The Communications Office of the University of Macau (UM) recently organised a three-day field trip for UM Reporters and PR Student Ambassadors to different cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), including Hengqin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. During the trip, the students visited universities, innovative tech companies, and media companies to learn more about their development and operation.
Led by Katrina Cheong, director of the Communications Office of UM, members of the delegation first visited Hengqin-Macao Youth Entrepreneurship Valley, where Wang Kun, deputy director of the industrial planning and research department for Zhuhai Da Heng Qin Development Co Ltd, presented the operation and development of the valley. The delegation also explored Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute to gain more insight into UM’s industry-academic collaboration projects in the GBA. In Guangzhou, Chen Weibin, an editorial board member of Southern Metropolis Daily and CEO of N Video, shared with the students how the company adjusted its content and format to keep up with the development of new media and gave helpful advice on conducting interviews and improving journalistic instincts.
Members of the delegation also visited Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), where they learned about the universities’ development and promotional strategies from Sun Yaobin, vice director of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Committee of SYSU; Wei Zhao, deputy director of the organizing office of SIAT; Lavender Cheung, director of communications and public relations of CUHK; and Winnie Lam, director of communication and public relations of HKBU, respectively. The delegation members also exchanged ideas with faculty members and students at these universities, and later visited Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Jerry Gong is a UM student who serves as both UM Reporter and PR Student Ambassador. According to him, the trip has given him a deeper understanding of GBA universities and the operation of new media companies in the region. He also learned about the latest development of entrepreneurship in the GBA. Rainie Ieong, a PR Student Ambassador, says that the trip has not only broadened her horizons, but also allowed her to acquire new knowledge about the operation of new media companies and docent skills, and she hopes to use these skills in her campus tours in the future.
The UM Reporter Programme and the PR Student Ambassador Programme were launched by the Communications Office of UM in 2010 and 2012, respectively, to provide a platform for students interested in guiding tours, conducting interviews, and writing news to hone their skills. Over the years, the programmes have trained more than 900 students. Each year, CO offers students from different disciplines the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and develop different talents outside their field of study.
