The Asia-Pacific Publishers Association (APPA) Annual General Meeting took place at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, Cebu, Philippines, on Friday June 18, 2010. All delegates from various Asia Pacific countries convene in the relaxed atmosphere of the historic Cebu city, also known as Philippines “Queen City of the South”.

During that event, Atty. Dominador D. Buhain, past president of ABPA (ASEAN Book Publishers Assoc.) and current Vice President of APPA, was nominated and then elected as the new APPA president for 2010-2012. He will assume the position from Dr. Sok Kee Beck, the current APPA president from the beginning of August 2010 for a 2-years term until the Annual General Meeting in 2012.

Dr. Sok-Ghee BEAK - President, Asia Pacific Publishers Association

Atty. Buhain was the president of ABPA during 2007-2009. He also hold the position of PEPA (Philippines Educational Publishers Association) president emeritus.

Atty. Dominador D. Buhain - Vice President and new (incoming) President - Asia Pacific Publishers Association

This website introduces you to the activities of ABPA and to forthcoming events in the region, awards won and useful industry resource links. As of 1 January 2008, ABPA has eight member countries: Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, which in turn represent hundreds of individual publishers engaged in a wide range of publishing, marketing, retail and distribution activities.

ABPA aims to provide its members with information and advice to help them succeed in business. We represent members at book fairs throughout ASEAN and further afield. It is also our aim to provide a friendly community in which ASEAN-based publishers and related industry partners can pool knowledge and experiences.

ABPA 2nd Executive Committee meeting (the last one before 2010 AGM) held on Sunday May 30, 2010 around 10:00 – 13:00 at the NUSS Guild House, Suntec City Mall, 3 Temasek Boulevard, #05-001, Singapore 038983. The event was hosted by Singapore Book Publishers Association. The venue was superb and the meeting has been finished in time. However, some delegates still had to cut the delicious lunch short, skipping the desert, and rush to the airport in time to catch the flight home.

One day earlier – on Saturday, May 29, all delegates witness the official opening of Singapore Book Fair, also at Suntec.

The total of 4 booths were allocated  for ABPA and almost all member countries had ample space to display their titles and nameplates.

The same night we have a good chance to visit the residence of our host’s SBPA President – Trienna Ong – in the very casual and relaxing mood over the informal dinner. Most of us are very astounding to see all her collection of medals and trophies from 18 years of ballroom dance competitions, fantastic indeed!

The next event is the 2010 AGM – planned in Hanoi, Vietnam, in mid-September, in conjunction with the official celebration of 1,000 years of Hanoi.

One day earlier – on Sunday, February 21, all delegates witness the official opening of “Pesta Buku Brunei” or Brunei Book Fair 2010 at the Indoor Stadium, Banda Seri Bengawan, Brunei Darussalam.

Also, ABPA was allocated booths within the fair to display titles from all member countries.

The next (2nd) ExCo meeting will be held in conjunction with Singapore Book Fair in Singapore on May 30, 2010.

Marshall Cavendish, a member of Times Publishing Limited, today announced the appointment of Lee Fei Chen to the position of Deputy Head of Publishing at Marshall Cavendish Publishing Group.

Fei Chen is responsible for formulating and implementing strategies to grow the Group’s publishing operations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States. Her role will include globalising Marshall Cavendish’s publishing products, strengthening its distribution network and creating even more synergy within the Group across geographies.

With over 15 years of experience within the Group, Fei Chen is familiar with the business. She has held numerous positions in Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand in the areas of publishing, digital media and business management. Some of the titles she has held are Assistant Vice President of Publishing – Federal Publications, where she was in charge of educational publishing, General Manager of Hong Kong, covering retail, distribution and publishing, and Vice President of Times Media, where she was instrumental in setting up the organisation’s electronic publishing business.

“I am excited to be taking on this new challenge. Marshall Cavendish is well poised for continued growth as a major international publisher, and we are prepared to strategically embark on new ventures and penetrate more markets. We have been involved in digital publishing for about ten years and we have an abundance of strong, respectable and coveted media content that will drive the Group’s development and offer greater opportunities for us to extend our international footprint,” said Fei Chen.

Prior to joining Marshall Cavendish, Fei Chen worked at the Ministry of Education, Singapore, as Specialist Inspector in the Curriculum Planning Division, responsible for library and reading programmes as well as implementing the secondary syllabus for the English Language. She had also lectured on Business English and Desktop Publishing at the City University of Hong Kong Community College.

Fei Chen obtained her Masters in Education at Harvard University, on a Singapore Government Scholarship.

With the current economic uncertainties and crisis, public relations and corporate communication specialists can be thrust into a position of power and become the ultimate point of connection. Although PR and

communication specialists are not always regarded as part of the leadership or C-level team, trouble times can change this! And yes, at the centre of global economic slowdown, the H1NI pandemic, company layoffs,

marketing budget cut, corporate social responsibility and corporate crisis are the PR professionals and corporate communication specialists delivering the news, explaining consequences of possible courses of

action and the impact on bottom line.

PR & Media Congress 2010 delivers changing strategies for challenging times. It will provide navigation and proven techniques that can help you grab your shareholders’, leaders’ and investors’ attention before, during and

after an event and crisis.

PRM 2010 is the time for you, PR professionals and corporate communication specialists to share challenges, solutions, ideas and reassess the true meaning and function of PR and media in your organisation.

Whether you are new to PR, Media, Corporate Branding, Investors Relations, Corporate Communication or a veteran practitioner, PRM 2010 has a strong commitment to the interests of its attendees.

Congress Date: 26-27 January 2010

Pre-Congress Masterclass: 25 January 2010 l Post-Congress Masterclass: 28 January 2010

Venue: Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore

For more information about the PR & Media 2010 Congress, please download the PDF attachment below.

26 – 27 May • COPY-EDITING I
9 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. • Trainers: Datin Noor Azlina Yunus and Edda de Silva • Fees: S$640 (50% subsidy for SBPA members) • Venue: The Pines @ 30 Stevens Road S257840 • For more information, click here