Filipinos like to organize or attend gatherings—whether of families, friends, classmates, or office colleagues—to meet and greet, update one another and celebrate. This fiesta culture is one of the influences of Spain that has taken root in the Philippines. So it’s not surprising that many associations also thrive in the country. There is even a joke that if you put four Filipinos to meet in one room to form an association, there could be at least six associations that may come out of it.
One form of gathering also common with Filipinos is the class reunion. Wikipedia describes a class reunion as a meeting of former classmates, often organized at, or near their former school by class members and is scheduled near an anniversary of their graduation. Those attending the reunion reminisce about their student days and bring each other up to date on what has happened since they last met.
I recently attended one such class reunion in my hometown in Liliw, Laguna. It was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our high-school graduation and 54 years of our elementary class. It was called a “grand reunion” as this was a combined gathering of classmates in high school and elementary days. It could have been as well billed as a “grandparents reunion.” It was, of course, a blast since I have not met most of the 90 or so attendees in the last 50 years.
Associations do have “reunions,” too. In most cases, it’s held yearly in the form of annual meetings or conventions. Such is the case for my organization, the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP). Since ADFIAP has members in 39 countries and we meet at least once a year, our annual meeting is a reunion of sorts; not only do the CEOs and senior officers of our member-institutions participate, they also bring along some members of their families.
Our annual meeting usually goes for three days. The first day is allotted for board, committee and general assembly meetings, as well as the “delegate-meets-delegate” meeting culminated by a welcome dinner. The second day is for the conference proper on topics that are current and relevant to our members, capped with a closing dinner and a country cultural presentation. The third day is a relaxed fellowship cum tour day. There is a separate program for accompanying persons which are usually guided tours. All of these events are hosted by our members in the country destination.
The program provides our members a variety of activities and cultural immersion, which is appreciated by the attendees and which, based on our experience, is a unique benefit that our members enjoy. While not all associations may be able to undertake such annual reunion, the idea is to make your events and activities appealing, worthwhile, and a “family gathering.”
****
The column contributor, Octavio “Bobby” Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) and CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives. PCAAE enjoys the support of ADFIAP, the Tourism Promotions Board and the Philippine International
Convention Center.
E-mail: obp@adfiap.org.