Pacific business hub

Any organiser knows that the key to a successful conference is careful preparation and having a reliable local partner. This was amply demonstrated by the 38th International General Meeting (IGM) of the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC), which Hong Kong hosted in June at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Founded in 1967, the PBEC is the oldest independent business association in the Asia- Pacific, representing more than 1,100 senior executives from firms in over 20 countries. The PBEC, which recently moved its headquarters to Hong Kong from the US, had held two previous IGMs there. This time the theme was "The Pacific Basin: Setting the Pace for the Global Economy", so the city proved an excellent choice as a venue. Dynamic region "Being the centre of the economically dynamic Pearl River Delta region of China and also the host of the WTO Ministerial Conference in December, Hong Kong is an ideal location to address such issues," said Douglas Fergusson, chairman of the PBEC Hong Kong's China Member Committee. PBEC president Stephen Olson said: "It was the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) that led on most of the organisational and logistical aspects, and it hired and worked closely with the conference company, Chamber Services Ltd (CSL)." Eva Chow Tsz Wa, director of the HKGCC's international business division, said: "The biggest challenge for a conference organisation is threefold — good speakers with substance, good attendance and good logistics. I'm proud to say we had extremely good speakers for our conference, thanks to the great assistance from the Conference Steering Committee and the Chamber's own worldwide connections. " She added: "The biggest challenge was confirming the 50 expert speakers from 22 countries for the various sessions, including some very senior global leaders on both sides of the Pacific. Also, attracting registrations and sponsorships for the conference." In focus…political figures gathered in the congress Discussion…WTO panels Pacific business hub Among the key speakers were the Prime Minister of Malaysia, The Hon Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi, vice-premier Wu Yi of China, WTO director-general Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, HSBC Holdings Group chairman Sir John Bond and Legend Holdings president Liu Chuanzhi. According to Fergusson, the registration target had been 500 participants in the IGM, of whom 300 should be fully paid delegates. There were eventually more than 1,000, including 500 delegates from 25 markets plus sponsors, speakers, VIPs, PBEC officials and other paid participants, said Chow. Logistic handling CSL managed all the logistics of the meeting and suggested the meeting venues. It also coordinated relationships with meeting venues, conference centres, hotels, vendors and the speaker-acceptance process. This included travel and accommodation, protocol, security and any special requirements. "There was one official airline (Cathay Pacific) and one official hotel (the Ritz-Carlton), which gave discounts to registered delegates, with a couple of other hotels also providing some discounts," said Chow. "Special airport transportation arrangements were made for certain speakers, and shuttle transportation was available for all delegates in town during conference days."