18th Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE)

The 18th Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE) will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from October 25 to 27, 2017. About 3,000 delegates from 18 countries are expected at Asia Pacific’s largest retail event which is held once every two years. 

Organised by the Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA) and endorsed by Federation of AsiaPacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA), the theme of the 18th APRCE 2017 is “Transformation, Creativity and Beyond”. 

Key global retailers are expected at this event which will spearhead a re-think on retail and how to drive change through innovation, transformation and staying ahead of the pack for business success. It will explore opportunities to capture the next decade of discerning digitised customers. 

World-class speakers, retail leaders and solution providers from the US, UK, Japan, China, Korea and, of course, Malaysia will share their business success stories, new retail trends, ways to retail excellence and e-commerce trends and challenges in retailing, among others. 

Among the 22 speakers at the 18th APRCE2017 are: Mr Howard Saunders, Retail Futurist, Twenty Second and Fifth Ltd, US; Mr Christopher Sanderson, Co-Founder, Future Lab United Kingdom; Mr Motoya Okada, President and CEO, AEON Co. Ltd; Mr Benjamin Yong, Founder and Group Chief Eating Officer of the BIG Group, Malaysia; Mr Hoseok Kim, CEO of Celcom Planet Sdn Bhd (11Street), Malaysia; Ms Michelle Grant, Head of Retailing at Euromonitor International, US; Mr Chan Kok Long, Co-Founder & Executive Director of IPay88 Sdn Bhd, Malaysia; Mr Roger Wang, Chairman of Golden Eagle International Group, China and Mr Chen Xiaodong, CEO of Intime Retail Group, China. 

The delegates attending 

According to APRCE 2017 Organising Chairman, Mr James Loke, about 1,300 foreign delegates have confirmed their attendance. They include those from Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and other FAPRA-recognised national retail trade organisations such as in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Mongolia, Turkey and Fiji. 

The event is the perfect focal point for international networking, and Malaysia, as the host, is the ideal location to mix business with leisure. Representatives from Asia-Pacific will be converging here to exchange ideas, connect with suppliers, seek business opportunities and network. 

The 18th APRCE 2017 is supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB). 

How APRCE started 

Since 1983, APRCE has been the main activity of the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA), which has 18 association members from 18 countries. It is the longest running biennial retail conference in Asia-Pacific. The host country is selected by FAPRA members through a bidding process held every 2 years. 

For the record, the 17th APRCE 2015 was held in Manila, Philippines while the 16 th APRCE 2013 took place in Istanbul, Turkey. The 18th APRCE 2017 will bring together participants to learn, discover and network, and make meaningful connections with other industry professionals. It will also highlight innovative solutions to help retailers differentiate themselves from their competitors.