ACADEMIC qualifications alone are no longer enough to prepare young professionals for the global business events industry, according to Feria Valencia Event Departments Director Carina Montagut.
She shared her views during the “Future Builders” plenary session at the 3rd International Business Events Forum (BE in Sabah 2026) at Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here recently, highlighting the importance of hands-on experience.
“In our industry, attitude and real-world exposure matter more than what you studied. Many of us did not come from event-specific backgrounds,” she said.
Carina noted that despite the increasing number of event-related courses offered by universities, a gap still exists between classroom learning and the realities of the industry. “You still find students studying events who have never set foot in a convention hall or understand how a conference actually works,” she said.
She believes educational institutions and industry players must work more closely to ensure students are exposed to live environments, operational discussions and decision-making processes.
At Feria Valencia, she said students are encouraged to observe internal meetings, ask questions and understand how teams collaborate under pressure.
“This exposure helps them understand how events function in real life, not just on paper,” she added.
Carina also highlighted the challenge of knowledge transfer, especially as experienced professionals approach retirement while fewer mid-level practitioners are available to mentor newcomers.
She stressed that the business events industry relies heavily on experiential learning, where mistakes and problem-solving play a crucial role in professional development.
“You cannot teach instinct, judgement or crisis management from a textbook. These are learned through experience and shared conversations,” she said.
Industry gatherings and forums, she added, provide valuable spaces for informal knowledge exchange that cannot be replicated in daily office routines.
Carina concluded that investing time in mentoring and exposure today is essential to building a resilient workforce for the future.
