto says. “In our version of professor-for-a-day, we invite event professionals as guest speakers to come and share with our students their insights of the industry and vibrant experience.”
Chasing a dream
The talk by Mr. Lai, the racing driver, kicked off the series. Mr. Lai was born in Macao and grew up in London. In his guest lecture, he shared with students the tale of his journey towards realising his lifelong dream of being a professional competitor in motor sports.
Before becoming a professional racing driver, Mr. Lai was involved in design, in music and in gaming, in which industry he spent years in management. He had an opportunity to become involved in motor sport, and raced in Mainland China and Malaysia before making his debut in Macao in the 2020 Macau Grand Prix.
In his lecture Mr. Lai encouraged students to pursue their dreams, to prepare themselves mentally and physically for the challenges they face, and to act at the right time when opportunities arise. He told his audience that a run of 1 mile required 1 million miles of practice, and reminded them always to be ready to run that 1 mile.
Ms. Kok gave the second guest lecture in the #Eventprof for a Day series. Ms. Kok graduated from IFTM in 2011 with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Tourism Event Management. In her talk she said it was her Year 3 curricular internship in a very busy event planning company that prompted her to pursue a career in the industry.
Ms. Kok shared with students the details of her career as a prolific event planner, during which she has been involved in high-profile events put on for government or corporate clients. She highlighted some of her successes and failures, and explained how all had taught her valuable lessons in delivering better events for clients.
Ms. Kok shared with students her favourite inspirational quote: “Think in advance. Success is all in details.” She said it highlighted that thinking prudently and preparing well, and in advance, were keys to being successful.
Mr. Couto says the first #Eventprof for a Day series of activities encouraged students to pursue their ambitions, “however distant and challenging”, by holding on to their dreams while working hard to achieve them.
“These talks contextualise and complement well the theories covered in class,” Mr. Couto points out. He says the series helped inculcate in final-year students what he calls “the right attitude and mindset” needed to reach their next goal, be it full-time employment or further studies, so they can contribute to the development of Macao.
