Themed “Empowering Lives Globally”, the WFDSA World Congress XIII 2008, held from 8 to 10 October 2008, at the Raffles City Convention Centre, ended on a high note. The Direct Selling Association of Singapore (DSAS), was proud to play host to 490 CEOs and key executives from about 50 countries.

At the congress, we learnt about the accomplishments of the WFDSA over the past few years, and their long range plan for the coming years. The World Congress is indeed a great platform for us to take stock and chart the growth of the industry. Hence, we encourage and urge each and every one of you, as leaders, to step forward and get involved in this industry, personally or through your local association. As Andrea Jung, incoming WFDSA Chairman, mentioned in her speech on the first day, it is important for the people in the industry to come together as one – “One Industry. One Dream.”.

The keynote address delivered by Professor Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Founder of Grameen Bank, aptly ties in with our theme “Empowering Lives Globally”. Similar to micro-credit, direct selling not only empowers one to have a better life, it also promotes ‘helping to improve the lives of others’.

Our heartfelt thanks to all who have helped, supported and attended this event, especially the sponsors. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our speakers for the General and Breakout Sessions, who have taken time off from their busy schedule to share with us their invaluable experiences and knowledge.

This congress would not have been such a great success without the support and help from all DSAs, particularly the 13th WFDSA World Congress Advisory Council, which are made up of representatives from DSAs in this region, including Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. Our special thanks to Truman Hunt, outgoing WFDSA Chairman, and staff members of WFDSA for their guidance.

We would also like to thank members of the Organizing Committee and the many sub-committees, MP - the event manager, and our “red” congress ambassadors from member companies for their tireless efforts and contributions to ensure all programs were run smoothly.

We hope you have enjoyed yourself at the social events, such as the Welcome Reception, Forbidden City and the Gala Dinner, which gave a taste of the great diversity of Singapore’s food and culture.

Once again, thank you for being here with us. We hope you had a great and memorable time in Singapore. And we hope to see you again at the next WFDSA World Congress to be held in Istanbul in 2011!

Charlene Chiang Organizing Chairperson WFDSA World Congress XIII 2008		Leo Boon Wang Chairman Direct Selling Association of Singapore