Part Two
Let me continue sharing some insights from the Association Leadership Forum I attended from October 29 to 31 in Singapore. The event was organized by the Washington, D.C.-based American Society of Association Executives (Asae) where I am a member and a volunteer to its Asia-Pacific Advisory Task Force.
The third “deep dive” session was handled by Nikki Walker, vice president of MCI Group’s Global Association Management and Consulting, who presented “Strengthening Partnerships and Collaboration to Build your Association” in the context of going global. She identified five successful global growth strategies for associations, to wit:
- Dedicate commitment and effort to global growth;
- Introduce relevant products and services to international audiences;
- Integrate global and local operations;
- Secure partnerships that open market access and improve local capacity; and
Consider going into emerging markets.
In the ensuing discussions, this time on legal aspects of going global, Dorothy W. Deng, partner at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston law firm in the US, recommended three areas to mitigate risks:
- Do due diligence and consider the totality of risk in partnering with a local organization as home and destination legal compliance differs.
- Protect your brand and intellectual property.
- Get insurance coverage relevant to your association.
The fourth deep dive session was on “Advancing your Association’s Public Policy and Global Relations Goals,” presented by Dom LaVigne, former director of Government and Public Affairs, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East of the Methanol Institute. Dom offered the following advice:
- Have an in-house government relations person.
- Make your association visible and know your stakeholders.
- Remember that different markets have different policies.
- Educate locally, influence globally.
The final deep-dive session on “Embracing Digital Transformation to Move your Association Forward” was conducted by Donald Patrick Lim, Country CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Philippines, who advised the audience to: (a) embrace digital transformation gradually, and start with the basics; (b) provide room for the “human touch”; and (c) stay relevant by knowing your “why” or purpose of being.
I left the conference with mixed feelings about the future of associations. I was fearful about the many disruptions in today’s association world. Among others, this includes artificial intelligence that will put some association jobs at risk of being replaced by robots; online platforms that provide products and services that compete with what associations traditionally offer; and the rise of the “gig economy” where independent and freelance workers thrive. But at the same time, I am also confident and relieved that by having foresight as what the ASAE ForesightWorks project aims to achieve, and by working together, associations can harness the synergies and strengths of one another to meet
these challenges.
As Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of Business Event Sydney, puts it in the book, The Power of Conferences, “conferences deliver knowledge, innovation and practice,” and this is what I take home every time I attend a conference.
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The column contributor, Octavio Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), and founder and CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives. PCAAE is holding its Sixth Associations Summit on November 23 and 24, at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center. The event is hosted by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and supported by the Tourism Promotions Board. PCAAE enjoys the support of ADFIAP, TPB and the Philippine International Convention Center.
E-mail: obp@adfiap.org