As Hong Kong seeks to become the city of choice for international trade fairs and exhibitions - last year it staged more than 300 events - the creative teams that lie behind exhibitors' conceptual layouts and presentation designs are becoming increasingly important.
Pico is one of the creative and marketing forces behind the scenes, making sure clients stand out. It is a highly competitive field, one in which effective staff training makes the difference for designers and clients alike.
'Our clients expect a certain level of service - we have to differentiate ourselves from our competitors by delivering a special level of knowledge, skill and creativity, and this critical requirement underscores our approach to staff training,' said Pico's chairman Lawrence Chia Song Huat. 'Being a globally respected company means we must deliver something special, and without quality training we can't hope to succeed. That's why we invest so much in training our staff.'
The company has expanded far beyond exhibition design and management. Established in Singapore in 1969 and Hong Kong in the mid-1970s, Pico has gone global, employing 3,000 staff in more than 30 cities worldwide, branching out in interior architecture and design, logistical planning, construction and lighting.
Certainly, global growth and client expectation have affected Pico's training programmes.
'As a global organisation our range of work covers many areas,' Mr Chia said. 'We know how to lay out a theme park, arrange the interior of museums or deliver exhibition events. Our people need knowledge, skill and creativity to do these things so our training needs to accommodate them too.'