The Secrets to Visitor Management at Exhibitions by Mr. Jason Teh, Managing Director, PICO Malaysia

Mr. Jason Teh, the Managing Director of PICO Malaysia, was invited to share his insights on this topic. As part of the “Industry Insights on Event Management” series, students had the opportunity to learn and gather knowledge on various ways to successfully manage visitors at exhibitions.

Mr. Jason had experience in managing various mega projects and brand activation of several global brands during his tenure at PICO offices in China. Before taking on the role of Managing Director at Pico Malaysia, Jason was the Head of Events and has led his team to attain the Dragons of Malaysia Award in 2019. To increase exposure of young Malaysians to the Business Events (BE) industry, Jason is also the current Chairman of the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) Youth chapter.

During his session, he provided students a realistic view on managing visitors during exhibitions as well as the attractions that would draw them to these events. He elaborated on crucial points that exhibition organisers should consider when organising an event and shared some trade secrets to excite visitors at exhibitions. The session was attended by 60 undergraduates students from the Exhibition Management module. It was a great opportunity for students taking the Exhibition Management module to benefit from wisdom and experiences of industry practitioners like Jason.

Film and Television Producer & Director Ms. Lina Tan from Red Communications Shares her Insights

Ms. Lina Tan, the Founder and Managing Director of Red Communications was invited to talk to our broadcasting students from School of Media and Communication under our Industry Spotlight series. As a critically acclaimed Film and Television Producer & Director, Lina brings a wealth of knowledge, industry experience, and invaluable wisdom to our classroom. During her recent visit, the final year digital media production students presented their projects, including a 10-min pitch and a teaser. Lina's insights and feedback were invaluable.

She also spent time with the students and other faculty members discussing what to expect in the industry and why she likes to give young and emerging talents opportunities. The Professional Media Workshop students were indeed grateful for the chance to meet such an accomplished, down-to-earth film director in person. Ms. Lina was joined by other industry experts such as Patrick Lim, Director/Producer; Maran Perianen, Writer/Director/Producer; Ray Kril, Director/Educator; and Angel Koh, Producer, Aljazeera East 101.

Guest Lecture on “Menu Planning and Menu Engineering” by Assoc. Prof. Manish Paul from India

The simple objective of menu engineering is to increase profit per guest at a restaurant. This is achieved through a careful analysis of the profitability and popularity of individual menu items, followed by placing items on the menu to encourage guests to choose particular dishes. Menu engineering means balancing the high and low food cost items, which also includes strategically featuring or promoting items for the guests.

Assoc. Prof. Manish Paul from Uttarakhand Technical University, India delivered a guest lecture to our Bachelor of International Hospitality Management students on the “Menu Planning and Engineering” topic. The main objective of the lesson was to attain an in-depth knowledge of menu planning and engineering. Specifically, the students were enlightened about the role of the menu and its types, and the important factors related to menu planning.

Students also learned how to manage the profitability and popularity of menu items and how these two factors influenced the designing of a menu. Lastly, students also learned how to work on a menu engineering sheet to calculate the profitability and popularity of the menu items.