School of Hotel and Tourism Management Successfully Hosted Student-run International Conference

Fifty-three undergraduate students from the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) formed an organising committee and ran HONG KONG 2016: 2nd Global Tourism & Hospitality Conference and 15th Asia Pacific Forum for Graduate Students Research in Tourism, which was held at Hotel ICON on 16-18 May 2016.

Taking the theme "Innovation · Research · Education", HONG KONG 2016 provided a networking platform on which more than 350 educators, thought leaders, students and industry professionals from 30 countries and regions exchanged insights related to innovations and trends in the global hospitality and tourism industry, as well as the opportunities and challenges that the industry is facing.

Held on 16 May, the conference's Opening Ceremony was officiated at by Professor Timothy W. Tong, PolyU President; Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean and Chair Professor and Conference Chairman; Ms Emily Mo, Assistant Commissioner for Tourism, Tourism Commission; Mr Anthony Lau, Executive Director, Hong Kong Tourism Board; Mr Michael Li, Executive Director, The Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners; Mr James Lu, Executive Director, Hong Kong Hotels Association; Professor Dennis Reynolds, Dean of Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston; and Mr Jeremy Tredinnick, Editor of Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.

The Plenary Sessions that followed covered a wide range of topics. Session I, sponsored by Business Traveller Asia-Pacific and chaired by Mr Tredinnick, focused on "Developing Trends in the Global Travel and Tourism Industry: Challenges and Issues". The session featured Mr Tony Chow, Director, Creative and Content Marketing, Asia Pacific, Marriott International; Professor Brian King, SHTM Associate Dean; Professor Chris Ryan, Professor, University of Waikato; and Mr Anthony Zhang, Business Development Manager, STR SHARE Center.

Chaired by Professor Hanqin Qiu, SHTM Professor, Plenary Session II on the second day was entitled "Internationalisation of Hospitality and Tourism Education: Global Perspectives". Speakers included Dean Kaye Chon; Professor Fabien Fresnel, Chief Academic Officer of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne; Professor Guillermo Graglia, Dean of the School of Hotel Management, Tourism and Gastronomy at the Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola Lima; Ms Kathy Pugh, Vice President of Education Services, edX; and Professor Dennis Reynolds, Dean of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. The conference featured a total of six Plenary and Panel Sessions as well as a number of Paper and Poster Presentations at which more than 130 papers were presented.

At the Gala Dinner held after the conference's Closing Ceremony on 18 May, the 15th APF Undergraduate Student Best Research Paper Award Presentation was held. This unique award was established by the SHTM to foster high-quality research amongst undergraduate students. It was open to all first-author undergraduate students with up to one co-author. The winners were as follows:

In closing the conference, Dean Kaye Chon said, "The SHTM considers it vital to unite industry partners, educators, researchers, alumni and students in a way that facilitates dialogue, idea exchanges and partnerships for all those who are involved in hospitality and tourism development." He remarked, "We will continue to play a leading role in furthering innovative development of the industry."