Conference Facilities Research Articles

Perception of customer satisfaction and complaints based on BERTopic and interpretable machine learning: evidence from hotels in Xi’an

ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate the topics of customer satisfaction and complaints and explore their role in review sentiment prediction by using deep learning and interpretable machine learning methods. Specifically, this study first uses a BERT-based method for topic clustering and embedding, a factor analysis for topic feature extraction and dimensionality reduction and an oversampling method for the imbalance problem. Further, five types of machine learning methods are utilised to forecast review sentiment. To improve the interpretability of the machine learning model, we employ an interpretable framework to explore the role of topic features in review sentiment prediction. The results indicate that customers’ satisfaction mainly focuses on perfect conference facilities and delicious Chinese cuisine, while customers mainly complain about the quality of service, the attitude of staff and the accessibility of the hotel. In addition, ‘air quality and traffic’ is the most important factor influencing the sentiment in reviews. These findings suggest that hotel managers should focus more on the accommodation experience of customers rather than the value-added experience.

Report on the 13th Italian Information Retrieval Workshop (IIR 2023)

The 13th Italian Information Retrieval Workshop is the thirteenth edition of the annual conference of the Italian information retrieval and recommender systems communities. The two days of the conference gathered interesting studies and research work on a wide range of topics on information retrieval, recommender systems, and natural language processing, such as Search and Ranking, Recommendation, Content Analysis, and Classification, Artificial Intelligence, NLP, Semantics, and Dialog, Domain-Specific Applications, Human Factors and Interfaces, and Evaluation. It was hosted by the National Research Council (CNR) of Italy and the University of Pisa in a conference facility in Pisa, Italy. Date : 8--9 June 2023. Website : http://iir2023.isti.cnr.it/.

Conference Tourism: Exploring Economic Prospects in the Post-COVID-19 Era—Qualitative Research on Greek Hotel Executives

As is widely known, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected tourism and related activities globally. Due to the restrictive measures implemented for gatherings and movements in order to limit the spread of the virus, conferences and conference tourism received a strong shock since the majority of them were canceled or postponed. At the end of the first quarter year, many countries, like Greece, started organizing digital and hybrid conferences. Therefore, there was a reset in the conference industry as the time when travel was limited allowed the organizers, as well as others involved, to work remotely. The present study aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on conference tourism and, more specifically, how hotels and their conference facilities were affected. In addition, the pursuit of potential opportunities through the ‘New technologies’ adopted, as well as the shaping of the industry in the post-COVID-19 era, are studied. This is achieved through a qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews with 27 executives of hotels that offer conference facilities in Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion and Rhodes in order to examine whether this specific sector has adapted to the new reality. The analysis of data in this form of research revealed that the pandemic had benefited conferences to some extent, but only under certain circumstances.

A hedonic analysis of the determinants of hotel room rates in the Greater Gaborone Region (Botswana) using quantile regression

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the influence of key hotel attributes on the room rates of selected hotels in the Greater Gaborone Region, Botswana.Design/methodology/approachUsing hedonic pricing analysis, the effect of eight attributes collected from 80 standard double rooms on Booking.com in the area was analysed using quantile regression.FindingsThe estimated results from quantile regression suggested the importance of the 10th quantile as the best predictor of hotel room price distribution. Overall, the presence of a fitness centre and the availability of meeting and conference facilities were positively significant for the lowest- and premium-priced hotels, respectively.Research limitations/implicationsThe study advanced the literature in hedonic pricing models by confirming the applicability of hotel room rate attribute research in unexplored environments.Practical implicationsHotel managers should be aware of the influence of key attributes, such as meeting and conference space availability and locational factors, on the pricing decisions of room rates in the Greater Gaborone Region. The study also presented opportunities for business-to-business marketing between hotel and tour operators in the region.Originality/valueThe study is one of the few that uses quantile regression in the hedonic pricing analysis of hotel room rates.

Finding the Truth in A Virtual Courtroom: Criminal Trials in Indonesia during the COVID-19

Video conferencing through video call platforms, such as Zoom and Google Meet, has become a useful option for judges holding criminal trials during the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries. This trend also occurred in Indonesia. Some judges believe that video conferencing technology will help them accomplish justice in an emergency, referring to the legal maxim 'salus populi suprema lex esto’ or ‘let the welfare of the people be the supreme law’. Although virtual trials assist courts in preventing the spread of the deadly virus, they have also affected the work of judges to reach the substantive truth. This paper examines the challenges concerning the rights of the accused and technological matters that have emerged under the use of virtual courtrooms and, in some ways, led to unfair trial procedures. We argue that the absence of laws that regulate virtual courtrooms, along with an outdated the Code of Criminal Procedure in Indonesia (KUHAP), can lead to miscarriages of justice. The arguments presented in this article are based on survey data conducted from December 2020 to January 2021. The respondents are judges from Indonesia's western, middle, and eastern regions who used video conference facilities for criminal court hearings during the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020-2021.

Breathing Room: Working Principles of Independent Art Spaces in African Cities

Breathing Room: Working Principles of Independent Art Spaces in African Cities

Innovations in the Accommodation Sector in Kenya, During the Covid-19 Era

The purpose of the research was to investigate the effects of creativity and innovation as a survival strategy in the accommodation sector in Kenya during the covid-19 era. The specific objective of the study was to document services innovations products innovations and technological innovations applied and their effects on the performance of selected accommodations in Kenya. The research adopted both exploratory and descriptive designs. This research samples hotels in Nairobi, the Kenyan coastal and Naivasha regions. The target population was accommodation facilities which are rated between 3 and 5 stars rated. The study collected both qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data was collected using researcher administered questionnaire while qualitative data was collected through interviews, observation, and group discussions. The cluster sampling method was used. The first cluster represented accommodation located at the Kenyan coast, the second cluster those from the Nairobi region, and the third cluster those in the Naivasha region. A total of 402 respondents participated in the study. About 61% (249) of those who participated in the study were married as compared to 31 % who were single. The majority (64%) of these respondents were aged between 25 years and 30 years with a minority of 6% being above 46 years. The study found that most establishments invested in service, product, and technological innovations in their operation in the front office, guest rooms’ dining rooms and restaurants Gym and wellness centers, and conference facilities. These innovations and creativity are among the reasons most of these accommodations managed to reopen and survive the pandemic period. The findings indicated that the majority of accommodations (68%) had fixed a transparent glass at the reception and the front desk which minimized contact between them and the front office personnel. The study noted that 51% of respondents introduced an express check-in/out process while a majority (68%) introduced contactless payments for all services rendered in their facility. The finding showed that 54% of respondents did not introduce digital menus as compared to 46% who had it. Only 20% of the respondents said they use UV light for disinfection although they do not use robots. A minority (35%) said they use chat-bots as compared to 65% who said they have not invested in this technology. About 76% of the respondents said they have invested in teleconferencing equipment and infrastructure. All establishments said that they have embarked on extensive marketing and customer recovery strategies as they adapt to living with the virus. The study concludes that the above innovations and creativity should continue so that the accommodation industry will survive. This will call for high investment and change of business model to cope with changing consumer behavior. Further study is recommended to determine the best suitable business models to survive the pandemic as it keeps mutating.

The Impact of Conference Facilities on Attendee’s Satisfaction

The Impact of Conference Facilities on Attendee’s Satisfaction

Oil in Ghana: The Work of the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers' Union (GTPCWU)

Utilising elements of Coordination and Context-Appropriate Power Theory (CCAP) as a framework, this article assesses the efforts of the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers’ Union (GTPCWU) in Ghana to defend the rights of workers in the oil industry. Whether the GTPCWU has been able to effectively employ structural, institutional and conditional forms of power is examined within the CCAP framework. The analysis is informed by first-hand knowledge of trade union policies and practices, as one of the authors is a GTPCWU official. The research also draws on interviews and email communications with other Ghanaian trade unionists and an academic specialising in labour issues. The findings indicate that the structured labour regime, in which the GTPCWU is embedded, makes it hard for the union to employ structural, institutional and conditional forms of power fruitfully. Nevertheless, agency on the part of union officials and members is significant. This is evidenced by the success of individual union actions, indicating that the GTPCWU possesses a degree of structural power. Utilising institutional power effectively is difficult for the union, as enforcement of labour legislation is weak, and lengthy legal processes ensue when cases do reach court. It is also burdensome for the GTPCWU to exercise conditional power, based on obtaining support from non-union individuals and groups, since its members are widely perceived to have well-paid employment in the formal sector. The GTPCWU’s need for assistance in supporting its members through the transition away from fossil-based systems of energy production is outlined. Capacity-building initiatives, including the construction of a training and conference facility, and recruitment campaigns, focusing on attracting more women and youth members, are discussed. KEYWORDS: Ghana; trade unions; oil industry; Coordination and Context-Appropriate Power Theory (CCAP); structural, institutional and conditional forms of power

Analysis of MICE Competition Among International Conference Cities: Using Niche Theory

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand the competition among international conference cities in South Korea by applying the theory, which is useful for understanding the relationships among individual (industry) groups competing for limited resources. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, data on MICE events (government meeting, corporate meeting, association/group meeting, etc.) held in 2019 in 10 international conference cities including the hosting organizations, event topics, event scales, and conference facilities were completely enumerated, and analyses were attempted. Findings: As a result of the breadth analysis, Changwon (host organization, event topic), Daejeon (event topic, event scale), and Goyang (conference facility) were found to have strong specialized natures. Meanwhile, as a result of the overlap analysis, it was found that Daegu and Gyeongju were in competition with each other according to hosting organizations, Jeju and Gwangju, and Busan and Daejeon according to the scales of events, and Seoul and Daegu, and Changwon and Incheon according to the types of events, Daejeon and Goyang according to event topics, and Changwon and Daegu, and Changwon and Seoul according to conference facilities. Research limitations/implications: Through the findings of this study, implications helpful for the establishment of differentiation strategies for international conference cities were provided. Therefore, although efforts were made to collect data close to complete enumeration, the possibility that there may be missing data cannot be eliminated. Originality/value: This study is meaningful in that presents strategies that help establish differentiation strategies for each International conference cities.

Evaluation of Development Aspects on the Implementation of Field and Institutional Performance Dashboards at LPKA Class I Palembang

LPKA Class I Palembang is an institution that enforces the Integrity Zone, WBK, and WBBM. Therefore, one of the technological innovations that will support the implementation is to instill a data-based performance culture through the LPKA Class I Palembang Dashboard. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the development of the dashboard model of government institutions in this case monitoring and reporting on the performance of the fields at LPKA. This evaluation will be included in the development of the dashboard in order to provide optimal net benefits for the management of LPKA Class I Palembang. The research was conducted in 4 stages, namely: determining the research design, identifying dashboard needs, identifying indicators in the development of the Palembang Class I LPKA dashboard model, and formulating a dashboard development model. The dashboard development model was formed based on the results of literature studies and surveys conducted on prospective dashboard users at LPKA Class I Palembang. The survey was conducted on prospective dashboard users, namely structural officials, General Functional Positions, and Certain Functional Positions with a total of 102 employees. The sampling technique is purposive sampling as many as 60 people were directly involved in reporting field performance. The evaluation of the aspects of the LPKA Dashboard shows that from the aspect of presenting Data/Information there are weaknesses in the visual display that is not yet rich in graphics, the unavailability of facilities for predicting future performance conditions, and facilities for causal analysis. The results of this study state that for the aspect of collaboration between users, the benefits that have not been felt are more, namely the exchange of information between users and no conference facilities are available. Meanwhile, in the dashboard performance aspect, there is no link to the administrator.

Covid-19 The Earliest for Digital Learning in Mathematics: an Overview from Technology Literacy

The Covid-19 Pandemic has caused the learning system in Indonesia to change from conventional learning to digital learning. Various efforts have been made by policy makers and educators. Some of the efforts that have been made include the provision of Free Internet Quota from the Government to educators and students; as well as providing virtual conference facilities used in learning. The purpose of this study was to describe the technological literacy of students during Covid-19 period. The type of research used is qualitative research with a narrative approach. The data collection technique used a questionnaire. The target of this study were students junior high school and senior high school in the East Priangan region Indonesia who were asked to fill out a questionnaire about technological literacy in online learning as a result of this Covid-19. The data on technological literacy capabilities contains four indicators according to the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Guidelines for “School Literacy movement”, namely indicators of content, process, context, and ethics. The four indicators contain 19 questions. The results show that students need to improve their technological literacy skills by adopting technology in line with global trends and realities that arise in learning in schools.

Preparing and Implementing the Project ''Setting Up a Blended Learning Program for Sustainable Inclusive Agricultural Value Chain Development in Indonesia (BLVC); Indonesia-Netherlands Joint Project, in Maluku Islands

The project, setting up a blended learning program for sustainable inclusive agricultural value chain development in Indonesia, was implemented at the Faculty of Agriculture Pattmura University, Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia during 2017 – 2021. The project selected five commodities potential to Maluku islands; nutmeg, clove, coconut, sago and banana, as the focus of education and research attentions. Following the establishment of internet/video conference facilities, two cycles of lecturing in a blended learning system was conducted on the course of Agricultural Value Chain Analysis. Three international seminars/webinars were successfully completed during the implementation presenting keynote speakers from various institutions related to the five selected commodities and attended by participants from government, research and educational institutions, business institutions and community including farmers and farmers group. Despite some challenges faced, the project was able to attain its objectives in strengthening the capacity of beneficiary institution through provision of research equipments, international visitation of its staffs, educating/training of the students and staffs, provision of learning materials etc. Establishment of Innovation platform for nutmeg commodity and inclusion of the agricultural value chain course into the curriculum of the Faculty of Agriculture were part of the efforst to institutionalize the project accomplishment.

Got 15? Try Faculty Development on the Fly: A Snippets Workshop for Microlearning.

IntroductionFaculty development (FD) is an element critical to the professional growth of medical educators and a necessary component in developing effective educators. FD offerings are prevalent across academic institutions; however, faculty report they are unable to participate in these initiatives due to time limitations and competing priorities. The snippet FD approach can address these concerns but requires training for FD providers to be effectively used.MethodsThis snippet train-the-trainer workshop was presented to approximately 310 physician and nonphysician medical educators at a national medical education conference. The session incorporated multiple teaching modalities (e.g., lecture, demonstrations, structured small-group snippet development groups, and large-group debriefs). A 14-item Likert-scale survey was used to obtain participant evaluations. Narrative feedback was collected using constructed response items.ResultsNinety-five percent of respondents (125 of 132) planned to use snippets as an FD strategy at least once per year, with 38% (50 of 132) noting they planned to use snippets at least four times per year. Respondents indicated that FD snippets could positively impact educational practices (94%) and that the session was a valuable use of their time (94%), as well as expressing interest in a snippet repository (90%).DiscussionA brief FD train-the-trainer workshop for snippets can successfully prepare FD providers to create and use this approach.

Conference facilities as a key factor in the competitiveness of urban hotels: A case study of Łódź (Poland)

Abstract The article aims to assess the competitiveness of hotels in Łódź on the meeting tourism (MICE) market based on an analysis of their conference facilities. The data was obtained from GUS statistics, reports on MICE tourism in Poland and as a result of own field research carried out in 2019. Exploratory data analysis was used in their development. The development of modern hotels in Łódź of higher categories with obligatory conference rooms has contributed to the diversification of the possibilities of organising MICE tourism by city hotels. The hotel’s possession of conference facilities has become an important factor in building its competitive advantage. The analysis of hotel equipment with conference facilities, using the conference service capacity (CSC) index, turned out to be a sufficiently correct measure to illustrate the diversity of hotels’ ability to compete in the MICE urban tourism market.

JEDDAH MARINA YACHT

The proposed Jeddah Marina Yacht will contribute for the boat owners and marine enthusiasts in the city. The club has a range of facilities designed specifically for boat owners and yachts that meet their needs at all levels. The Yacht Club is expected to become the favourite lifestyle destination for boat owners in the city. The club provides its members and visitors with various facilities including broker offices, major outlets, shops, souvenir stores, yacht sailing shops. The Yacht Club also has a range of exclusive facilities including, a library, a private terrace and a coffee shop, making the club an ideal location to spend time with friends. Business guests can benefit from the club's meeting and conference facilities, equipped with state-of-the-art technology and equipment, as well as a private lounge for receptions and events overlooking the waterfront. The development of water games city will be established in the site to serve the residential and tourists also stimulates the services of construction and maintenance works on all types of small boats and yachts.

JEDDAH EXHIBITION AND CONVENTION CENTER

The age of globalization has increased demand for contemporary and creative conference and exhibition facilities. Therefore, this work has proposed the development of an exhibition and convention center at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In this work, three case studies were analysed in terms of convention center design and requirements. Based on the case study analysis, for the proposed convention center, the estimated area is 20462 m2 and the estimated site area is 68000 m2, which includes the build area, outdoor parks and landscape and car park spaces. This convention center has several zones such as exhibition organization and administration spaces, storage area, display area, exhibition maintenance area, work area, laboratory, workshops, studio, office. In addition, the proposed site is located in the northern part of Jeddah. This site was selected as it is surrounded by residential areas and it is also close to the sea area. Hence, it will be an idea place for the convention center. The development of this exhibition and convention center is expected to benefit the community of Saudi Arabia and serve as a platform for them to present their own new ideas and inventions.

Bulletin board

It was my great pleasure to welcome colleagues and experts from all over the world to the 2019 Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena (CEIDP) that was held in Richland, Washington, USA, from October 20 to 23, 2019. We were delighted to be hosted at ‘Discovery Hall,’ the recently-opened conference facility at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and are grateful to the Energy and Environment Directorate of PNNL for their partial sponsorship of CEIDP 2019. The CEIDP was established within the Division of Engineering and Industrial Research of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council in 1920 and is now in its 99th year. We look forward with excitement to special celebrations of the 100th year of CEIDP that will take place in New York City in October 2020. The conference is fully sponsored by the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society of the IEEE and continues to provide opportunity for specialists from around the world to meet annually for exchange of expertise relevant to the properties of insulation materials. This year we registered 213 participants from 14 countries, 100 of whom were students.

수정IPA를 활용한 PCO의 컨벤션개최지 선택속성 평가: 서울시를 중심으로

This study was conducted to suggest development plans for the City of Seoul to achieve qualitative growth, which successfully has been accomplishing quantitative growth as a convention destination. Revised Importance-Performance Analysis (Revised IPA) was utilized to provide implication via measurement on convention destination selection attribute conducted toward PCOs which have hosted international events in Seoul. Actual investigation was conducted via offline and online survey on 39 items from 1st July 2019 to 31st July 2019. 120 valid samples were used for final analysis. According to analysis on survey above, cutting edge communication facility, variety on amenities, sufficient number of parking spaces, tourist programs, cultural experience programs, hospitality from local people, local support, and extra fees for exhibition venues and conference rooms belong to require continuous efforts. 39 items were sorted into 9 factors and analyzed. Outcome of this research showed that pricing of convention facility was the most important factor for PCOs to determine hosting conventions. According to importance ranking for each itemin the survey, facility related items such as scale of conference facilities, and exhibition venues, capacity of accommodations were ranked as top items. Safety level of venue and hire expenses of conference room and exhibition venue also were recognized as important items.

Technical background to the conference tourism in polish accommodation objects

An analysis of the technical facilities of conference tourism in accommodation facilities adapted for the organization of conference meetings in Poland and individual voivodships indicates significant spatial differences and a strong concentration of the potential of the technical facilities of conference tourism.The largest number of accommodation facilities equipped with conference rooms, the largest number of conference rooms and the number of places in conference rooms are characterized by the most urbanized voivodships (Masovian/mazowieckie), Lesser Poland/małopolskie, Lower Silesian/dolnoślaskie, Greater Poland/wielkopolskie, Silesian/ślaskie, West Pomeranian/ zachodniopomorskie and Pomeranian), whose main administrative centers are the largest urban agglomerations in Poland. This confirms the general trends of the location of conference tourism and its connections with large urban agglomerations. In addition, hotel facilities adapted to perform the conference function in these voivodships have the best technical facilities for organizing conference meetings.The weakest conference facilities, the smallest number of facilities, rooms, beds and facilities with appropriate technical facilities are characterized by peripheral and poorly urbanized voivodships (Opole Voivodeship, Świętokrzyskie, Podlaskie). The high dynamics of the development of conference tourism in Poland is characteristic, which is confirmed by the clear increase in the number of facilities adapted to perform the function of conference tourism reception, the number of rooms and conference rooms as well as the high dynamics of increase in the technical elements of accommodation facilities adapted to perform the function of the conference. This phenomenon is observable in the country as a whole and in all individual provinces. Outline of content: This study analyzes the technical facilities of conference tourism of Poland's accommodation facilities in the administrative system of provinces. The problem analysis was made for all voivodships in Poland based on the data of the Central Data Bank of the Statistics Poland. In addition, an analysis of the spatial distribution of technical elements of accommodation facilities for the needs of conference tourism was carried out. The analysis of the problem was made in relation to data from 2009 and 2017.