24 Martha 2017 St. Petersburg, the GBU "Exhibition and Convention Bureau" with the assistance of the Central City Public Library. VV. Mayakovsky held an educational seminar on the preparation of sectoral staff. Main question, which was put on the agenda – industry professional standards, their role in the training of personnel for companies in the industry.
Seminar participants – representatives of universities and colleges, whose educational programs provide for the training of specialists for the congress and exhibition industry and the hospitality industry, On the one side, and industry representatives (exhibition organizers and operators, congress and event events, public professional associations, unions and associations), on the other side.
Discussed the most pressing issues. What is a professional standard? What professional standards the industry needs today? What has already been approved and what is under development? Are those standards enough for the industry?, which are, or do you need additional? How big is the difference between professional and educational standards? And many many others.
From the speeches of the seminar participants:
Students after receiving a diploma in an industry specialty (in the field of congress and exhibition activities) in addition to knowledge in the field of a particular specialty, they must have a much wider range of knowledge: have general economic training, understand the basics of geopolitics, good knowledge of such areas, like advertising, marketing, PR, basics of business communication, understand the basics and be able to read technical documentation. Obviously, that a specialist in the field of exhibition activity should be a widely erudite person, since scientific and industrial exhibitions affect all spheres of the national economy, including innovative production, IT technologies, etc.. Primexpo company to obtain ready-made specialists, ready to fully cooperate with educational institutions, share professional experience, enable students to practice. (I.A. Lubina, General Director of Primexpo LLC as a part of ITE).
After Expoforum-International moved to a new site, the company's management, like no one else, faced with a shortage of qualified personnel. Perfect, if there is a universal specialist, versed in all spectrums of congress and exhibition activities. However, this is hardly possible today.. Such specialists become only after many years of practical work in the industry.. Training of high-quality specialists is a paramount task. Maybe, should think about, to create a kind of unified center of additional education for the formation of fully competent industry specialists. And here, undoubtedly, Universities should go hand in hand with the industry and its representatives. Expoforum is ready for such a dialogue (E.V. Ublieva, Commercial Director of Expoforum-International LLC).
Working in the industry market for more than 11 years, Interform design company (construction and design of exhibition stands) regularly faces the problem of retraining university graduates, despite , that most of them have excellent graduate theses in architecture and design. But to "draw" an ordinary exhibition stand, with elements of creativity – can not. Therefore, considerable effort must be made to, to adapt the graduate to solving the functional problems of the company: take to exhibitions, show, explain, share practical experience, for what, usually, take at least six months. Wherein, undoubtedly, much depends on the personal qualities of the specialist. The exhibition industry is a difficult area. I, of course, professional standards can greatly facilitate the training of high-quality profile specialists, including in the field of exhibition design (A.I. Narovlyansky, CEO of Interform Design).
I.P. Kirsanov also spoke on behalf of the industry representatives, General Director of VO "RESTEK", E.V. Dukarev. Vice President of the Leningrad Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, B.R. Asadov, Chairman of the Association of International Youth Cooperation and Tourism, Yu.S. Zabnev. restaurant manager Art-hotel "Demetra", O.A. Romanova, founder and owner of Twin Cities Melburn (hostel network).
From educational institutions took part in the discussion of the issue: O.A. Babanchykov, Ph.D., docent, Head of the Department of Tourism, St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design; YES. Karpov, Ph.D., docent, Head of the Directorate of Congress and Exhibition Activities of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University of Peter the Great; A.V. Mazurenko, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Humanitarian Institute, Faculty of Advertising and Public Relations of Peter the Great Polytechnic University; N.A. Samsonov, Deputy Director for Finance and Development of the Educational Center for Training Leaders of the Higher School of Economics; G.A. Karpov, Dan., professor, Head of the NORC "Children's and Youth Tourism", St. Petersburg State University of Economics, Vice President of the National Academy of Tourism; Head of Department, M.S. Perevertkina, Ph.D., Head of the Methodological Department of ANO DPO "Ego Translating University".
The participants of the seminar expressed a common opinion on the usefulness of such discussions, on the need for closer communication and communication between industry enterprises and educational institutions. Educational institutions are encouraged to involve practitioners from the industry in the educational process, many of which are ready to join this process on a voluntary basis. Industry representatives to be more active in making proposals for updating training courses, reflecting the current situation in the industry, seek the possibility of actively involving students and graduates in work practice at industry enterprises.
Besides, it was decided to apply to the leadership of the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs in terms of actively continuing work in terms of developing professional standards.
In conclusion, it should be noted, that in addition to the main objective of the seminar - discussing the issue of preparing professional standards - the Congress and Exhibition Bureau presented one of the excellent additional venues for business events - the V.V. Mayakovsky Central City Public Library. Library management represented by Deputy Director for Development E.G. Akhti, Head of the Department of Information and Bibliographic Services M.N. Sukhareva, bibliographer E.V. Abramova organized and conducted an interesting tour of the mansion of Countess Karlova for the participants of the seminar, Memorial Library of Prince Golitsyn, and also got acquainted with the archive and modern possibilities of the library.
The Convention and Exhibition Bureau of St. Petersburg sincerely thanks all the participants of the educational seminar, as well as the leadership of the Central City Public Library named after V.V.. Mayakovsky for cooperation and support in the field of promotion and development of congress and exhibition activities.