Economy and Community in Focus at Work Experience Travel Market 2009
WETM-IAC 2009 at a Glance:
237 Cultural exchange professionals
183 Organisations
2,222 Business appointments
Two hundred and forty cultural exchange professionals gathered in Vienna last week for three days of sector focused seminars, business appointments, board meetings, working groups, and networking receptions.
In between the 2,222 business appointments scheduled in Vienna, the main focus of this year's event was the economic crisis, as Professor John Casti gave a provocative and thought provoking keynote address on how work exchange organisations can 'Weather Today’s Economic Storm'.
Casti addressed key questions such as when the economic crisis will end, and what organisations can do now to prepare for the future.
WYSE Work Abroad’s Market Barometer, released at WETM, provided the basis to a second WYSE Work Abroad session on 'Trends, Issues, and Solutions in Today’s US Work and Travel Market'. More than 100 sending and receiving organisations participated in the interactive session that addressed current challenges surrounding the cancellation of job placements in the US, and looked for solutions amongst the community of members.
"I found that the Work & Travel session offered a wonderful open forum for partners and sponsors to compare effective tools for the upcoming challenges, as well as a fantastic means of sharing thoughts and insight in order to implement some best practices for the 2009 season." said Erin Nyhan, of the Center for Cultural Interchange .
"The ideas and thoughts that were shared by everyone were invaluable and will help us all get through a challenging year. Wonderful new relationships were fostered and the camaraderie was truly felt among everyone," said Kerry Carr, of Global Resources for Education and Travel (GREAT).
Now in its sixth year, the Work Experience Travel Market and International Au Pair Association Annual Conference is devoted exclusively to organizations that provide cultural exchange and work and study programs such as internships, gap year, and volunteer programs. The b2b event brought together over 180 organizations from 40 plus countries around the world for three days of trade, networking, and a sector-only focused seminar program.
