APOT.Asia Preview
Fun in the forum
It is good to know that a new organisation has emerged and looks like becoming a regular on the calendar. We refer to
APOT.Asia the Asia Pacific Onboard Travel group
Not sure whether they were an organisation, a company or an association, OnBoard Hospitality thought it might be an idea to get some
clarity on the forum and talked with APOT’s founder, Keerthi Hapugasdeniya, better known to everyone as “Happy”.
OBH: What is the structure of
APOT.Asia? KH: We are a non-profit organisation focusing on delivering a low cost and high value service for delegates and members. We provide a forum for networking and sharing new information as well as for meeting new industry people from the same industry. Of course, we are also about having fun in a relaxed environment which all adds to the value of networking.
What is meant by the statement on your website which says: “The time is right” for APOT? With other industry forums also looking to specialise in Asia/Pac/Eastern conferences how is
APOT.Asia different? Other organisations are welcome to compete against each other but our aim is purely to gather people from within the region and beyond and to exchange information about upgrading the region’s needs.
Where are you based and how far does your group reach geographically? Whilst some Asia Pacific organisations join for free, others have to pay. Does this not restrict your market?
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www.onboardhospitality.com
We are based out of Australia, and there are no membership restrictions. Anyone may join, but all the managing body should be from the Asia Pacific region as this is specifically a forum focused to this area. This does not mean they need to be born in the region. They are eligible if they are working or living in the region.
You have placed a lot of emphasis on the relaxed and leisure time environment for the networking and the conference. Sometimes this can become a distraction for suppliers wanting to promote products; how can you ensure this is avoided? I think the delegates know what to expect from the way we do the exhibition for delegates and suppliers. The show is not set up like normal trade shows where visitors just pass by and suppliers talk to the customers while making phone calls at the same time. Once you have attended one of our forums, you will see the difference. We only select suppliers who can come up with new ideas which are of real value to the delegates. This is also why we focus on just one annual
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