Asia Pacific Cities Summit
City leaders and business chiefs from more than 70 cities have shrugged off the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic to be part of Brisbane’s acclaimed Asia Pacific Cities Summit.
Renowned for its inspiring speakers, high-calibre networking opportunities and top-level insights, the three-day summit officially began in Brisbane last night with more than 670 delegates involved.
The summit, which is managed by the Brisbane City Council, has a strong track record for creating new international partnerships and knowledge sharing opportunities between cities and businesses as well as strengthening global trade and investment links.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the 2021 APCS Special Edition is proceeding while other events continue to be cancelled or postponed because of the pandemic.
“This year’s summit is a little different with people attending virtually as well as in person,” Cr Schrinner said.
“But the fact the summit is proceeding at all is testament to a lot of hard work that’s gone on behind the scenes for many months.
“Because this event is so highly regarded by city and business leaders right across the world, we were determined to find a way to ensure it happened.
“We’re actually blown away by the amount of interest we’ve had from people wanting to be part of the summit.”
The theme of the 2021 APCS Special Edition is ‘Redefining Cities through Opportunities and Challenges’ and includes a schedule packed with an impressive line-up of internationally renowned speakers and curated sessions.
Delegates at this year’s summit hail from 74 different cities and 23 countries, including China, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
This year’s special guest speakers are Martin O’Malley, the 61st Governor of Maryland, former Mayor of Baltimore and US presidential candidate, and Kurt Fearnley, Australia’s inspirational wheelchair racer and three-time Paralympic gold medalist.
Simon Wright OMB, the former director of infrastructure for the London Olympic Delivery Authority, will deliver a special address today while the summit will also include a special showcase from key figures involved in the London, Tokyo and Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“The International Olympic Committee’s recent decision to name Brisbane as the host city of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games has generated a lot of excitement and interest in our wonderful part of the world and I’m sure it would have prompted a few people to get involved in this year’s summit,” Cr Schrinner said.
“Our summit provides a unique platform for community leaders and local businesses to leverage the exposure of Brisbane 2032 and promote their capacity and capability to global businesses.
“By facilitating these invaluable connections and partnerships, we hope to build on the success of previous summits and cement our status as a global city.”
Since its inception, APCS has been held 12 times across six cities, alternating between Brisbane and an international host city every two years.
2021APCS is being held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and virtually.
For more information about the summit visit www.apcsummit.org.
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