Sumate Sudasna
Secretary General
Thailand Incentive & Convention Association

Anthony Wong
Group Managing Director
AOS Conventions and Events

Born in 1956, Anthony Wong’s instinctive passion for outdoor life and nature led him to embark on a career in the tourism industry in his teens. In 1976, he and a team of enthusiastic adventurers established Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel (AOS). With his partners’ interests shifting into other endeavors, Anthony was soon single handedly building his own solo operation. Now 32 years later, Anthony’s leadership has made AOS the leading inbound tour operator for Adventure, Experiential Learning and Special Interest and Incentive Tours in the country.

With his love for nature, it led him to undertake two Eco-tourism projects in the country. One, being the Jungle Lodge Alang Sedayu located at the fringe of a forest reserve area which is now being used for summer camps, team building and motivational courses, family days and many more eco activities.

The other is the “Adoption of an Iban Longhouse” in Kuching as it is the company’s belief to contribute to communities impacted by tourism. In recognition of his efforts to promote Eco-tourism in the region, he was awarded the Global Travel Award 1993 in London during the World Travel Mart.

In 1990, Anthony established AOS Conventions & Events, a destination management company and a professional conference/congress organizer, meeting clients demand for M.I.C.E. activities in Malaysia. To-date, AOS has successfully managed groups with group size from 20 to 10,000 people including the XVIII FIGO World Congress on Gynecology and Obstetric that was held in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from November 5 to 10 2006. Comments received from the delegates that this congress was the most successful in FIGO history and the most profitable.

Anthony is an active member in both the tourism and M.I.C.E. industry. He holds the following positions:

- 2nd Vice President, International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA)
- Chair, ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter
- Chair, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Human Resource Advisory Council
- Committee Member, PATA Sustainable Tourism and Education & Training
- Fellow Adjunct in Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Universiti Utara Malaysia
- Past President, Malaysia Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers

A trainer in the field of Experiential Training and Motivation Camp, Anthony is regularly called upon by corporate and multinational companies to conduct training on team building. A certified Camp Director/Counselor himself, he has also conducted many summer camp programs for school children, a passion he enjoys doing.

Anthony is a regular speaker at both national and international conferences and seminars on Eco-tourism and MICE and is regularly called upon for consultation and advice.

At IMEX 2003 in Frankfurt Germany, Anthony was amongst four recipients of the “Academy Awards” recognized for bringing about greater awareness of the Incentive and Meetings product within the Asia Pacific region, particularly with developing destinations.

In February 2007, Anthony was awarded “Industry Person of the Year” in the Asia Pacific region by Reed Travel Exhibitions in Melbourne, Australia during AIME 2007. This award recognises Anthony’s contribution towards the success of the meetings and incentives industry.

Being a green person, Anthony transformed his 4-star resort of two years situated along Pantai Tengah, in southwest Langkawi known as The Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa into a “green hotel”. The resort has 118 rooms and features a 400-metre long beachfront of soft golden sand. The Frangipani is probably the first resort in Malaysia that supported the principles of responsible tourism where it has programmes that saved water, conserved energy and reduced solid waste, while saving money, in order to help protect the local environment.

In its short history, the resort has already received recognition in receiving the ASEAN Green Hotel Award 2007. The resort actively supported Langkawi being awarded UNESCO Geopark (geological park) status. On June 18 2008, Anthony was appointed as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire in Kuala Lumpur by H.E. BOA Liliane Marie Laure, the Ambassador of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire to Japan.

His favourite motto is “Don’t go where the path leads, rather go where there’s no path and leave a trail.”

 Other speakers include: 

Janet Tan Collis
Chief Executive Officer
East West Executive Travellers

Kenneth Phua
Regional Director, Asia-Pacific
Association of Corporate Travel Executives