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Bright Prospects Await MICE Talents in China

China’s MICE economy is entering a period of rapid growth, according to the 2007–2008 MICE Economy Blue Paper released during the third annual meeting of the China Convention and Exhibition Society held April 12–13, 2008.

This is good news for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) companies and industry personnel. It means more jobs, better pay, and more avenues for their talents and expertise.

Around one million people are engaged in the MICE industry in China, with a talent shortage of nearly two million, according to Liu Dake, director of the Expo Economy and Management Department of the Beijing International Studies University. 

Hosting a large international convention or exhibition requires at least 80 to 90 specialists. An industry survey reports that the ratio between demand and supply of convention and exhibition (C&E) specialists is 10:1 in Shanghai, 8:1 in Beijing and 8:1 in Guangzhou.

Figures from the Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Industries Association suggest that about 5,000 people are engaged in the MICE industry in the city, including staff from C&E companies registered with the associations as well as C&E departments of travel agencies. However, there are fewer than 50 senior personnel with five to ten years’ experience.

This is considered insufficient to meet the needs of a fast growing industry that has been enjoying an average annual growth of 20 percent for the past several years, not to mention the huge demand for 10,000 personnel needed for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. 

Why is there so huge a gap between supply and demand, and what kind of talents does the MICE industry need?

The MICE industry is regarded as a “weathervane” of a country’s overall economy. With a booming Chinese economy in recent years, the MICE industry has also experienced strong and steady growth, especially in economically developed cities and regions. In 1997, there were about 1,000 exhibitions and conventions, but within ten years, that number had grown to 3,800, with more than 2.5 million square metres of exhibition space available.

However, the educations of MICE specialized talents has failed to keep up with the industry’s expansion.

Most of the current C&E personnel are engaged in foreign trade or English-related careers. They are educated on the job rather than via school study.

It was not until the early 2000s did universities and vocational schools begin to launch specialized MICE educational programmes. The Beijing International Studies University (BISU) was one of the first universities to open an exhibition economy undergraduate programme in Beijing. In 2004, Shanghai Normal University and the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade were approved by the Ministry of Education to begin enrolling exhibition majors.

School-based programmes for C&E talents mainly rely on degree programmes (20 percent) and certificate programmes (80 percent). Most C&E graduates are provided by vocational schools instead of colleges and universities.

The first graduates with an Expo Economy and Management degree from the BISU were warmly welcomed by the market. All  the 67 graduates found jobs in the C&E departments of large corporations such as the China Travel Service, China Youth Travel Service, China Travel International and relevant departments of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, chambers and multinational exhibition groups.

Checking on major recruitment Web sites such as Zhaopin.com and 51job.com, one finds that most job vacancies in the MICE industry require vocational school educations, but many of them require at least two years’ experience as well. It implies that having a bachelors’ degree may not be as important for personnel in this industry, and it also suggests that degree-holders in China’s MICE sector still lag behind other skilled sectors.

The MICE industry must have senior professionals handling business development, marketing and administrating work, but many more employees are needed to handle hands-on tasks. Hosting a convention or exhibition involves great deal of call-making, photocopying, reception, coordinating and service work that does not require the services of degree-holding employees, according to Chen Feng, general manager of the Beijing International Exhibition Centre.

China is short of MICE talents, especially in the fields of marketing, planning and design, according to Wang Zhiping, a director in charge of exhibition design at the National Agriculture Exhibition Centre. “For exhibition centres, it is crucial to keep the show space occupied. This requires marketing personnel to develop as many events as possible. We want as many shows as we can get,” said Wang.

Though a great deal of academic study is unnecessary, students in vocational schools still need to acquire proficiency in a foreign language and must be capable of handling daily commercial mail, shipping and other exchanges with foreign clients. They must be able to use computers and modern office equipment, and have excellent writing skills so that they can draft letters and documents,” said Chen Feng.

Certified training is now available. In November 2003, the Certified in Exhibition Management training and certification system, initiated by the US International Association of Exhibition Management, was brought to China. The system was introduced by the first Exhibition Economy Research Center in Shanghai, which was co-sponsored by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and Shanghai Jiaotong University. Its first training course began in December 2003 with a goal of producing high-level and capable MICE talents. By the end of 2006, more than 200 students had been granted certificates.

北京会展行业进入快速发展期，人才短缺现象日益显现

文/杜秀平

目前全世界范围内的会展行业正在东移，亚洲成为会展发展最快的地区，其中中国的会展行业发展更为迅猛，每年以15—20%的速度增长着，超出西方每年3—5%增长速度的几倍。专家预测，未来5—10年间，北京的会展行业将进入快速发展期。

按照国际经验推算，会展业对于经济发展的直接带动系数一般为1:5，间接带动系数可以达到1:9。北京是中国三大主要会展城市之一，几年来，会展收入年均增长15—20%，预计2008年北京市的会展收入将达到70亿元。伴随着会展经济的高增长，会展行业的人才受到各界的高度关注：什么样的人在做会展？会展人才的培养渠道如何？会展行业的从业人员薪酬水平怎么样？近日，《北京月讯商务特刊》的记者走访了中国国际贸易促进委员会北京市分会、北京国际会议展览业协会副会长储祥银。

北京会展业进入了加快发展阶段，总量规模不断增加，行业地位初步确立，会展数量稳固增长，会展项目呈现专业化、国际化和品牌化的发展趋势。据不完全统计，会展专业人才岗位空缺与求职者的比例：上海为10:1、北京和广州均为8:1。

产业现状：三类组织占据会展天下

会展指会议展览。目前北京市从事会展的人员主要有为三类：协会组织、民间组织、新毕业的大学生。协会组织中，多少都有一些政府的背景，或者原本就是政府主管部门，如原中国轻工部，后来改为轻工业总会，主持原来轻工业行业的展览会议；民间组织中分为两种状态，一种是留学生海外归来开始从事会展工作，另外一种就是一些在大型外企工作多年，积累了一定会展工作经验的中层，下海从事会展工作；还有一部分就是新毕业的大学生，毕业以后几个志向相同的同学开始创业，涉足会展行业。

三部分人各有各的优势。协会组织会展会有一定的行业优势，主要涉足行业会展；民间组织的优势主要是跨行业、船小掉头快，一般从事几个行业的会展；新毕业的大学生闯劲十足，可能经验上不很丰富，但是他们接受新生事物快，观念新，主要从事一些新兴行业的会展。

目前三部分人组织的会展，都有自己的特色。

人才供给：德美教育模式值得借鉴

据了解，目前北京从事会展工作的人员中，没有一个是科班出身的。这对于一个快速发展的行业来说，显然是有所欠缺。

德国西门子媒体学院院长、被誉为德国“会展行业第一人”的贝恩斯曾经说过：“会展业在德国能成为一个庞大的经济产业，其中一个重要原因就是有大批高素质的会展专业人才参与其中。”据了解，国外会展人才培养体系相对成熟，并在长期的实践中形成了良好完善的会展理论。德国主要以高校教育、在职培训为主。美国是高校和培训两种人才培养模式，他们的人才培养更注重实践能力的锻炼和培养。在德国和美国，国际会展策划师已成为一个相当成熟的职业，并且设置相应的证书考核标准。

德国、美国的人才培养采取的行业渗透模式，主要是各个专业的学生在学习本专业的基础上，都有一门会展的课程，结合实践教授会展对于产品推销的作用以及对于本行业发展的促进。这样一来，就形成了各个专业的大学生都有关于本行业会展的知识与前沿的经验。

为了迎头赶上国际会展行业发展的步伐，2006年，经中国国家教育部批准，上海师范大学和上海对外贸易学院成为沪上首批设立会展本科教育专业的高等院校。此后，北京、上海、广州等地大约有40余所大专院校开始着手开设会展管理专业或类似专业。会展被单列出来成为一个专业，这种独立于学科以外的会展专科设置与德国美国的渗透式教育模式有着本质的区别，效果如何还有待于实践的检验。

北京发展会展产业具备4大优势

会展行业的发展是城市经济的产物，是一种进步，是一个城市经济的组成部分。一个城市发展会展经济需要具备4大条件，即：具有历史传承、产业结构需求、消费结构需求、城市辐射力。储祥银表示：“4个条件不是缺一不可，但是至少要具备一个。”

北京同时具备发展会展行业的四大要素：北京是一个有着丰厚历史传承底蕴的城市；北京的产业结构正在发生着巨大的变化，每100元人民币地区生产总值中，有72元来自第三产业；每100名从业者中，有71人从事第三产业，北京在全国率先跨越两个70％，实现了经济增长方式的重大转型和产业结构调整的突破；官方数字显示，北京居民“消费结构升级明显”，北京市人均地区生产总值已超过5000美元，居民的消费结构加快升级，住房、汽车等大件物品消费对消费的带动作用会逐步增强；伴随着京津城际第三条高速公路的贯通、京津城际轨道交通的正式运营，北京的立体交通网络越织越密，经济半小时经济圈的范围进一步加大，京津塘、环渤海的辐射力日益显现。

目前，进入会展行业的门槛比较低，没有什么特别的硬性规定，30—50万元的注册资金就可以完成会展公司的注册，成立公司。

行业薪酬：完全以接单量确定水平

中国会展业虽然只有10余年的发展时间，但成长很快，年递增速度达到20%以上。创造的直接收入超过100亿元，直接或间接带动关联产业的产出近1000亿元。同时，会展业从业人员的工资标准也得到了相应的提高。

据了解，会展业人才可分为3个层次，第一是专业的搭建人才；第二是经营管理人才；第三是老板。每一个层次的从业者月薪是完全不同的。

专业的搭建人才月薪一般为3000元左右；大专毕业的管理人员月薪为2000至2500元，在此基础上，拥有5年以上工作经验者的月薪可达到5000元以上，5年以上工作经验的营销策划人员设计人员月薪接近或者突破万元大关；老板的月薪从几万至几十万不等。其中，由于不同的公司有不同的标准，公司年接单数量的不同，其月薪的水平也会完全不同。

产业发展：2年新增面积33万平方米

作为朝阳产业，中国会展业的迅速崛起让世界刮目相看。1997年，中国内地全年举办的各类展览会数量第一次达到1000个，短短10年，这一数字在2006年就跃升至3800个。全球拥有的展览会的主题，在中国市场上都能找到。包括德国、美国等世界前10名的国际展览公司都不同程度地参与了中国市场。

2010年前，北京市将建设完善三大会展功能区域，重点完善和建设五个会展中心区，新增会展场馆总面积达到33万平方米。以东城区、西城区为主的首都功能核心区以会议为发展重点；以朝阳区、海淀区为主的城市功能拓展区将展会、会议并重发展；以顺义区为主的城市发展新区以展览为发展重点。

到2010年，北京市将形成与国际惯例接轨、宏观管理协调、资源配置合理、配套服务优良、市场竞争有序的会展业发展新格局，成为亚洲主要会展城市之一，会展人才将获得新的更大的发展空间。