The Asian Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (AACVB) was formed in 1983 to create regional cooperation in developing Asia’s convention potential and to promote the region as an ideal convention destination. The founding CVB members included Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. China and Macau joined in later years. In 2008, after a review of the organisation’s mission and strategic goals, the AACVB has entered an ambitious new era.


• Vision
  
  AACVB will be globally recognised for establishing Asia as a high quality region of choice in the international MICE marketplace.
  
  
• Mission
  
  AACVB's mission is to raise the platform, level of sophistication and capabilities of the MICE industry in Asia, to increase Asia's competitiveness and to drive business to its member destinations.
  
  
• Objectives
  1. To strive towards regional cooperation in developing Asia’s convention potential and in promoting the region as an ideal convention destination.
  
  2. To stimulate intra-regional conventions, especially those that can be rotated among member countries.
  
  3. To encourage the formation of national, state/province or city convention organizations to enhance members’ convention-hosting capabilities.
  
  4. To be instrumental in professionalizing the convention industry by developing and promoting sound professional practices in the solicitation and servicing of meetings and conventions; to initiate training programs to achieve this objective.
  
  5. To facilitate the exchange of information through the establishment of a comprehensive Asian convention data bank; to serve as a clearing house of information on the Asian convention industry.

Founding Members

1. Hong Kong Tourist Association
2. Directorate General of Tourism Indonesia
3. Korea National Tourism Corporation
4. Tourist Development Corporation Malaysia
5. Ministry of Tourism, Philippines
6. Singapore Tourist Promotion Board
7. Tourism Authority of Thailand

Purpose:

1. To strive towards regional cooperation in developing Asia’s convention potential and in promoting the region as an ideal convention destination.
2.To stimulate intra-regional conventions, especially those that can be rotated among members countries.
3. To encourage the formation of national of city-wide convention organizations to foster the individual member-countries’ convention-hosting capabilities.
4. To be instrumental in professionalizing the convention industry by developing and promoting sound professional practices in the solicitation and servicing of meetings and conventions; to initiate training programs to achieve this objective.
5. To facilitate the exchange of information through the establishment of a comprehensive Asian convention data bank; to serve as a clearing-house of information on the Asian convention industry.

Extract from press release dated 23 February 1983 on launch of AACVB:

“Within the Asian region, it would be most beneficial to open all doors to every qualified convention bureau that is interested in furthering the development of the convention industry.

The idea, according to the founding members, is to encourage rather than restrict the flow of conventions through such programs as multi-destination packaging which means marketing a number of proximate destinations.”

• AACVB Headquarters transferred from Manila to Macau in September 1987
• AACVB’s Secretariat is hosted permanently by Macau Government Tourist Office

Categories of Members

1. Founding Member  
2. Full Member  
3. Associate Member  
4. Allied Member  
5. Affiliate Member 
6. Friends of AACVB

Officers

1. Secretary General
2. Deputy Secretary-General
3. Treasurer

First Set of Officers (1983)

Secretary General
Ms. Elizabeth Dela Fuente
Executive Director
Philippine Convention Bureau  

Deputy Secretary-General  
Ms. Valerie S Le Moignan  
Manager, Conference & Incentive Travel Dept.  
Hong Kong Tourist Association  

Secretary/Treasurer  
Mr. Abdoellah Sjamsoeddin  
Director, Conventions  
Directorate General of Tourism Indonesia

Past Secretary Generals

1983-1986	Ms. Elizabeth Dela Fuente   Philippine Convention Bureau
1987-1988	Ms. Jennie Chua   Singapore Tourist Promotion Board
1989-1992	Ms. Amy Chan   Hong Kong Tourist Association
1993-1995	Mr. Kevin Leong Singapore Tourist Promotion Board
1996-1998	Ms. Rosvi Gaetos Philippine Convention & Visitors Corporation
1999	Mr. Tan Hun Teong Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board

Highlights of past activities:

- Annual General Meetings  
- Planning Meetings  
- Research Workshops  
- Educational Seminars  
- Train the Trainers Programs  
- Participation in MICE trade shows  
- Familiarization trips  
- AACVB promotions  
- Activity endorsements  
- Representation at industry events  
- Joint advertising projects and supplements  
- Production of collateral materials

Extract from press release dated July 1984:

“The AACVB recently held a Data Convention Standardisation Workshop at the Asian Institute of Tourism in Manila, the first venture of its kind within the region and in the world.

Adopting 1980 as the base year, the seven member countries periodically submit to the AACVB Information Exchange Centre, data on all events solicited and serviced by their respective sales staff, professional congress organizers, convention venues, local hotels and travel agents.”

Meet the Friends Session		IAPCO/AACVB Joint Seminar
IACVB Business Opportunity Session		First AACVB Supplement
AACVB Supplement		AACVB Supplement