Tourism New Zealand is nurturing
the next generation of business event professionals by offering 10 new scholarships for training programmes.
The promotional organisation has signed up
to the ICCASkills certification programme to offer five scholarships
for the Certified International Convention Specialist (CICS) course for
newcomers to the industry and another five for the Certified
International Convention Executive (CICE) course.
The programme was launched by ICCA
(the International Congress & Convention Association) to offer participants
an in-depth curriculum delivered through in-person and online learning.
TNZ will support event professionals by sharing the cost of the programme
with the recipient’s employers.
General manager
of business events, Bjoern Spreitzer, said: “New Zealand has invested in
amazing new infrastructure and activities for the business events sector, and
we need to recruit and retain the best talent to staff them. Business events
are all about people – it makes sense to support the industry by investing in people.
He added: “Encouraging professional
development ensures the expertise of our people is recognised at a global level
and helps to elevate New Zealand’s event standards.”
ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath said:
“ICCASkills is unique. It will harmonise new learnings and professional
development in our industry. There is a genuine desire to do more in terms of
the education and upskilling of our people, so learners across the world enjoy
the best possible experiences when they attend an event. People absolutely
expect the best and ‘the best’ is what ICCASkills is designed to do.”
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
