specific job. However, there seems to be common agreement throughout the sector concerning some generic skills which, it is believed, are required by most, if not all, of those who work in business tourism.
Rogers (1998) analysed a range of jobs in the UK to see what skills were required.
Common themes throughout the advertisements included:
interpersonal skills
communication skills, in both oral and written communication
attention to detail
ability to work under pressure
analytical skills.
Given the changing nature of business tourism, there are clearly two other sets of skills that will become increasingly important:
1 The ability to speak foreign languages.
As globalization develops, more business tourism events and individual business trips will take place across national and cultural boundaries. A survey of the UK conference and incentive travel agencies in 1999–2000 found that 39 per cent of staff questioned had no language skills. Of those who did, 47 per cent spoke French and 8 per cent could speak more than three languages. However, as the geography of business tourism changes, the demand may well be for people who can speak the language of the growing business tourism markets such as Russia, China, and India.
2 Technology skills.
The industry is heavily dependent on different types of technologies and therefore requires staff skilled in the use of these technologies, which include:
(a) video- and satellite-conferencing
(b) audiovisual equipment and special effects equipment used in conference production and product launches
(c) Internet marketing
(d) computer reservations systems and global distribution systems.
As we will see in the next section, staff generally have to develop these skills though experience as the industry has not yet developed, in general, a comprehensive, sophisticated system of training and education provision.
1 The ability to speak foreign languages.
As globalization develops, more business tourism events and individual business trips will take place across national and cultural boundaries. A survey of the UK conference and incentive travel agencies in 1999–2000 found that 39 per cent of staff questioned had no language skills. Of those who did, 47 per cent spoke French and 8 per cent could speak more than three languages. However, as the geography of business tourism changes, the demand may well be for people who can speak the language of the growing business tourism markets such as Russia, China, and India.
2 Technology skills.
The industry is heavily dependent on different types of technologies and therefore requires staff skilled in the use of these technologies, which include:
(a) video- and satellite-conferencing
(b) audiovisual equipment and special effects equipment used in conference production and product launches
(c) Internet marketing
(d) computer reservations systems and global distribution systems.
As we will see in the next section, staff generally have to develop these skills though experience as the industry has not yet developed, in general, a comprehensive, sophisticated system of training and education provision.
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