⚡️Leaders from Prestigious Tourism Organizations Visit MSME Business School
Tourism students in Dr. Scott Smith’s Event Management class at Assumption University, Thailand, were recently visited by some of the most respected tourism leaders in the industry.
Peter Semone, Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), visited Dr. Scott’s class on December 27, 2022. Peter has been with PATA since the mid-1990s, serving as Chairman of the PATA Foundation Board of Trustees and the Education and Training Committee. Peter was also a member of the PATA Executive Board, Board of Directors and several Task Forces. “We are grateful Mr. Semone and his daughter, Madyson Semone could visit our campus. Mr Semone’s presentation, The History of Pacific Asia Travel Through the Eyes of PATA, was insightful and inspirational and well received by all,” said Dr. Scott.
Mr. Semone currently resides in Dili, Timor-Leste, where he is Chief of Party of USAID’s Tourism For All Project aimed at developing tourism sector competitiveness and stimulating diversification of the country’s economy. Several years ago, on a previous campus visit, Mr Semone was introduced to two students, Miss Elisangela Ferreira and Mr Emmanuel L Maia from the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM). These HTM graduates turned that classroom introduction into the first step of their careers, as they are currently working on Mr Semone’s USAID project in Timor-Leste. Dr. Scott said, “Elisangela and Emmanuel have recently been engaged and the HTM faculty could not be prouder of our alumni’s personal and professional development. We wish them the very best.”
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) connects public and private organizations for the responsible development of the travel and tourism industry. By bringing together our private and public sector members, PATA facilitates meaningful partnerships to enhance travel and tourism’s value, quality and sustainable growth to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.
The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organizations, including government, state and city tourism bodies; international airlines and airports; hospitality organizations, and educational institutions, as well as thousands of young tourism professionals (YTP) members across the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing and London.
Professor David Hind, President of the Asia Pacific Institute for Events Management (APIEM) visited Dr. Scott’s Events Management class on January 5, 2023 to serve as a judge for the student’s mid-term presentation, Creating an Event for Gen Z & Gen Y. Professor David said, “It was an honour to receive the student presentations. All students showed a clear understanding of the special characteristics of Generations Y and Z, and how event organisers need to design events to meet the needs of these generations.”
Professor Hind presented The Impacts of Generation Y and Z on the Events Industry after the student’s presentations. Dr. Scott was pleased to find that many of the topics covered in Professor Hind’s presentation were also included in the student’s presentations. “We are privileged to have Professor Hind visit our campus and thrilled to be invited to apply to become the first APIEM-certified Centre of Excellence for Event Management studies in Thailand.”, said Dr. Scott.
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