The 30th Annual Conference of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) seeks to be another milestone in its 53-year history. This year, AMIC takes a giant step to achieve its vision, “to be truly Asian.” AMIC welcomes colleagues from diverse sub-regions of Asia, e.g.,  Central Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, North Asia, Oceana and the Pacific, South Asia, and West Asia.

AMIC took extra efforts to widen its Asian footprint starting with the appointment of AMIC representatives in several countries and territories in different Asian sub-regions. Webinars are being held for its representatives to share lessons and experiences in addressing distinct and common communication and journalism issues.

This year’s annual conference celebrates the rich and colorful diversity of Asian culture, highlighting one common value, Asia as a (Knowledge) Sharing Society. Amid this realization, the conference takes a closer look at how Asian communication and journalism schools can collaborate or partner so that, individually and collectively, they can reap the many benefits of internationalization of higher education.

After this three-day sharing and exchange, AMIC is confident that participants will recall that the seed of collaboration and partnership across greater Asia was planted in Beijing during the 30th AMIC Annual Conference hosted by the Communication University of China.

AMIC leads the march toward a common direction – a caring, sharing, and empowering Asian society.

The Conference has the following specific objectives:  

• To promote internationalization among higher education institutions (HEIs) Asia that are offering communication and journalism programmes through various collaborative initiatives;
• To share and exchange lessons and experiences, especially best practices, in addressing communication and journalism issues and concerns across the different Asian sub-regions, e.g., Central Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, North Asia, Oceana and the Pacific, South Asia, and West Asia;
• To amplify voices of Asian communication and journalism scholars, educators, researchers, and practitioners on current and emerging global and Asian communication and journalism issues and trends;
• To provide a venue for formal networking among Asian communication professionals and institutions for collaborative programs/projects in research, publications, course offerings, faculty/student exchanges, seminars, etc.;
• To enhance synergy among Asian communication and journalism educators and practitioners in pursuing excellence and professionalism needed in the current and emerging global and Asian communication media ecosystem; and
• To provide opportunities for students and young communicators to learn various skills and techniques that are in demand in the real, competitive communication and journalism industry.

As in past conferences, the sessions at the 30th AMIC Annual Conference are divided into plenary and parallel sessions. Plenary sessions feature experts/resource persons from different countries who share their expertise and experiences on specific areas. Parallel sessions consist of paper presentations by conference participants on their selected topics that are aligned with the conference theme.

Starting this year, there will be distinct parallel sessions exclusively for Asian students. There will also be parallel sessions in Chinese language.

Abstracts submitted to the conference secretariat undergo blind peer review by experts in appropriate topics. Full papers of approved abstracts are presented by the authors during the parallel sessions. 

The preliminary plenary sessions include the following:

• Updates on Internationalization of Higher Education in Asia
• Journalism and Communication Education: Asia’s Best Practices
• Journalism Issues Across North, East, South, Central and Western Asia: Commonalities & Differences
• The Bandung Spirit in the Era of AI, Meeting 2.0
• Managing Digital Transformation in Modern and Traditional Asian Communities

An initial list of parallel session topics includes the following:

• For professionals:
  • Asia as Knowledge Sharing Society
  • Communication and Media Development in North, East, South, Central and Western Asia: Commonalities and Differences
  • Journalism Practices and Tools
  • ICT and Digital Transformation
  • Communication and Journalism Education and Training
  • Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI): Gains and Losses
  • Culture, Arts, and Communication: Celebrating Diversity
  • Health Education and Promotion: Best Practices and Innovations
  • Science Communication: Learning from Specialists and Communities
  • Communication in Environment and Sustainable Development: Are We Making a Difference?
  • Media and Information Literacy (MIL) and Digital Competencies
  • How Media is Reshaping Political Communication in Asia
  • Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing Communication: New Strategies for the Young Asian Market
• For students and young communicators
• • • Media and Information Literacy and Digital Competencies
    • Communication, Culture, and Society
    • Mobile Phones and Gadgets: Uses and Abuses
    • Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing Communication Strategies
    • Our Online and Digital Learning Space: What Works and Do Not Work Per Learners’ Experiences
    • Six Years to UN Sustainable Development Goals: Are Communication Strategies Making an Impact? How Are Young People Engaged?

• Get Published in Internationally Indexed Academic Journals
• Monetize Social Media Engagements (and How to be an Effective & Responsible Social Media Influencer)
• Pursue a Career in Science Communication
• Engage in Mobile and Smartphone Filmmaking
• Design and Market MOOCs
• Gamify for Entertainment and Learning
• Craft Communication Strategies with AI

One of the highlights of the conference is the conferment of the 2023 and 2024  AMIC Asia Communication Award. The Award was established in 2006 to recognize outstanding achievements in various fields of communication media. Twenty-three individuals have since received the Award.

Approved and presented abstracts during the conference are published online by AMIC in the annual Book of Abstracts.  Paper writers are also encouraged to submit their full paper for possible publication in AMIC journals, i.e., Asian Journal of Communication (AJC) and Media Asia. These journals are published for AMIC by the prestigious academic publisher, Routledge – Taylor & Francis.

A distinct conference website will be uploaded at least three months prior to the actual conference dates. It will feature the conference program, profile of speakers, partners and sponsors, registration details, learning resources from partners and sponsors, among others.

All conference plenary and parallel sessions will be recorded for uploading in the AMIC YouTube Channel.

Among the major conference outputs will be the AMIC Beijing Declaration on Internationalization of Asian Higher Education Institutions with focus on communication and journalism programs. The Declaration will highlight areas and strategies for collaboration and partnership among communication and journalism HEIs.

The Conference will primarily be in person.

The 30th AMIC Annual Conference will be held from 24 to 26 September 2024. Pre-conference meeting of AMIC representatives is planned for 23 September 2024.

The Conference will be held at the Communication University of China (CUC), one of China’s key universities. It is a public university in Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education.  It is located at 1 Dingfuzhuang East Street, Chaoyang, Beijing, China, 100024. The first AMIC Conference in the People’s Republic of China was held in Beijing and hosted by the CUC in 2005.