FAOPMA’s Pest Summit, a major event in the pest control calendar, was successfully held this year via video conferencing.
FAOPMA Pest Summit 2020 has been successfully executed as a virtual conference – Survive COVID-19, Protect Your Future. Having made the early decision to postpone the face-to-face conference in Manila due to the pandemic, the organising team instead put together a comprehensive online program, with a strong emphasis on how the pest control industry can respond and operate in a COVID-19 environment.
However, even virtual conferences are not immune to the effects of mother nature – with a major typhoon hitting the Philippines days before the event, which caused major damage to electrical, computer and infrastructure with organisers having to navigate a few technical issues as a result. Nevertheless, the conference went ahead with a number of international speakers and over a thousand registered attendees.
Stephen Doggett, chief editor of the FAOPMA magazine, said the conference was amazingly well received. “Many felt this was the most significant event ever held in the pest management industry. Not only did the theme revolve around current world events, with FAOPMA actively aiming to support the entire pest management industry across the region, the speakers were second to none.”
It is still hoped that the postponed Manila conference will proceed later in 2021, with the date and format yet to be confirmed. With COVID-19 issues still likely to impact travel and large gatherings, any conference will be a hybrid one, with a mixture of face-to-face and virtual events.
