Education
Never ending learning story
Aparna Bhargava, Regional Head, Messe Muenchen India Pvt. Ltd,
describes her experience of going through a CEM course
hen we think we
know it all is when the
learning stops.
I was nominated for
the CEM (Certified in Exhibition
Management) training and my friend
asked whether I was going to attend
or teach.
It’s never too late to learn and
the training turned out to be a
rigorous eight days of reading books,
discussions, presentations and online
exams.
The flow was organised in a way
that you can get fully absorbed in
the subject, whether your passion be
logistics, marketing services, stand
construction, venue management or
exhibition organising.
The mix of 20 students was varied,
with an age group from 25 to 65 and
‘students’ came from all over the
country. There were sales executives
and business owners and we heard
from a variety of people and their
ideas and experiences.
There was a certain ‘back to school’
feeling, from having to be on time or
be reprimanded, to studying every
day for exams.
In my country, there is not
a very structured approach to
events education; we do have hotel
management, where banquets are
briefly touched upon and travel
tourism courses where MICE is a
small part. Any serious in-depth
understanding of exhibitions and
education in the sector is mostly
hands on, you have to learn on-the-
job.
More mature markets help us
understand standard operating
procedures and executions and
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
“CEM is a great
opportunity to
receive a structured
understanding of the
industry, encapsulated
in less than 10 days,
and a great way to
incorporate standards
and expectations
across the globe.”
we try and do our best in terms of
adopting international standards to
our local conditions and we usually
make it work wonderfully; after all,
Indians are fast learners.
CEM is a great opportunity to
receive a structured understanding
of the industry, encapsulated in
less than 10 days, and a great way
to incorporate standards and
expectations across the globe.
CEM is not a Phd, of course, but is a
clear indication of the understanding
of a person when it comes to
exhibition management.
The industry depends on a lot of
temporary and last-minute entrants,
from staff to service providers, so it
is really important we understand
how to bring it all together: laws,
rules, budgeting, safety, standards,
execution, promotion, marketing,
and, of course, ROI for the customer.
For some, it can be a bit too much,
returning to studying, but I am glad
I did it - there is so much we don’t
know.
If you are like me and like learning
and discovering every day of your
life, this is for you!
Aparna Bhargava has held roles in hotel sales and
marketing and set up the regional office for Messe
Muenchen in New Delhi. She has also lectured on
customer relationship management at University.
She attended a CEM learning programme in
Bangalore International Exhibition Center in two
parts: over four days in March and four days in
July 2018 - not typically busy periods for the Indian
exhibition industry (most exhibitions take place
September to February).
Asked about the advantages of doing the CEM
course, Bhargava says: “You get a 360-degree view
of the industry and to understand national and
international standards, which you can then apply
in your own work. You also get to realise the gaps
in your country and challenges which you may not
have thought about in your regular work scenario.
“It broadens the perspective and, provided you
attain the CEM, at certain levels it can give you an
edge to get hired.”
She stresses the programme is constantly
evolving and feedback is used to upgrade it for the
next time around.
CEM is overseen by the IAEE and, in India, it is run
by the Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA).
Issue 2 2019
33