Expressions of Interest to Host 2013 ISTR Asia-Pacific Regional Conference

The ISTR Asia-Pacific Regional Network seeks preliminary expressions of interest from colleagues and institutions throughout the Asia-Pacific region to organize and host the 8th ISTR Asia-Pacific Regional Conference, to be held in November 2013. The ISTR Asia-Pacific Regional Network will decide on the host institution and location for the 2013 Asia Pacific Regional Conference during its meeting at the ISTR Conference in Siena in July 2012.

ISTR Asia-Pacific Conferences have been held in Thailand 1999, Japan 2001, China 2003, India 2005, Philippines 2007, Taiwan 2009, and most recently in Indonesia 2011. It is desirable that the opportunity to host the conference be shared across this diverse region from north to south and east to west. Hosting a conference provides an opportunity for strategic engagement of stakeholders and promotion of the third sector within the host nation and with its neighbours.

Hosting the conference requires in the first instance the identification of an eager and committed host institution that can access support from potential members of a local site committee. The host institution will need to have capacity for

-        engaging a range of stakeholders from across the academic and practitioner spectrum within the host country;

-        local and regional fund-raising to generate the funds needed to host the conference;

-        administrative support for the abstract review and programming process;

-        conference planning, logistics and implementation; and

-        financial reporting on the conference to ISTR.

Members of the Asia-Pacific ISTR Regional Network volunteer as the regional academic committee.

ISTR President-elect Wendy Earles is the ISTR Board contact person for preliminary expressions of interest for the 2013 ISTR Asia-Pacific Regional Conference.  Those interested should send their expression of interest to Wendy at wendy.earles@jcu.edu.au, copying Margery Daniels at istr@jhu.edu. 

We look forward to receiving expressions of interest addressing the key points raised in this notice from any interested colleagues and institutions in the Asia-Pacific region by April 30, 2012. ISTR Board members located in the region will support bidders to make a presentation to the Asia-Pacific Regional Network members in July 2012 in Siena.

Any members who wish to express early interest in hosting the 2015 ISTR Asia-Pacific Regional Conference are asked to also contact Wendy and Margery.