ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter Summit Creates a Historic Hybrid Gathering

The 2nd ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter Summit (ICCA AP Summit) concluded on a high-note in Yokohama, Japan. The Summit  was held from 15-16 December, hosted by the City of Yokohama, Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau (YCVB) and PACIFICO Yokohama and co-organised with the ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter. 300 participants from 14 countries, including 40 speakers and 35 associations, joined in virtually and onsite for the hybrid event.

The 2020 AP Summit’s highlight presentation, “Cooperation in Times of Crisis” featured ICCA President, James Rees, and ICCA CEO, Senthil Gopinath, moderated by Dr. Keiko Nishimoto, PhD, CMP, Deputy Chair, ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter. ICCA President shared on the Kaohsiung Protocol, a crowdsourced framework with major trends and key strategies to create path forward on innovative business models, importance of shared risk, digital restructure, enhanced engagement, and value strategies in the industry. 

ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter Executive Committee, Ashwin Gunasekeran, Chair, and Eric Abramson, Deputy Chair, joined the conversation with ICCA CEO as they discussed on how the industry has changed in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic and the need of reinvention and call for collaboration with larger Asia-Pac community including both private and public sectors, that goes beyond the business events industry.  

Nobuyuki Furukawa, Chair of ICCA AP Summit 2020 Local Host Committee (Chairman, Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau) said: “The 2nd ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter Summit has been closed successfully. I would like to express my gratitude to every participant and supporter of this summit. I believe that this summit has enabled us to share leading ideas and navigate a new model for meetings, and it makes Asia Pacific region stronger.”

Makoto Batori, Executive Director, PACIFICO Yokohama said: “We are very honoured to be able to serve as the destination of an official ICCA event, and moreover, it was of great significance for Yokohama to share and demonstrate the future model of meetings through this AP Summit. We would like to further contribute to the regional growth in the Asia Pacific for the meetings industry.”

Ashwin Gunasekeran, Chair, ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter said: “Collaboration is important and crucial for the reopening of this region’s business events. I believe that the conversation and networks forged by the participants at the Summit will continue to grow as we set on an optimistic outlook for the region.”

Noor Ahmad Hamid, Regional Director Asia Pacific, ICCA, thanked Local Host Committee in Yokohama and their partners for hosting and unwavering support for the Summit. “This event is significant because together we will collaborate for a better and stronger Asia Pacific community.”

Besides the networking sessions enabling members to bond as a chapter, the Summit saw several educational tracks that were carefully designed to benefit members from this region. From digital technologies to regional updates, topics were prudently selected and presented by ICCA Asia Pacific members, sharing their vast experience and knowledge with industry peers. More importantly, the Summit served as a platform for the region to meet and continue the conversation where ICCA Asia Pacific members largely agreed to regional collaboration moving forward.

ICCA membership covers 11 Chapters globally, and Asia Pacific Chapter is now the largest in terms of membership with 302 members from 16 countries and territories, covering more than 100 cities in the region. The Summit is a platform for members in the region to meet and interact as a Chapter.

Xiamen was announced as the host city for the 3rd ICCA Asia Pacific Summit in 2021.