The Inspiration Building at IFTM’s Mong-Há Campus is to welcome scholars from around the world for the 5th International Tourism and Retail Service Management Conference. It represents a return to the event’s roots, as the first edition was held in Macao. IFTM’s Dr. Catherine Li and Dr. Li Xiangping explain what to expect
IFTM is hosting on Thursday and Friday (October 19 and 20) the 5th International Tourism and Retail Service Management Conference (TRMC2023), focused on the latest developments in these fields. It is being held in hybrid format – with in-person presentations and ones streamed online. The 2021 and 2022 events had been online-only. The hybrid format is to allow TRMC2023 to have the widest-possible reach, so that those unable to travel to Macao can still participate.
More than 80 research papers have been submitted for presentation at TRMC2023. This year’s event is themed ‘Strengthening the synergies between tourism and retail in an uncertain era’.
IFTM Assistant Professor Dr. Catherine Li Zhuo is co-chair of the committee in charge of TRMC2023. She is also the Coordinator for the Tourism Retail and Marketing Management Programme at the Institute’s School of Tourism Management.
Dr. Li highlights that the conference’s aim is to bring together scholars and industry professionals from around the world. According to her, it is “a good chance” for participants from different fields to pool and share their knowledge.
TRMC2023 is being organised in partnership with 5 other higher education institutions. They are: the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management at the University of South Carolina, in the United States; Breda University of Applied Science, in the Netherlands; Nankai University, in Mainland China; Sunway University, in Malaysia; and Hangzhou City University, in Mainland China.
“We all come from different regional backgrounds,” says Dr. Li, in reference to the organising institutions. Attending the conference “can enable participants to learn more about the retail and tourism development in different regions”.
A number of influential industry representatives will attend TRMC2023. Invited industry speakers include: Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of Macao Government Tourism Office; Mr. James Guntrip, Vice President of Store Operations in Macao for luxury retailer DFS; Mr. Edison Chen, Vice President of Destination Marketing and Strategic Alliances at Shanghai-based multinational travel service conglomerate Trip.com Group; and Dr. Esra Calvert, President of Esra Calvert Consulting, a U.S.-based tourism consultancy.
One of the goals of IFTM – as a leading institution in tourism and hospitality education – is to position itself as a venue for international academic conferences in its fields of expertise. To organise such events, the Institute makes extensive use of its global network of partners. Such conferences help make IFTM more conspicuous in the academic world. They are also a showcase for the latest research achievements of its faculty and research staff, while promoting exchanges of ideas among experts drawn from all over the globe.
TRMC “is a good platform to present our research”, notes Dr. Li. “One thing that happens quite naturally during this type of event is that collaboration opportunities are generated, as researchers from different institutions sit together and get to know each other.”
IFTM Assistant Professor Dr. Li Xiangping is the other co-chair of the TRMC2023 committee. She is the Coordinator for the Tourism Business Management Programme at the Institute’s School of Tourism Management.
The scholar says the core purpose of organising academic conferences is sharing of knowledge. “Sharing our research outcomes at a conference is not only beneficial to students attending, but also to other researchers in attendance.” She notes that typically “presenters will receive valuable feedback on how to advance their research”, adding “this way of knowledge exchange is one of the most important purposes of having an academic conference”.
The TRMC series was launched in 2018, with the first event taking place at IFTM. It attracted nearly 100 participants, drawn from an aggregate of 12 countries and regions.
The following year’s edition was organised by Nankai University in Tianjin. There was no 2020 edition due to the travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sunway University and the University of South Carolina hosted the 2021 and 2022 editions respectively, both in online format only.
