FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON — For more than a decade, ASAE’s Great Ideas Conference has been delivering education in the United States. In 2015, ASAE is expanding the conference into Asia with the first-ever international event held in Hong Kong from March 22-24. ASAE’s Great Ideas in Association Management Conference, Asia-Pacific is ASAE’s first conference outside of North America. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), an event partner of ASAE, is the conference sponsor. The event is expected to draw attendees from the Asia-Pacific region along with participants from the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East.

“One of ASAE’s goals is to enhance the professional development of the association community. With the growth of association contributions in the Asia-Pacific region, we wanted to meet the needs of our colleagues in the region. Many U.S. associations are already working in the area or have expressed interest to expand their operations with their meetings, membership, and product and services. This conference is a great opportunity for association executives in the Asia-Pacific region to connect and network with their peers from across the globe,” said ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE.  

The two-day event will include learning labs, networking receptions, and cultural experiences. The content of the conference will focus on association management, and more than two-thirds of the conference presenters will come from the Asia-Pacific region. An advisory task force, convened by ASAE, assisted in developing the education content, and they are also helping ASAE market the conference.

“ASAE is paving a path that helps great ideas and great people come together in a collaborative environment,” said Francesco C. Leboffe, Manager, MEHK of the Hong Kong Tourism Board. “We’re honored that Hong Kong, the World’s Meeting Place, has been selected as the location for the first ASAE Great Ideas in Association Management Conference, Asia-Pacific. Hosting this event in Hong Kong helps further cement our deep rooted commitment to the association community and our continued partnership and support of ASAE.”

The early-bird registration deadline is February 20, 2015. To learn more about the education offerings and to register, please visit Great Ideas Asia Pacific.

The event will feature a limited number of table top exhibits for suppliers and industry partners from around the world. Other supporting organizations include: Aptify, ASAE’s strategic partner, the Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA), International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), and Union of International Associations (UIA).

ASAE will continue to offer the Great Ideas Conference in the U.S. scheduled for March 8-10, 2015 in Orlando, Florida.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Sabrina Kidwai, APR, CAE, skidwai@asaecenter.org, 202-326-9505.
Quinn Doan/John Soriano, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Quinn.Doan@hktb.com/John.Soriano@hktb.com, 323-938-7265/323-938-7274.

About the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB)
To learn more about Hong Kong as the premier MICE destination in Asia, visit the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s website at www.MEHongkong.com. To get updates on Hong Kong’s MICE efforts, follow the Hong Kong Tourism Board on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-tourism-board.

About ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership
ASAE is a membership organization of more than 21,000 association executives and industry partners representing 10,000 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies and voluntary organizations across the United States and in nearly 50 countries around the world. With support of the ASAE Foundation, a separate nonprofit entity, ASAE is the premier source of learning, knowledge and future-oriented research for the association and nonprofit profession, and provides resources, education, ideas and advocacy to enhance the power and performance of the association and nonprofit community. For more information about ASAE, visit www.asaecenter.org.