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Idea-cation @ IFTM 2023



The upcoming Idea-cation 2023 focuses on innovating tourism to boost local economy. The event encourages teams to engage in creativity, innovative thinking, and entrepreneurial approaches to identify key contextual elements of a destination—such as local/regional resources, heritage, and culture—and transform them into value-added components. The goal is to create unique themes that can possibly enhance a destination’s regional economy through tourism while incorporating hospitality, events, retail, and culinary aspects. This year’s Idea-cation is divided into two categories: High School Student Category and Open Category respectively. There are two exciting themes that allow participants to apply their creativity and propose innovative ideas in alignment with government economic strategies.

Idea-cation 2023


One-day visit to Zhongshan’s Hengmei Village


21 October 2023 (Macao<-->Zhongshan)
One-day trip from 09:00 to 17:00 (itinerary to be announced)

• On-site understanding on the local tourism development
• Visit to Zhongshan’s business incubator centre
• The entry fee covers the travel expenses of this visit

(The final arrangement and the itinerary may be subject to slight change and will be announced in due course.)


In addition, finalist teams will participate in the 2-day programme on 11–12 November 2023. Judges (industry elites and IFTM faculty members) will evaluate finalist teams’ pitching performance and final proposals to determine the winning teams.


   

Mode of participation


In-person 


Who may participate?


High School Student Category Open Category
High school students in their 10th grade to 12th grade (Form 4 to Form 6) All aged 18 years or above



Team size


High School Student Category Open Category
Minimum 2 members, maximum 5 members per team (including an accompanying teacher) Minimum 2 members, maximum 5 members per team



Working languages


Chinese as the main language for communication, supplemented by English


Seminar Series


• Introduction of the Idea-cation 2023
• Requirements, guides and evaluation criteria
• The two themes of the competition
• GBA and Zhongshan City
• Policies on entrepreneurship and rural tourism development
• Key tourism resources



Two themes of competition


Participants may choose to compete in either Theme 1 or Theme 2  by indicating their choice on the online application form.

Theme 1 (Macao-focus): Innovating the "1+4" diversification strategy for an engaging tourism experience. Click here for the details of the Theme 1.

Theme 2 (GBA*-focus):  "Rural Revitalisation Strategy": Innovatively transforming Zhongshan's Hengmei Village through rural tourism. Click here for the details of the Theme 2.

*GBA stands for the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao.


Entry fee (non-refundable)


High School Student Category Open Category
MOP 150 per person MOP 250 per person



Pitching (Expected Output)


Finalist teams are expected to fully participate in this idea-cation to flesh out their ideas into a concrete plan.
Finalist teams will then pitch their ideas on the second day of the event. 
Judges will evaluate both the pitching performance and the content of the final business proposal to determine the Champion, 1st Runner-up and 2nd Runner-up.



Evaluation Process


Evaluation criteria and rubrics to be announced
To be evaluated by judges



Team prizes and awards


High School Student Category Open Category
award, first place, gold, medal, prize, winner icon png @transparentpng.com Trophy (gold), winning certificate, with MOP 3,000 cash award, first place, gold, medal, prize, winner icon png @transparentpng.com Trophy (gold), winning certificate, with MOP 4,000 cash
silver medal png transparent image @transparentpng.comTrophy (silver), winning certificate, with MOP 2,000 cash silver medal png transparent image @transparentpng.comTrophy (silver), winning certificate, with MOP 2,500 cash
national bronze medal png transparent @transparentpng.comTrophy (bronze), winning certificate, with MOP 1,000 cash national bronze medal png transparent @transparentpng.comTrophy (bronze), winning certificate, with MOP 1,500 cash


Value-added benefits for self-improvement and career development


• Learn how to apply entrepreneurial and innovative thinking
• Support national and local government policies
• Enhance social network and improve CV
• Certificate of attendance issued by IFTM









  

Seminar Series

21 October (Saturday)


Session One

Topic: The development of Hengmei Village, its historical and cultural background, and its resources


Guest speaker: Li Zhihao

Member, Hengmei Economic United Association (Regional Headquarters)
Party Secretary, Hengmei Economic United Association (Branch)



Session Two

Topic: Zhongshan’s support roles in financing, venue and facilities, mentorship, and marketing for young entrepreneurs


Guest speaker: Xiang Jiazhi
E-Park Entrepreneurship and Incubator Center
Director, Zhongshan Huizhi Electronic Commerce and Investment Co., Ltd.
Director, Zhongshan Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cooperation Platform for the Youths of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao





Session Three

Topic: Entrepreneurship and its successful stories as well as the evaluation criteria of the Idea-cation competition

Guest speaker: Fernando Lourenço
Assistant Professor, Macao Institute for Tourism Studies




Judges

          

Mentors

          

Organising Committee



  
  
Application and payment

Online Application (deadline extended to 9 October 2023, 23:59:59)

Click here to enter our online application form.

Finalists will be announced from 11 October 2023 onwards and they will receive payment instruction by then (payment deadline: 23:59:59 on 15 October 2023). All payments are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled by IFTM. 

For enquiries, please email us at idea-cation@iftm.edu.mo 







           

Our Ideation Lab  

IFTM's new facility that provides a stress-free environment for people to think, exchange, and develop their business ideas.



Terms and Conditions
For details, please refer to the Application Form.


Organised by:


Supporting Units