China is ready to roll out ICESAP’s (Incentive, Conference & Event Society Asia Pacific) accreditation scheme, following its Asia-Pacific debut earlier this year, as the Chinese translation of the 42-page application document has been completed.
According to ICESAP’s Beijing-based regional vice-president, Alicia Yao, the programme will be ready to launch within a month once some terms and conditions – like currency conversions and Chinese corporate practices – are “fine tuned”.
The accreditation scheme is open to open to all agencies, not just those owned or managed by ICESAP members, that manage corporate events, corporate meetings and corporate incentives.
In a press statement, Jack Yao, secretary general of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Commercial Sub Council, said there are in excess of 30,000 intermediary agencies in China working in the incentive travel, association conferences, corporate meetings, business events, and trade exhibitions sector. It is estimated within two years at least 6,000 of these will be accredited under the CCPIT-ICESAP scheme.
Yao told TTGmice that there are some 90-plus China members out of ICESAP’s 600 total in the Asia-Pacific.
The China rollout will be further boosted during the 4th ICESAP Annual Conference in Shanghai in early-September, where agencies will receive “training” and earn points towards their accreditation, she added.
About half of the 250-plus conference delegates are expected to come from China.
