The Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming (ISCG), under the University of Macau (UM) Faculty of Business Administration (FBA), recently held the faculty’s first in-house executive development programme (EDP) on data analysis and smart tourism, titled ‘Integrated Resort and Tourism Management Development Workshop: Data Analysis and Smart Tourism’. The workshop attracted senior executives from the integrated resort and tourism industry. During the workshop, participants learned how to use new methods to understand the behaviours of their target customers.

Prof Jean Chen, dean of the FBA, delivered an opening speech. According to Dean Chen, this executive training programme is designed to help companies in the integrated resort and tourism industry to expand their business by identifying the unmet needs of their customers. She added that the EDP showed the FBA’s commitment to promoting industry-academia collaboration as it provided a platform for participants to exchange ideas and share experience. It also demonstrates FBA’s committee to better serve the local community and business.

The workshop was orgainsed by Prof Davis Fong, director of the ISCG. The speakers included Prof Gang Li and Dr Quan Vu from Deakin University in Australia and Prof Rob Law from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Through the use of big data analytics, the speakers discussed tourists’ points of interest (POI) to inspire industry practitioners to develop tailor-made products and be creative in their marketing strategies. The workshop was very well received and participants expressed hope to participate in similar workshops organised by the faculty in the future.