THE Joji Ilagan Career Center Foundation, Inc. (JIB) plans to partner with the Department of Tourism (DOT) regional office in Davao in a bid to professionalize the events management industry in Davao City.
JIB Founder Joji Ilagan Bian said in an interview Monday, March 11, that as the city progresses, more and more events are being organized. However, some organizers have not really undergone training to properly deliver a certain event.
“It is high time for the city to professionalize the event management industry, because there are a lot of planners who just learned from experience. Once they got a license or accreditation as event organizers, I think that is a welcome development for the city,” Bian said, adding that there should be a standard for events management in the city.
“We have a number of groups in the city, claiming to be event organizers. Everyone who can organize a party suddenly becomes an event organizer because it’s just plain business for them,” she added.
Bian further said that they would gladly partner with DOT 11 to work on professionalizing the industry in terms of accreditation.
“I think that if we can have the training institute here in JIB, we can partner with the DOT so that those who get the certificate will automatically be accredited,” she said.
The Asia Pacific Institute for Events and Management (APIEM) president David Hind said they will pursue the plan to make JIB their first training institute in the Philippines.
“APIEM has been established to support the professionalization of the events management industry in Asia Pacific. We do that in many different ways and one way is to work with universities and polytechnic colleges which offers events curriculum and support it to develop into an international standard,” APIEM president David Hind.
Last month, City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) head Generose Tecson expressed her plan to propose to require event organizers to get a license and business permit to operate regardless of event scope and coverage.
Tecson said that it will be to ensure security to those who will avail of their services.