UTM held 'Research Symposium on Event Studies' to promote industry innovative development

MACAU, June 25 - The Macao University of Tourism (UTM) and the School of Tourism Management at the Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) jointly held the ‘Research Symposium on Event Studies’ in Mong-Há Campus at UTM on 25 June. Scholars were invited to discuss the development and latest trends in events research. The Symposium aims to provide a platform for academic exchange among scholars for advancing research and innovative thinking in the events industry. The Symposium is supported by the China region of the Event Management Journal, a highly-regarded journal in this field of study.

Dr. Clara Lei Weng Si, Dean of Faculty of Innovative Hospitality Management at UTM, mentioned in her opening remarks that it had been nearly two decades since UTM launched the Bachelor of Science in Tourism Event Management. In the upcoming academic year, two master’s degree programmes in International Events Management will be launched to build a talent pipeline for events industry, committed to cultivate a group of resourceful, resilient, and capable industry professionals. She believes that the events sector is an important focus of Macao’s 1+4 appropriate economic diversification strategy and can drive the collaborative development of other emerging industries.

Dr. Ubaldino Couto, Assistant Professor and Coordinator for Tourism Event Management Programme, also the curator of this Symposium, noted that it is both timely and imperative to create platforms for academic exchange to encourage collaborations and networking within the research community that consists of both research students and faculty members.

Dr. Eve Ren Lianping, Professor at UTM, and Dr. Yu Xiaojuan, Associate Professor from the School of Tourism Management, SYSU, delivered keynote speeches at the Symposium, sharing their insights in managing the rigorous research training and unique features in undertaking research in events. There were also two panel discussions consisting of both students and faculty members, covering topics on the current issues in event management in China and the potential event research collaborations in the Greater Bay Area.

The Symposium also invited students from higher education institutions locally and from other countries and regions, including School of Tourism Management of Sun Yat-sen University, Griffith University in Australia, University of Macau and Yale University in the United States. UTM students actively interacted with the speakers during the Symposium, which provided inspiration for future academic research.

The admissions for UTM’s new master’s degree programme in International Events Management for academic year 2024/2025 opens until 30 June 2024. Qualified students could apply for a wide range of scholarships and other grants. For more information on admission and programmes, please visit the UTM Admission website at https://www.utm.edu.mo/admission/.