IALC Workshop 2011 – Shanghai, China
IALC schools and study travel agents from 44 countries converged in Shanghai in April for the 28th IALC Workshop, hosted by Mandarin House Chinese language school. In total 103 out of 110 IALC schools showcased their programmes and facilities, with 105 agents flying in for a packed schedule of meetings, networking and evening entertainment.
New members attending for the first time were VanWest College, Vancouver and Kelowna, Canada, Canadian Language Learning College (CLLC), Halifax and Ottawa, Canada, and Emerald Cultural Institute, Dublin, Ireland.
The Workshop was supported by nine exhibitors including Rosetta Stone and LanguageRoom.com, and the 2011 Workshop official sponsors, Print to Post International (PPi) and Guard.me.
The programme at Le Royal Meridien Shanghai began with agent seminars on subjects such as E-Learning in the Language Travel Market. There were two days of workshop appointments and three evening events presenting the host school and city. The Welcome Reception took place on a cruise boat down the Huangpu River with live music and spectacular views of the city skyline at night. At the Mandarin House party, participants enjoyed a Chinese buffet and tried out different activities including Chinese calligraphy and language lessons. The 2011 IALC Gala Dinner was held at the JW Marriott Hotel overlooking People’s Square, where the entertainment included lion dancers, Kung fu performers and a stunning Thousand Hand Buddha dance, followed by a DJ and dancing.
After the Workshop an agent fam trip of 31 participants visited Mandarin House in Beijing. The planned Japan fam trip was sadly cancelled due to the earthquake, but Mr Jorge Júnior of World Study, Brazil, still visited the IALC schools in Japan. Over 30 delegates took a short China Highlights tour to ancient sites including the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors.
IALC’s first Workshop in Asia, received positive feedback from delegates.
"Thanks for the perfectly organized conference, school reception and for the Beijing Fam Trip! It was very nice to visit Mandarin House schools in both cities."
Grigory Ugarov, OPEN WORLD EDUCATION GROUP, Russia
"The workshop was brilliant - thanks for organizing it!"
Evan Kirby, GenkiJACS, Japan
"We are glad that you enjoyed your time in Shanghai and Beijing. It's been a great pleasure for us to have hosted such an important event in our country. We are very happy to hear much good feedback from agents and schools."
Jasmine Bian, Mandarin House, Workshop host
Click here to read more quotes from agents who attended the Shanghai workshop 2011
Galleries:
Shanghai Video
Video of the 2010 IALC Workshop
