By Octavio Peralta
Digital disruption is turning the world on its head, and presenting opportunities as well as threats, to associations, chambers, societies, non-profits, and other membership organizations. As relationships develop online and social media opens up new ways to be part of many communities, many associations are faced with the prospect of having a less tightly-bound group or worse, losing their membership. On the other hand, greater connectivity leads to new models of membership and network collaborations.
The Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE) www.pcaae.org will tackle this burning issue and other related topics designed to share association professionals’ and experts’ insights in creating innovative ways to deal with shifts in the digital age.
With the theme “Race to Innovation: Winning in the Age of Disruption,” the PCAAE Associations Summit 4 (AS4) is expected to draw about 200 association professionals here and abroad. The two-day summit is slated for November 23 to 24, 2016 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Manila, and will feature local and international speakers who will share best practices in association and membership organization governance, leadership and management.
Participating PCAAE members will earn points that could lead to earning the title Certified Professional Association Executive (CPAE). Suppliers to associations may also take advantage of the B2B opportunities at AS4 Expo. Supporting the event are the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (TPB), the PICC, the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), the umbrella organization of development financing institutions in the region. Both Washington, D.C.-based American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) together with the three above-cited organizations compose the ‘founding pillars’ of PCAAE.
PCAAE is dubbed the “association of associations,” as it is the country’s first and only institution that caters to the needs of associations and other membership organizations. Since it was formed three years ago, the number of member associations has swollen to 202, representing 86 organizations. PCAAE also founded and serves as the interim secretariat of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations (APFAO) www.apfao.org, a regional network of national membership organizations of associations.
“Through AS4, we hope to help associations think strategically about their future, particularly in the light of digital disruptions affecting their sources of revenue, profile, and missions. We also invite associations to seize the social and professional development opportunities available from networking in an intimate setting with fellow members of the association community,” said PCAAE president Octavio ‘Bobby’ Peralta.
The event will also present this year’s winners of the ‘Ang Susi’ Awards 2016. ‘Ang Susi’ (‘The Key’ in English) stands for “Associations nurture National Growth through Social Unity and Sustainability Innovations” and symbolizes the key role that the sector and its professional staff contribute to nation-building.
The awards are given to membership organizations in six categories for their outstanding achievements in helping the environment, empowering people, serving communities, enhancing trade and industry, developing technology solutions, and for being agents of change. Two individual awards, the Association Executive of the Year and the Outstanding Board Member of the Year, will be bestowed to persons who have made an impact in the association community.
Also to be launched during the Summit is PCAAE’s official publication, the ‘Association World Magazine’ (AWM) to keep professional associations and their members abreast of key issues affecting the development of associations, as well as to raise public awareness on the role associations play in the larger scheme of things. No other publication in the Philippines serves this unique and noble mission.
For registration and other inquiries on AS4, the ‘Ang Susi’ Awards 2016 and the AWM, please contact Enrique Florencio of the PCAAE Secretariat at telephone number +632 816-1672 or e-mail [email protected]. Also check out the website, www.pcaae.org or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pcaae).
Octavio ‘Bobby’ Peralta is founder and currently President & CEO of PCAAE www.pcaae.org and is the Secretary General of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) www.adfiap.org.
