The Philippines Forum

The Philippine Business Leaders Forum is specifically designed for senior executives, senior business managers, management professionals and government leaders who need to be informed and who value the opportunity to exchange views with colleagues.

The Philippine Forum is part of an international network of executive peer group forums coordinated by Economist Corporate Network. Such forums aim to deliver thought-provoking analysis of — and informed comment on — the issues that affect local and regional business strategy as well as the bottom line.

Through a carefully constructed program of interactive meetings and conferences — each with presentations and supporting documentation, the Philippine Business Leaders Forum offers senior executives the opportunity to monitor, evaluate and anticipate developments in the local and regional business environment.

Importantly the Business Leaders Forum is able to draw on resources provided by the Economist Group to its country associates. Not only does this provide members access to the highest caliber information available; it works both ways since the Forum is able to speak authoritatively to government on behalf of its members.

Many such sessions are led either by Economist Conference Divisions' regional analysts and/or invited guest speakers from other Economist Corporate Network executives and the topics comprising the annual program are largely chosen by Members themselves to address their most pressing concerns and interests.

Forum membership provides a number of benefits that cannot be obtained by membership of any single chamber of commerce or other business club.

The Forum provides an opportunity for networking:

• Through regular forum meetings with high quality keynote speakers; panel discussions and questions from the floor -and with summaries provided by the forum secretariat;
• Through "break-out"groups which provide opportunities for focused and specialized discussion on key issues or industry sectors of interest to members;
• Through conferences arranged locally through the Philippines Business Leader's Forum and as part of the broader network established by the Economist Conferences Division;
• Through industry and issue specific working groups;
• Through reciprocal entitlements and access to all other ECN program meetings and  materials (via the website) in the Asia Pacific region.

The Forum also provides an opportunity to be informed:

• Through regular and high-quality briefing material prepared by the secretariat and delivered by e-mail or fax to Forum members and providing insight into current political and economic issues within the Philippines and across Asia;
• Through special "focus"reports prepared by the secretariat dealing with specialized issues of topical interest;
• Through preferred access to the Economist™ magazine and to the material produced by other Economist peer group networks across the Asian region.

The Forum provides an opportunity to be heard:

• A key element of forum membership is the opportunity it provides to act as an advocate for the interests of the business community to government. This advocacy can take a number of forms:

• Through government/industry round table conferences sponsored by the Economist Group;
• Through position papers prepared by the forum secretariat in response to member's needs and through "break-out"groups, which are a specialized series of meetings, focused on a specific industry sector or issue that needs to be addressed.
• As part of the regional Economist Corporate Network, the Forum is uniquely placed to carry messages from the Philippines business community to the wider Asian region and beyond. No other forum in the Philippines has this same authoritative network.

The Forum provides an opportunity to be seen:

• When you join the Philippines Business Leader's Forum you are a member of a privileged international group of business leaders who value the ability to interact with their peers - locally and within Asia - and who are prepared to learn from them. It offers an opportunity, unique in the Philippines, to look beyond the familiar circle for new approaches to the strategic challenges involved in successful management for the 21^st Century.
• Through membership meetings and through access to the high quality publications sponsored by the Philippines Business Forum - such as the Philippines Business Guide and Philippines Business Directory - you and your company are immediately branded as being among the most successful in the Philippines and within Asia.

In the Asia Pacific region, Economist Corporate Network focuses on the specific requirements of businesses operating within the region through a range of forums which bring together business and government leaders and provide specially-tailored analyses by experienced economists.

Executive  Forums (of which the Philippines Business Leader's Forum is a part) are membership-based programs providing senior executives with informed commentary on and analysis of critical business issues. These programs are run directly by Economist Conferences in Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Tokyo and by their Associates - seasoned professionals with a single-country focus - throughout the rest of the Asia Pacific region.

In addition to local meetings, Forum members have privileged access to a number of meetings organized and run by Economist Conferences. These include:

• Executive Forums: bringing together senior executives from similar levels and functions from around the region to discuss business issues of mutual interest and concern in a relaxed setting.
• Industry Roundtables: regional meetings focused on high-growth industries in Asia and their topical issues. These meetings provide a highly interactive environment in which participants can not only identify barriers and challenges but also evolve solutions to specific political and operational problems.
• Executive Briefings: professional, customized presentations by our Asia analysts that focus on specific countries, industries or issues. These briefings are often used by companies as input during local or regional planning, budget or review meetings; as a means of orientation and update for visiting corporate executives; and as a management development tool.

Can you and your company afford not to belong to this group?