Unit6 Conferences & Exhibitions
Text A Conferences
Conferencesare convened (召集) for a number of different purposes,for policy-making, for the exchange of information and ideas，fortraining and for group bonding and networking. The social purpose of conferencesis always important and may not be connected with the explicit purpose of themeeting. Delegates (代表) usethe event to meet old friends and maybe to do private deals. There is alsooften a recreational purpose so that participants can have a short holiday,either during or after the conference. Companies sometimes deliberately locatetheir conferences in exotic (异国风情的)locations to facilitate this aspect, either as reward for past efforts or as away of motivating staff; this is usually referred to as “incentive travel” (奖励旅游).Because of this recreational aspect many conference organizers makearrangements for partners to be able to come and lay on special programmes forthem during the conference sessions.
Conferencesare organized by and on behalf of a wide range of bodies which can generally beclassified as either corporate or association. Corporate meetings are arrangedby companies and other profit-making organizations to achieve operationalefficiency. For the purpose of the conference industry, corporate conferences areonly defined as such when they take place away from work premises (经营场址)although the nature of the activity could be very similar to that undertaken onwork premises. The association conference may involve educational, scientific,professional, political, religious or social organizations. Apart fromachieving the objectives of the association, they are also a means ofgenerating income which is easier and less painful than raising subscriptions (捐助).Conferences vary from an intergovernmental summit (最高级会议),the annual conference of a political party, a church synod (宗教会议)，asymposium (讨论会) for scientists, a regional conferenceof a trade union or a company strategy meeting.
Someconferences take place on a regular basis, such as the annual conference and quarterlyor half-yearly meetings, while others are one-off (一次性的)and may involve a unique set of circumstances. The latter might involve apolitical summit to solve a crisis or a conference to commemorate (纪念、庆祝)the anniversary of a past event.
Meetingsmay last from one day to a week or more. Conferences occur throughout the year,although there is a lull (间歇) inthe holiday periods: July and August for the summer holidays and late December—earlyJanuary for Christmas and the New Year. The peak periods tend to be from Marchto June and September to November, a timing which makes the conference businessattractive to seaside resorts.
Conferencesvary in size from ten people to more than 20,000 participants. The term“convention” is usually reserved for the larger meetings. As national andinternational organizations evolve, so organizations with larger membership arelikely to come into being and there is the possibility of mammoth(巨大的)-sizedconferences. Within these organizations there is likely to be a hierarchy (等级制度)of meetings from the global to the regional level.
Whileit is widely believed that the number of conferences and the number ofparticipants are increasing, some hotels are unwilling to release details ofconferences they have hosted because of commercial confidentiality (机密、机要).The wide use of the telephone, teleconferencing and fax machine can’t act as asubstitute, there does appear to be a need for face-to-face contact.
Conferenceplanners have a choice of the type of venue and location. For some meetings,particularly if they last only a day, a central location which is easilyaccessible to all delegates is important. For longer meetings delegates will beprepared to travel further. Nevertheless, many associations move theirconference around the country so that over a number of years travel time isequalized among delegates.
Surveysof how decisions are made as to where to locate a conference suggest that thereare four main factors. First, organizers must be convinced that there is a highstandard of conference and accommodation facilities available. For a few verylarge conferences the choice may be limited, as there may be only a fewconference centres that have sufficient capacity to accommodate the required numbers.Second, there is the question of the cost of the hire of the facilities. Third,there is accessibility or location, which becomes more important, the wider thearea from which the participants are drawn. Cities with a major airport have abetter chance of attracting international conferences. Cities with hub (中心)airports have an advantage in winning trade. Fourth, there is theattractiveness of the area to delegates. Attendance at the conference may begreater if it is located in an area which is recognized as a tourist centre.Attractiveness and image will be more important factors either when the delegatesare paying their own fares, or when the conference is organized as incentivetravel. Popular locations might be capital cities, historic cities, seasideresorts and scenic rural areas. Although the conference market is growing,there is great competition between venues to attract the business, and havingthe right ambience (气氛) mightbe the key factor in the decision if other factors are equal.
Itwould seem that tourist appeal is a prime (主要的)consideration in convention site selection. Although many small andmedium-sized cities are competing for a share in the business, large citieswith their multitude (众多) ofentertainment, cultural and commercial attractions remain the primary cards forconventions. (873words)
Exercises:
A. Readthe passage and answer the following questions.
Whatis the purposes of conference?
Whatis incentive travel?
Whatis the difference between corporate meetings and association conferences?
Whatare the peak periods for conferences?
Whatis considered to be a good location for the conference?
Whatare popular locations for conferences?
Whatis the prime consideration in convention site selection?
Whycan large cities remain the primary cards for conventions?
B.Translate the following sentences into Chinese.
1. Conferences are convened for a numberof different purposes, for policy-making, for the exchange of information andideas，fortraining and for group bonding and networking.
2. Some conferences take place on aregular basis, such as the annual conference and quarterly or half-yearly meetings,while others are one-off and may involve a unique set of circumstances.
3. As national and internationalorganizations evolve, so organizations with larger membership are likely tocome into being and there is the possibility of mammoth-sized conferences.
4. While it is widely believed that thenumber of conferences and the number of participants are increasing, somehotels are unwilling to release details of conferences they have hosted becauseof commercial confidentiality.
5. For a few very large conferences thechoice may be limited, as there may be only a few conference centres that havesufficient capacity to accommodate the required numbers.
