Philippine associations hold events and related activities (collectively referred to as MICE, or meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) throughout the entire archipelago. In some cases, they host international events for their affiliated overseas associations or federations. Traditionally, these business events are recorded within the context of tourism, e.g., tourist arrivals, hotel rooms, shopping and restaurant… Read More Association events: Beyond tourism

I was in Singapore recently to attend the 2nd Asia Business Meet (ABM) and the opening of the 8th Singapore MICE Forum (SMF) as a hosted buyer in my capacity as secretary general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP). As an association executive, I get invited to many… Read More My passion made possible

What comes to mind when you hear of Aesop, Mother Goose, Walt Disney and our own Lola Basyang? You guessed it right: storytelling! According to Wikipedia, “storytelling” refers to oral storytelling and to techniques used in other media to unfold or disclose the narrative of a story. The power of storytelling is now being successfully applied in… Read More Storytelling for associations

You may be wondering what ‘X3’ is all about. No, it’s not a space exploration program nor a laboratory experiment for a new medicine. Actually, it is a conference for associations! Associations need to be creative to attract members and other audiences. For instance, the Washington, D.C.-based American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) recently launched… Read More Insights from ‘X3’

In our “small” association world, made even smaller by Internet interconnectivity, my article entitled “Association Management and Corporate Management: How do they Diverge?” (see also “Association and Corporate Management” in my April 26, 2017, column) saw publication on June 17 on AssociationSuccess.org (AS), a US-based online site and community of association professionals. AS Director Arianna… Read More Brandon First: A PPP case study for MICE

I attend board meetings as part of my work as an association executive. Like many others, I have learned on the job that there is a protocol in organizing, conducting and recording board meetings. Even board members themselves, including chairmen, may not be not aware of such protocol. This is the reason board meetings sometimes… Read More The Must-Do list for association board meetings

FOUR years ago, the American Society of Association Executives’s Marketing Section Council made a report on trends affecting association marketers, which I wish to share with you. Although done some years back, I think these six trends, which Samantha Whitehorne, deputy editor of ASAE’s Associations Now magazine wrote, are still relevant today in the context of the Philippine… Read More Association marketing trends