Over the last decade PSA has been engaged in a concerted effort to revitalize the organization and increase our regional and global visibility. One metric to gauge how well the organization is succeeding at this is attendance at Pacific Science Congresses and Inter-Congresses.
The 19th and 20th Pacific Science Congresses (1999 and 2003 respectively) averaged 461 participants from 33 countries. The 21st and 22nd Pacific Science Congresses (2007 and 2011 respectively) averaged 856 participants from 39 countries, which is an 86% increase in attendance compared to pre-2004. The 8th, 9th, and 10th Pacific Science Inter-Congresses (1997, 1998 and 2001 respectively) averaged 516 participants from 33 countries. The 11th Inter-Congress (2009) was attended by 881 participants from 49 countries, which is a 70% increase from pre-2004. The 12th Pacific Science Inter-Congress (2013) was the third most well-attended Inter-Congress in PSA’s history, and attracted 632 registered participants from 51 countries; 251 participants (45.1% of total attendees) were from countries other than Fiji.
Also important has been the much greater attention to Adhering Organizations, adherence to dues payments, and cost control. These have all resulted in increased PSA revenues, which are up 86% since 2004.
The increased success and regional prominence of PSA since 2004 also led to the return of Adhering Organizations from the Philippines (2011) and New Zealand (2013) to active member status. PSA continues to pursue the re-engagement of Latin American members, and has had recent discussions with Mexico and Peru.
