The Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE) successfully held its Associations Summit 6 (AS6) at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) on November 23-24, 2018, in Subic, Zambales. Attended by more than a hundred delegates, it was the first time that the Summit was held outside Metro Manila in PCAAE’s desire to reach out to associations in other parts of the country.
The event was hosted by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and was supported by the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and by many other sponsors and supporting organizations.
The theme for this year’s Summit was “Inspire, Collaborate, and Sustain” which gathered together thought leaders and executives in the association world to share their insights, knowledge, and success stories in three (3) different plenary sessions, lecture presentations, and sponsored learning sessions.
The programme was opened by Ms. Cora D. Conde, PCAAE Chairperson, Atty. Ruel John T. Kabigting, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Administration and Mr. Arnold T. Gonzales, TPB Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Marketing and Promotions. An opening remarks on video of Mr. John H. Graham IV, President & CEO of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) was also shown to the audience.
Three plenary sessions ensued and covered stories and case studies where a panel of speakers representing various sectors of the association community showcased their outstanding projects and best practices that have inspired, that they collaborated with others, and that has made their organizations sustainable.
The moderators and panelists who shared their expertise and experience during the plenary sessions were: Ms. Gwen Albarracin, President & CEO, Center for Pop Music, Philippines, Inc., and PCAAE Board of Trustee; Mr. Jose P. Leviste, Jr., Director for Environment and Climate Change, Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PCCI); Atty. Paul Angelo A. Santos, Chairman, Philippine Retailers Association (PRA); Ms. Linda P. Gonzales, President, National Federation of Women’s Clubs of the Philippines; Ms. Mary Lizabeth Lu, Executive Director, Game Developers Association of the Philippines; Mr. Zedrick T. Avecilla, Director, Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC); Ms. Myrna Sarmenta, former Assistant National Executive Director for Program, Girl Scout of the Philippines and PCAAE Board of Trustee; Ms. Helen P. Macasaet, Chair, ICT Committee, Management Association of the Philippines (MAP); Mr. Rene M. Gener, DPM, Executive Director, People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP); Mr. Victor C. Quimen, Jr., PhD, RN, Assistant Professor III of Nursing, Gordon College, Olongapo City; Ms. Arlene Padua Martinez, President, Philippine Marketing Association (PMA); Mr. Joel B. Pascual, President, Philippine Association of Convention and Exhibition Organizers & Suppliers; Ms. Yayu Javier, President, Avanza, Inc., and PCAAE Board of Trustee; Mr. Rolando B. Victoria, Board Adviser, ASKI Multi-Purpose Cooperative and CEO and President, ASKI Group of Companies; Architect Manifelmo C. Dacanay, Vice President, IHome Greater Metro Manila, Inc.; Ms. Catherine Rowena B. Villanueva, Head, Corporate Affairs Department, Landbank of the Philippines and President, Manila Bay SUNSET Partnership Program, Inc.; Architect Bejamin K. Panganiban, Jr., National President, United Architects of the Philippines.
Three special lectures on “Making Association Relevant Today” was also held which covered topics on membership models that are emerging around the world, leadership practices in association management, and transformation in the meetings and events management and was conducted respectively by Ms. Toni Brearley, CEO of the Brisbane-based Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE), Mr. Octavio ‘Bobby’ Peralta, Founder and CEO of PCAAE and Mr. Jason Yeh, President of the Taiwan Convention and Exhibition Association. The session was facilitated by Mr. Jesse Francis N. Rebustillo, Management & Human Resources Consultant and PCAAE Board of Trustee.
A one-on-one session conducted by Sheila Amonte-Pesayco, President & CEO of Writers Edge with blogger, Ms. Jover Laurio of Pinoy Ako Blog, presented the world of social media and Ms. Jover’s advocacy against false news and information online.
Ms. Paige Tribdino, Client Relations Associate, Kalibrr Technology Ventures Limited, an online personnel recruitment platform and Ms. Mizuho Hara, Manager, Events & Convention, JBE Pte. Ltd/JTB Asia Pacific Corporation, an integrated travel, destination and events service provider, presented what their organizations are doing to help associations and other institutions.
The purpose of PCAAE is to advance the association management profession and to make associations well-governed and sustainable. It is dubbed as the “associations of associations” in the Philippines. For more details about PCAAE and its annual association summit (AS), please email sandylim@adfiap.org.