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[Scene] Peter and Wang are talking about the significance of World Expo and they feel amazed at its impact and development. They take delight in talking about the latest World Expo held in the coastal city of Yeosu in South Korea in 2012. The theme of the Expo is “Living Ocean and Coast”, aiming to maintain and develop natural resources.
Peter和Wang在谈论世博会的意义。他们对世博会的影响和发展感到惊讶，并且对2012年在韩国丽水举办的主题为“生机勃勃的海洋及海岸”、探讨资源多样性与可持续发展的世博会津津乐道。
Peter: Wang, do you know what the world's three greatest festivals are?
Wang: They are the Olympics, FIFA World Cup and …what is the third one?
Peter: It's the World Exposition or World Expo, also known as World's Fair. It is the third largest event in the world, in terms of economic and cultural impact. World Expo has a history longer than both the modern Olympic Games and the World Cup.
Wang: Indeed it is. Nowadays Expo is the word on everyone's lips. What is the World Expo, then?
Peter: Well, the World Expo is a global, non-commercial exposition held in different countries in the world. It aims at promoting the exchange of ideas, development of production over the world, and also improving the international relations.
Wang: When and where was it started?
Peter: So far as I know, the first World Expo was held in London on May 1, 1851. It lasted for 160 days. By the way, do you know anything about the latest World Expo?
Wang: I saw on TV that it was held in South Korea.
Peter: Yes, the latest was held in the coastal city of Yeosu in South Korea, from May 12 to August 12.
Wang: It lasted 3 months. Quite long, wasn't it? Why was it held? I mean, what was the purpose of holding it?
Peter: It aimed at shining a spotlight on the global benefits of maintaining our oceans, to find solutions to climate change, to stop depletion of natural resources and the destruction of the ecosystem.
Wang: I heard that its theme was related to ocean.
Peter: “Living Ocean and Coast” was its theme. Over 100 nations including China, Egypt, the UAE, Russia, Germany and the US, as well as 10 international organizations such as the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission took part in it.
Wang: Wow, it was really eye-catching. Tell me something interesting about it, please.
Peter: The center piece of the 2012 site was the 40-metre high “Big-O” structure. It comprised the world's largest over-the-sea fountain, and the Aquarium is the largest in South Korea with 34,000 marine species in the 6.03-tonne tank.
Wang: What happened to the exhibition structures after the expo?
Peter: The exhibition structures were all temporary structures. Most of the buildings were already sold to national and international organizations. Some remain standing there for tourism. For example, the “Big-O” structure, along with the Theme Pavilion and Aquarium, remain after the expo closed in August.
Wang: What benefits did the host country get from holding the expo?
Peter: A lot. To name a few, first, it has driven the development of South Korea's south coast and helped to accelerate the nation's marine industry and technology. Second, it has delivered an economic impact of $5.3bn and generated 80,000 new jobs.
Wang: No doubt, the World Expo is a big global festival.
Peter: Absolutely. The next one will be held in 2015 in Milan. Let's wait and see what it will be like.
(1) Generally speaking, the world's greatest festivals are those events that catch the world's attention. ( )
(2) The purpose of World Expo is not to make money, but to exchange human ideas and inspirations about science, economy, culture and so on. ( )
(3) Both the first World Expo held in 1851 and the latest expo in 2012 were long-term expositions , because they lasted over one week. ( )
(4) The theme of the Yeosu World Expo was “Living Ocean and Coast”, which aimed at drawing the world's attention to ocean protection and global climate change. ( )
(5) The 40-metre high “Big-O” structure, the center piece of the 2012 site, formed the world's largest fountain over the sea. ( )
(6) All exhibition structures are temporary for the show and they are torn down after the show. ( )
(7) Although World Expos don't aim at making money, the host countries usually can get a lot of benefits from holding the world expos, including monetary benefits. ( )
(8) Yeosu, where the 2012 World Expo was held, was the only city benefited from this World Expo in South Korea. ( )
For example, in a narrow sense, “会展” is understood as convention & exhibition industry. In a broad sense, it is understood as MICE industry. What is included in its narrow and broad sense respectively? Find out the related events from the given chart below.
续表
(1) festival a.主办国
(2) non-commercial exposition b.会展业
(3) MICE industry c.节庆，节事活动
(4) host country d.参加者
(5) convention/conference e.国内/国外(会议/展览)场所
(6) attendee f.会议
(7) exhibition structures g.参展建筑物
(8) destination h.奖励旅游
(9) domestic/overseas venue i.非商业性质的博览/非营利的博览
(10) incentive trip/tour j.目的地
Take turns asking and answering the following questions with a partner.
(1) Why is the MICE industry an indispensable part of the business world?
Answer: Well, it will take a while to answer this. Let's just take conferences for an example. It is understood that businesses and associations simply cannot function in a fully effective way without face-to-face meetings. It is also understood that conferences and incentive travel are an indispensable means of communicating their business messages, increasing sales, and business development.
(2) Is the MICE industry developing all over the world?
Answer: Yes, it is developing globally. But the development pace is not the same. For example, Europe and the States have already had years of experience and achievement, while in many developing countries, such as China, this industry is still new. This means that there are plenty of opportunities for this industry to grow in these developing countries.
(3) Is the MICE industry influenced by the recent global economic slowdown?
Answer: Yes, it has been hard in recent years, but there are also many points for optimism. For example, in the year of 2012, the World Tourism Organization data shows that there are more people travelling than ever. Data also shows that there is continuing investment in the development and promotion of many of the MICE facilities and services.
(4) Among meetings, incentive travel, conventions and events, which has the biggest development potential, according to your knowledge?
Answer: Personally speaking, I think incentive trips are to grow fast. I believe the family market for business travel, events and incentives will continue to grow. Nowadays, executives who are working longer hours, are looking for ways to balance work and family. Plenty of data shows increasing numbers of conference delegates are bringing their children along when travelling.
Student A: A spokesperson at an international conference is talking about the history and prospect of World Expos.
Student B, C, D…: Reporters from different countries.
[Sample dialogue]
A: Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, reporters from the media, welcome to this conference on promoting World Expos to the world. It is truly a pleasure for me to speak at the 7th World Expo International Forum. The series of World Expo International Forums are important events to promote the ideal of the World Expo and expand its influence. Participants to this forum will have extensive and in-depth discussions. Before the discussion I'd like to offer you background information about the past, the present, and even the future of World Expos. Now, here comes your turn to ask some relevant questions.
B: Good morning, Mr. A. I'm…, the reporter from China Daily. I would like to get some information about…
C: Hello, I'm from the British Broadcasting Corporation. Just now you mentioned…in your speech, I would like to ask you to talk more about the details.
D: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to ask you a question. I'm…from the Morning Post in America. My question is...
续表
[导读]
会展业越来越成熟、越来越专业。科技进步影响了这个行业，不管是展览还是会议，甚至是奖励旅游都出现了新的发展趋势。2008年开始并持续至今的世界经济的不景气给会展业提出一个需要思考的问题：展销会该在国内开还是走出国门去开？不同的国家就这个问题给出了不同的答案。
New Development Trends in the Global MICE Industry
The MICE (standing for meetings, incentives, conventions and events / exhibitions respectively) industry has been a growing industry over the past few decades into a mature business sector, driven by growing professional world.
Organizing a meeting or incentive trip involves moving around vast amounts of information. This is something that computers and the Internet can do very effectively. No one doubts that the use of technology by the MICE industry will continue to expand, transforming the way meeting and incentive travels are organized. The Internet is already a valuable source for promoting services and facilities on offer from venues, hotels, and destinations. Also online booking tools will continue to help planners and suppliers work more effectively, and events management software has evolved from merely providing information , about events to enabling full online management of a conference.
The new trend of meetings is that they are becoming shorter and smaller, with less delegates as companies have tough controls on their conference-related spending. The weak economy has led many companies to cut meeting budgets. With limited time and budgets, business delegates only want to attend those events which are really in need.
However, growing indications show that meetings are being held more frequently, because the rapid changes in business and society as a whole means that companies and corporations have to hold more meetings and events , so that their members or employees can keep up with the fast-moving changes in their field or profession.
Likewise, in the incentive travel sector, cost-cutting measures also have hit incentive budgets hard, and the constant threat of uncertainty has meant that incentive planners, more than ever, need to confirm that a destination is safe before they will even begin to consider it.
As a result, the design and nature of many incentive programs has changed. Many incentive programs have been held in destinations nearer to the participants' homes. The average number of participants per incentive group is shrinking , and incentive trip organizers have to include more flexibility and “free time arrangement” to save expense.
During the tough economic environment beginning in 2008, the MICE sector has faced the difficult choice of whether to hold corporate events in the domestic market , or to spend big money overseas to attract attendees.
For example, figures from a survey of corporations in the UK throughout 2009 showed that 47% of businesses imposed restrictions on overseas travel, with 83% admitting to holding their events in the UK. London was by far the biggest winner from this, with 60% of organizations saying that the city was the most used in 2009.
In the US, it is different and the international expansion is still seen as the best route to business success. The annual amount spent on marketing to overseas attendees has seen the greatest rise for 2012. Almost a quarter (23%) of survey respondents say they spent 10% more than last year on attracting overseas attendees. 39% of organizers are currently holding events outside the US, with 46% in the process of taking their events out of the country. The majority of these events are currently taking place in China (23%), South America (14%) and the UK (10%). India, Singapore and Dubai are three other countries favoured by 18% , 12% and 9% of US organizers respectively.
1. Make the best choice according to the passage.
(1) What are the contributing factors to the growth of MICE industry?
A. Computers.
B. Internet.
C. Cell phones.
D. All of the above.
(2) The new trend of meetings is for meeting to be _______.
A. shorter
B. smaller
C. more frequent
D. All of the above.
(3) The chief reason for the new trend of meetings is _____.
A. saving time
B. tight budgets
C. no demand
D. All of the above.
(4) The new trend of incentive travel includes _________.
A. shrinking
B. tight budgets
C. security
D. All of the above.
(5) What is the main reason for the new trend of incentive tour?
A. Uncertainty.
B. Rapid changes in business.
C. Tight budgets.
D. Safety.
(6) The chief cause of the new trends of the world MICE industry is ____.
A. rapid changes
B. scientific advances
C. tough economic situation
D. globalization
(7) British MICE organizers tend to prefer _____as venues to hold exhibitions and conferences.
A. overseas
B. Europe
C. the domestic market
D. developing countries
(8) ____of US organizers are now holding events in other countries.
A. 39%
B. 10%
C. 23%
D. 46%
2. Translate the following sentences using as many language skills learned in this lesson as possible.
(1) 组织会议或奖励旅游涉及运作大量的信息。
(2) 会议的发展趋势：变短变小，但是更频繁。
(3) 奖励旅游的趋势：团队规模缩小，就近旅游，并且多安排自由活动。
(4) 经济萧条使会展业面临着是组织国内展还是走出国门去吸引参展商的艰难选择。
(5) 虽然英国人更趋向于国内组展，但是美国人仍在国外花大笔钱，把国际扩展策略当作会展业发展之道。
1. What is the historical background of world exhibitions? What are the goals of exhibitions?
2. Which parties (sides) are involved in an exhibition? What are their relationships like?
3. What happens to the architectures especially built for an exhibition after the event? Do they become permanent structures?
