June Ko is Executive Director/Vice President, Asia Pacific Operations at IAAPA. In 2020, her summer got off to a strange start after the IAAPA Asian Expo, planned for Macau, became the first of the three IAAPA trade shows to be cancelled that year due to the pandemic.
IAE was replaced by a Virtual Expo, which became one of the first big online get-togethers for attractions industry professionals not just in Asia but also around the world. Over three days in July, conference sessions were hosted on a wide range of subjects, including several particularly topical discussions. There was also a virtual trade show floor. This came as real service to IAAPA members at a time of uncertainty. Ko also contributed to September 2020’s IAAPA EMEA/APAC Virtual Conference, conducting an enlightening chat on listening, adapting and evolving through a crisis with Hong Kong hospitality and theme park legend Dr Allan Zeman.
Educated at the University of Toronto, Ko has moved job and home on many occasions. Prior to heading up IAAPA’s Hong Kong office in 2014, she worked at software specialist Meridian Partners. This ability to pivot stood her in good stead during the pandemic. “Disruption gives me energy and promise of a better tomorrow,” she says.
Ko moved into the role of executive director at InfoCommAsia in 2023