The Professional Convention Management Association and the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau have renewed their commitment to grow conference management education further in Singapore and Asia with a new two-year partnership agreement.

As part of this agreement, PCMA and the SECB will grow the annual PCMA Meetings Forum Singapore that will see its second edition take place over two days in June.

With the Association landscape in Asia at an early stage of development, opportunities abound for association leaders and executives to benefit from PCMA’s education in conference management.

The two-day Forum, which is scheduled from June 30 to July ,  will see discussions being led by prominent U.S. association Leaders from established organizations, such as the World Obesity Federation, GAMA International, Association for Financial Professionals and the International Urogynecological Association, amongst others, and facilitated by Sherrif Karamat, CAE, COO of PCMA. 

“PCMA focuses on delivering high quality education and business networking to help the meetings industry grow and advance,” Karamat said. “Our members and customers are looking to the region as an area of opportunity and we want to be on the ground supporting the development.”

The partnership also offers the chance for Singapore to showcase its appeal as a conventions destination to the world.

During PCMA’s first public forum to Singapore associations in 2014, invited speakers – including Lisa Dyson from the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc (TESOL) – were very impressed with the city’s economic drive and keen focus on the meetings industry. Singapore was chosen as the host of the TESOL International Association Regional Conference 2015 in December.

“We felt strongly that our regional conference’s next location needed to be in Asia, and Singapore was the logical choice not only because its location is easily accessible for delegates from around the region and that the city state holds great appeal as a convention destination to our delegates,” Dyson said. “Additionally, the level of commitment to the association market from the SECB sets the destination apart from others in the region for us.”

Neeta Lachmandas, assistant chief executive (Business Development) at the SECB said, “We are happy to have found the right partner in PCMA. They not only provide relevant and strong education content for our Association and meetings industry but are also committed to innovating and setting standards in conference management themselves.”

She added, “We are also happy that PCMA is able to leverage Singapore’s strength in Asia’s meetings industry as an access point to reach key Asian audiences. With them as a partner, we are constantly learning from each other and mutually adding value to each other’s objectives. This is an important element in a partnership and one that we appreciate very much.”

Karamat added, “SECB continues to be a great partner of PCMA.  Our organizations are aligned on education objectives to provide training and programs to better an already sophisticated local infrastructure.  Similar to PCMA, Singapore recognizes how important it is to constantly evolve and look forward and ensure continued strength as a meetings and business events destination.”

The PCMA Meetings Forum Singapore 2015 will be held in conjunction with the Singapore MICE Forum, which is organized by the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers (SACEOS).