MANILA — When medical journal editors, researchers and publishing professionals from across the Asia-Pacific gather at the University of the Philippines Manila on August 20–21, the immediate subject confronting them will be artificial intelligence. But the bigger question is one that reaches far beyond medical publishing: what happens when technological change moves faster than formal regulation? Can a professional association step into that gap and establish standards that an entire professional community can actually put into practice? That is the challenge facing the Asia Pacific Association of Medical Journal Editors (APAME) at its 2026 Scientific Meeting. AI is already being […]

SEPANG, Malaysia — When the ASEAN Battery Technology Conference (ABTC) opens in Malaysia from 19 to 21 August 2026, it will have staged four editions in four different countries. Bali hosted the inaugural conference in 2023. Singapore followed in 2024, Phuket in 2025, and now Sepang takes over in 2026. But ABTC is becoming more than a conference that changes destination every year. Each move places another national organisation, industry network and set of government relationships at the centre of a shared ASEAN platform. Leadership moves with the conference, but the regional network remains. That raises a larger question for […]

MELBOURNE – Nearly four decades ago, an animal product safety crisis forced Australia’s rendering industry to prove that its products could meet consistent standards. Its industry association responded not only with advocacy, but with operating codes, accreditation and training. In 2026, the challenge is markedly different. The industry is no longer being asked only to prove hygiene and safety; it is increasingly expected to demonstrate carbon intensity, traceability and sustainability. The Australian Renderers Association (ARA) is once again attempting to turn an industry claim into something measurable. This repositioning will be a central theme of the 18th ARA International Symposium, […]

Most cross-border association partnerships begin the same way: a signed MOU, a joint photo, a press statement about strengthening ties. What happens after that is rarely documented, which is exactly where the real work begins. India’s Institute of Directors (IOD) offers a useful case study because its own site lays out several different instruments of international expansion side by side, rather than just one. In July 2025, IOD signed an MOU with the Vietnam Independent Directors Association (VNIDA), a body established directly under a decision of Vietnam’s Ministry of Home Affairs in 2022. A few months later, in November 2025, […]

When members of the Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres (ASPAC) gather in Thailand from 19 to 22 August 2026, the significance of the meeting may extend well beyond its programme. ASPAC is using its 2026 biennial conference to test a bigger proposition: whether a long-established association event can be redesigned not simply to exchange knowledge, but to influence what member organisations do after delegates return home. ASPAC itself has described the 2026 conference as the beginning of a “reboot”. In a message ahead of the event, ASPAC President Maria Isabel Garcia acknowledged that the professional environment, member […]

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Malaysia is placing greater emphasis on collaboration across government, industry, academia and the business events sector as it looks to increase the long-term value created by international association congresses. The direction was highlighted at Malaysia Business Events Week (MBEW) 2026, organised by the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) from 3 to 5 August at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Under the theme “Weaving Horizons: Shaping the Tapestry of Tomorrow”, the programme brought together association executives, policymakers, destination representatives, event professionals and other industry stakeholders. For associations, the approach reflects a broader change in what destinations […]

SINGAPORE — Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) has partnered with digital MICE platform HXE to integrate meeting and event sourcing more closely with hotel sales operations, as technology continues to reshape how international MICE business is generated and managed. Announced on 11 August, the Strategic Partnership Program will give participating MHR hotels access to HXE’s digital platform, tools and corporate client network. HXE will support the sales process from lead generation and enquiry management through to follow-up, with the partnership beginning across selected MHR properties in August. The collaboration connects MHR’s portfolio of more than 145 properties across 80 destinations […]

Association awards are usually designed to recognise achievement. But the criteria behind an award can do something else as well: they show members what kinds of contribution an association considers worth recognising. The Asian Population Association (APA) provides a current example. Its 2026 awards recognise scholars at two different stages of their careers through the APA Distinguished Scholar Award and the APA Emerging Scholar Award. Both focus on contributions to population studies, particularly those connected to Asia, but they recognise different forms and stages of professional impact.  The Distinguished Scholar Award is APA’s highest honour and recognises lifetime contributions to […]

Every board eventually has to decide how much power to let one leader accumulate, and for how long. Long tenure is not the only succession risk a board has to manage. The opposite failure mode, a chairmanship that never rotates because no clear internal pathway exists to the next leader, is just as common, and it tends to surface only when a long-serving chair finally steps down with no obvious successor in place. One of Asia’s oldest business chambers has built its governance specifically to avoid that problem. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC), founded in 1861 and […]

Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) is bringing the Sustainable Event Professional Certificate (SEPC) to East Malaysia for the first time, strengthening professional sustainability standards across Sarawak’s business events sector. The initiative follows an agreement between BESarawak and the Events Industry Council (EIC), signed at IMEX Frankfurt 2026. The programme will take place in Kuching on 20 and 21 August 2026 and will be open to registered Business Events Sarawak Professional Partners (BESPartners). The SEPC provides internationally recognised training in sustainable event planning, social impact, supply chain management, accessibility, measurement, reporting and responsible business practices. For Sarawak, the programme forms part of […]

Insights from the APSAE Summit 2026 panel on monetising data, partnerships and non-dues income Ask an association leader about non-dues revenue and the conversation often begins with the same question: Where do we find new sources of income? A panel at the APSAE Summit 2026 challenged that thinking entirely. Moderated by Associations Commons Co-Founder and CEO Ooi Peng Ee, Beyond Dues – Monetising Data, Partnerships & Non-Due Revenues brought together four association leaders from very different sectors. While each organisation shared its own experience, a common thread quickly emerged: associations do not have a revenue problem nearly as much as […]

The inaugural Asia Pacific Society of Association Executives (APSAE) Summit 2026, held on 24–25 July at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, arrived at an important moment for the region’s association sector. Bringing together more than 100 senior association leaders from 64 organisations across 16 countries, the summit was more than a professional development event. It marked the beginning of what APSAE hopes will become Asia-Pacific’s first dedicated professional community for association executives. More than 83% of delegates held C-suite, President, Secretary General, Founder or Director-level positions, representing organisations that collectively serve over 500,000 professionals and institutions across more than 100 countries. […]