APNIC updates conference host and location selection process

An early APNIC conference: APNIC 5, held alongside APRICOT 1997 in Hong Kong.

APNIC has updated our stand-alone Conference host and location selection process to reflect the growing scale and complexity of our conferences and give prospective hosts clearer guidance earlier in the planning cycle.

We hold conferences to bring together Members, technical experts, partners, and other Internet stakeholders to:

• Participate in APNIC's governance, which includes policy development and Executive Council (EC) and community leadership elections, among others.
• Share operational experience and best practices, building technical capability and professional networks, all of which contribute to strengthening Internet infrastructure across the region.

Our first conference was held in Bangkok in 1995 with 82 attendees, and APNIC stand-alone conferences now regularly attract around six times that number. This growth highlights the continued relevance of APNIC's conferences for our Members and broader Internet community.

Maintaining a community-led approach

APNIC conferences reflect our Member-based, community-governed model. The conference program is led by a Program Committee comprising community members, while a local host helps organize the event, connect with the local community, and encourage participation.

Hosting an APNIC conference provides an opportunity for local organizations to showcase their work and their economy's Internet development to the wider regional community. Conferences help build stronger relationships with APNIC Members and stakeholders, raise awareness of local Internet initiatives, and bring regional expertise and discussion directly to the local community.

Hosting can also lower barriers to participation for local engineers, policymakers, academics, and students who may not otherwise attend a regional event. This creates opportunities for learning, networking, and professional development while helping grow local Internet operational expertise and leadership.

Stand-alone APNIC conferences follow an established sub-regional rotation across East Asia, South Asia, and Oceania. The APNIC EC has established this approach to help us stay closer to communities across the region.

The sub-regional rotation schedule for upcoming APNIC stand-alone conferences is shown in Table 1.

Separately, host and location decisions for the APNIC conference held as part of the APRICOT Summit are governed by the APNOG board. The APNOG board has indicated that APRICOT will not rotate to different subregions and will largely be held in South East Asia by default, subject to the APNOG board's selection process.

Updated process

The updated conference host and location selection process gives prospective hosts and the community clearer information about key milestones, how proposals are assessed, and how decisions are made. It introduces:

• Standard Expression of Interest (EoI) process for prospective hosts.
• Clearer assessment framework to guide host and location selection.
• Consistent timeline for identifying, assessing, and announcing future conference locations.

Standard EoI process

An EoI process will open approximately 30 months before each stand-alone conference, giving prospective hosts time to prepare their proposals and coordinate local planning.

For example, South Asia is scheduled to host the APNIC conference in September 2029. The EoI period will run from March to September 2027 (6 months), enabling interested organizations to develop proposals and engage with the APNIC Secretariat to submit an EoI.

Clearer assessment framework

After the EoI closes, the Secretariat will evaluate the EoI submissions against an updated published assessment framework.

The assessment framework covers criteria which the EC will assess, covering location and venue suitability, accessibility for regional participants, local host capability, financial viability, and risk. Based on this assessment, the EC will select the host and location, and the Secretariat will publish the decision and supporting information.

The updated assessment framework also helps prospective hosts prepare clear and well-supported proposals in their EoI.

If the standard rotation or key process milestones cannot reasonably be followed, the framework allows for a controlled exception. The Secretariat will assess the circumstances and recommend an exception to the EC for approval. The reasons for the exception will be documents to ensure transparency and accountability.

Consistent timeline

Continuing the example of the September 2029 APNIC conference plan, the timeline and key milestones will look like this:

• EoI process opens 30 months ahead of September 2029 (March 2027).
• EoI process runs for six months and will close in September 2027.
• The Secretariat will assess the EoIs against the updated framework and submit them to the EC for consideration. The selected host and location will be announced and published at the 2028 APRICOT Summit.

Want to host a future APNIC conference?

If your organization is interested in hosting one of our conferences, we encourage you to review the EoI details, assessment criteria, and hosting expectations on the APNIC website.

The first EoI under the updated process will open in March 2027 for the 2029 stand-alone APNIC conference in South Asia. If you're interested but unsure or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].

The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of APNIC. Please note a Code of Conduct applies to this blog.