Asia Pacific Marketing Group - Home Page

Who are we? What do we do? Our History Our Organization

The Asia Pacific Marketing Group is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 to provide a forum for networking and relationship building for professional service firms interested in expanding their markets across Asia Pacific and beyond. The vision of the group is to be BC's premier association fostering business throughout the Asia Pacific Rim. The group's mission is to leverage knowledge and relationships to foster development opportunities.

Member firms specialize in management consulting, post secondary education, law, engineering, environmental science, and other related professional services. In addition, federal and provincial government agencies participate in the APMG's activities.

The group hosts regular meetings featuring speakers on a variety of topics of interest for businesses interested in trade with the Asia Pacific Region. Topics are highly varied and include Country Updates by federal trade officers, as well as discussions on specific business opportunities and trends.

The APMG also provides an informal forum for members to present their capabilities to other members, and for members to network. The goal of these informal networks is to encourage British Columbian businesses to compete on international business opportunities by combining strengths and leveraging member company experience.

The intimacy of the APMG provides members the opportunity to personally meet with and discuss specific issues with guest speakers - an option that is not often available through larger networking events.

The Asia Marketing Group was formed in 1989 by both the Consulting Engineers of BC and the BC Trade & Development Corporation. At the start, its purpose was to provide assistance to BC engineering consultants in accessing export markets. After the formation of the AMG, a sister organization was created -- the Latin America Marketing Group -- to approach the Latin American market using a similar model to that of AMG. This organization survived for about 2 years when it was realized that the members in each organization were in essence the same, and they merged to form the Asia Pacific Marketing Group which expanded the geographic scope of the organization to capitalize on global business activities across the whole of the Asia Pacific Region. With this new structure, the APMG opened its doors to other professional service groups including lawyers, accountants, architects and environmental science consultants. Later academic institutions became members to strengthen the existing membership base of APMG.

APMG is managed by an elected Board of Directors that consists of a Chair, Secretary-Treasurer as well as other members who chair various committees or Task Forces, as the need arises. The administration and accounting are delivered through a contracted-out administrative support company.

The organization is a registered Society under the BC Societies' Act. The relationship we have with the CEBC, Federal Governments' Industry and Trade offices, and the Provincial Government has always been regarded by the organization as a special attraction.

The Annual General Meeting of the Asia Pacific Marketing Group was held on May 31, 2011, at the India Gate Restaurant in downtown Vancouver. The new Board consists of Tim Crowther, Chair, and Directors Suresh Bhatta, John Hunter, Louis Reinders and Gordon Zonailo. A summer break will be followed by an event in the fall.

One of our member companies, McElhanney Consulting Services Limited, has developed a program called "MapsByAir. If you would like to see an overview of of this software that features detailed aerial photography throughout much of BC, providing a convenient link to finding your way around Vancouver, and project planning, Click here to access the site.