I figured I should write my personal reflections on SPAFACON2024 while the event is still fresh in my mind. This year’s SPAFACON was a week-long affair consisting of three days of paper readings, a day for excursions, and two days of workshops. As some of you might already know, this is also my last SPAFACON. The cat is out of the bag, and later this year, I will be starting a new position in Jakarta.
The SPAFACON holds a special place in my career - I coined the name in 2016 for the second iteration of the conference, which was also the first one I organized. Although I didn't attend the inaugural conference in Chonburi in 2013, I had the task of editing the selected papers volume for it. This year’s SPAFACON was significant as it was the first in-person SPAFACON since 2019; the 2021 edition was held online due to COVID-19.
Over the years, SPAFACON has evolved from an archaeology-centric conference (2013, 2016, and 2019) to one which encompasses all the fields represented by SPAFA, including fine arts, performing arts, museology and cultural heritage. This year’s opening ceremony was graced by the Thai Minister of Education, Police General Permpoon Chidchob, and the Vice-Minister for Culture, Dr. Lalivan Karnchanachari. I am particularly proud that SPAFACON2024 is the largest SPAFACON ever, with a little over 350 participants, including representation from all 11 countries that make up SEAMEO. While the turnout is small compared to the IPPA Congress, SPAFACON is now the largest conference devoted to solely to Southeast Asian archaeology and cultural heritage.
This year, we had some 200 papers read across 40 thematic sessions. As the organizer, I wasn't able to attend as many presentations as I would have liked. However, I chaired two sessions: the Country Reports and one on the Archaeology of Southeast Asia. Additionally, I participated in a session sponsored by SIG on their efforts to develop a cultural heritage management plan for the Maros Pangkep rock art area.
A major event like SPAFACON2024 takes more than a year to plan, with numerous factors and operational requirements to consider. The planning process is complex, involving logistics, budgeting, programming, and coordination among various stakeholders. I am aware that cost was a significant factor for many, and unfortunately, some colleagues could not attend due to the higher registration fees this year. The post-COVID pricing landscape has been challenging, with everything becoming more expensive. These base costs were beyond our control, and even with the higher registration fees, we still managed to subsidize the per-person costs by 30-40%. These are not money-making events - the aim is to break even or minimise loss.
Despite the challenges, our team was able to deliver a memorable and impactful conference. One of the exciting developments this year was the expanded scope of the conference. We integrated a craft fair and several exhibitions into the conference experience and we also capitalized on the influx of participants by organizing side-events and workshops, such as an excursion to western Thailand, where we visited the Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom and the Ban Kao National Museum in Kanchanaburi. Notable among the workshops was one hosted by the Getty on building capacity for wall mural painting conservation in Southeast Asia, and another on archaeological ethics. The ethics workshop was a real highlight for me - the focus on ethics came out of a regional survey I ran five years ago and it took a long time to conceptualise a programme because no one had really worked on it in this region. My colleague, Anne-Marie Valera was given the task to run it, and the end result was a series of online workshops culminating at SPAFACON where participants presented “solutions” to an imaginary scenario. The quality of the presentations and the rich discussions that followed were a good indication about how much more work needs to be done in this area.
None of these activities would have been possible without the dedicated efforts of our staff. Besides our regular team, we had the support of a few interns and student volunteers who ensured that all the rooms were manned and that crowd control was effectively managed. Their hard work and commitment were instrumental in the success of SPAFACON2024. SPAFACON2024 has been a significant milestone, not just for me personally, but for everyone involved.
I wanted to finish my tenure at SEAMEO SPAFA on a high note, and the successful implementation of this conference and its associated events feels like a mission accomplished. I often joked that SPAFACON was my retirement party, and it brought immense joy to see so many old friends join in the celebration, while also making new connections along the way. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues, partners, and participants for making this event a landmark occasion. Their dedication and hard work were instrumental in overcoming the various challenges we faced. Of course, there were small mistakes along the way, but nothing so major that it couldn't be rectified. I apologize for any areas where we fell short and appreciate everyone's understanding and support.
Even though the main events of SPAFACON2024 have concluded, our work is not yet over. This week, we are still working on conference matters, conducting our after-action review, preparing certificates, and compiling reports. In some sense, the conference continues as we wrap up these final tasks.
I am incredibly happy to have been part of SPAFACON over the last decade. It has been an honor to contribute to the promotion and dissemination of Southeast Asian archaeology and cultural heritage. I sincerely hope that SPAFACON continues to grow and remains a major event for our field in the future!