HEX Talk Event Series 2022 - Return of International Events: What is Next for the Events Industry?

With the reopening of Malaysia’s international borders on 1st April 2022, more events are accommodating to this transition and are easing back to normality in the form of physical events. Hence this necessary discussions and strategies pertaining to conduct safe events should be ignited to ensure attendees locally and internationally, have a safe experience. “HEX Talk Event Series 2022: Return of International Events: What is Next for the Events Industry?” was a forum organized by a group of Events Management students, as part of their group project for Events Operations module. The forum aimed to address the concerns regarding the reopening of the borders, from the viewpoints of local and international industry experts to present alternative perspectives on its impact on the business event sector.

As more events are welcoming the reintroduction of physical events, the Revive 2022 team worked tirelessly over 3 months in organizing a hybrid forum to ensure the event exceeds participant expectations, both physical and online as well as establishing a successful hybrid forum to place as a benchmark for future events, amidst transitions to the endemic phase. Despite the ease of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) restrictions, there were many hurdles faced. However, this only strengthened the students’ abilities in organizing an event, as well as provided a learning space for them to grow and assimilate themselves into the world of the events industry.

HEX Talk Event Series 2022 was held on 29th June 2022 at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus. The event was also conducted online via Zoom web conferencing. The forum began with Opening Remarks by Associate Professor Dr. Joaquim Dias Soeiro, Head of School, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events (SHTE). The HEX Talk was welcomed by five-panel speakers from various industries to provide their expertise on the topic at hand, making for an insightful and collaborative session:

• Mr. Jaggarao Simancha, CEO & Founder, ASC Agenda Suria Communication Sdn Bhd and Vice President of Advocacy, Malaysian Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS);

• Dato’ Sri Dr. Irmohizam Bin Ibrahim, Chairman of Conferences & Exhibitions Asia Pacific (APAC) Member Advisory Council (MAC), World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) Board and Adjunct Professor of Taylor’s University;

• Mr. Mohamad Isa Abdul Halim, Director of Capability Engagement Division, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB);

• Ms. Waikin Wong, Regional Director - Asia Pacific, International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA);

• Mr. Ch’ng Chor Ban, Senior Lecturer, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events, Taylor’s University

The school were grateful to be joined by Moderator for the event, Mr. Lee Mark, Chief Operating Officer of The Hot Shoe Show @ Co. Sdn Bhd and Industry Advisory Panel of Taylor’s University who interacted with the audience and allowed for an overall interactive and memorable forum.

The event was registered by 350 attendees from 25 countries such as Malaysia, Philippines, Maldives, China, Indonesia, and more, as well as over 40 companies or institutions. After the event, positive feedback were received from the participants and a token of recognition from our panel speakers, thus it was a successful event.

Well done to the organizing team under the Events Operations module, led by the Lecturer, Ms. Khairiah Ismail for their hard work!

Remarkable Doctoral Journey @ Taylor's in Hospitality & Tourism by Students from P.R. China

Many PhD aspirants say that they never considered pursuing a career in research because they thought they did not possess the characteristics or skills to qualify for a doctoral programme. A successful PhD student is enthusiastic, passionate and has a deep interest in the subject of research. The most important characteristics of a good PhD candidate are dedication and enthusiasm. Problem-solving and finding logical solutions to problems come with a strong passion and commitment.

Taylor's School of Hospitality, Tourism & Events is proud of having PhD students who have been performing remarkably during their doctoral journey. The School takes the opportunity to congratulate Dr. Mingzhou Wang for being an outstanding research outcome achiever; and Dr. Lei Chun for being the recipient of the doctoral degree in just 32 months.

Dr. Mingzhou Wang, an international student from China enrolled into Taylor's Doctor of Philosophy in Hospitality and Tourism programme in March 2019. HIs thesis title was "An Exploratory Study of Tourism Social Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of Fanggan Village, China", under the supervision of Dr. Puvaneswaran Kunasekaran (Principal Supervisor) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Seyyed Mostafa Rasoolimanesh (Co-Supervisor). Dr. Mingzhou has successfully completed his viva voce and graduated in July 2022.

He has been an outstanding research outcome achiever. During his doctoral journey, he has shown great interest in his research area of ‘Tourism Social Entrepreneurship’ and achieved every milestone while graduating on time. He has published five research articles in Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) Q1 and Q2 journals; namely:-

1. Kunasekaran, P., Mostafa Rasoolimanesh, S., Wang, M., Ragavan, N. A., & Hamid, Z. A. (2022). Enhancing Local Community Participation towards Heritage Tourism in Taiping, Malaysia: Application of the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) Model. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 1-20.

2. Wang, M., Kunasekaran, P., & Rasoolimanesh, S. M. (2022). What Influences People’s Willingness to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine for International Travel?. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(2), 192-197.

3. Rasoolimanesh, S. M., Wang, M., Roldan, J. L., & Kunasekaran, P. (2021). Are We in Right Path for Mediation Analysis? Reviewing the Literature and Proposing Robust Guidelines. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 48, 395-405.

4. Rasoolimanesh, S. M., Wang, M., Mikulić, J., & Kunasekaran, P. (2021). A Critical Review of Moderation Analysis in Tourism and Hospitality Research towards Robust Guidelines. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.

5. Wang, M., Rasoolimanesh, S. M., & Kunasekaran, P. (2021). A Review of Social Entrepreneurship Research in Tourism: Knowledge Map, Operational Experiences, and Roadmaps. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1-22.

Being an excellent achiever in research, he is now working as an Associate Professor at School of Tourism and Geography Science at Qingdao University, China.

Dr. Lei Chun, also an international student from China enrolled into Taylor's Doctor of Philosophy in Hospitality and Tourism programme in June 2019. His thesis title was "The Effects of Robot Service on Hotel Customer’s Service Experience Assessment". His Principal Supervisor was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Seyyed Mostafa Rasoolimanesh and Co-Supervisor was Dr. Wong Man Ling. He has successfully completed his viva voce and graduated in July 2022. He has been the recipient of doctoral degree in just 32 months!

Dr. Lei Chun’s doctoral research focused on Robotics in Hotel Customers Service Experience. His motivation behind staying focused was continuous engagement with international academic conferences (doctoral forums) on the topic of his own thesis, get ideas from top scholars and improve the thesis. Further, most importantly keeping literature review update to date and frequent discussion with his supervisors in a constant manner helped him to proceed swiftly.

He is currently working as Associate Professor and Director of Event Management Department at Sanya University, Hainan, China.

Bachelor of Performing Arts Global Classroom: Creative Exchange Between 3 Universities

The Bachelor of Performing Arts Global Classroom initiative focuses on the creative exchange between academicians from Taylor's University, Malaysia; University of Leeds, UK and Silliman University, Philippines. Over a span of three months, academicians and students from all three universities participated in workshops and master classes centering on theatre-making.

Academicians from University of Leeds, UK, Professor George Rodosthenous, Associate Professor in Theatre Directing and Deputy Head of School at the School of Performance and Cultural Industries of the University of Leeds; and Professor Jonathan Pitches, Head of School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds focused on devising techniques.

Meanwhile, Taylor's Bachelor of Performing Arts conducted workshops to share about the traditional Malay art forms and methodologies. They shared a recorded performance and lecture of the Traditional Art form "Mek Mulung", directed by Zhafir Muzani, a Part-Time Lecturer and Arts Practitioner. The sessions were attended by 50 students, including students from all cohorts of the Bachelor of Performing Arts.

This creative exchange endeavors to create a network amongst Performing Arts students worldwide while learning from one another's culture. In the future, it is hoped that this Global Classroom can be transition to an in-person lecturer exchange, between the three universities.