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The Asia Poker Arena in Taiwan is more used to being packed with poker players vying for titles and championships, but its clientele will be different on July 21. That is because the arena is hosting The Poker Tournament Directors Association (TDA) Continental Summit – Asia Edition in partnership with the World Poker Federation (WPF) and in collaboration with the Asian Poker Sports Association (APSA).

Some of the most influential figures in poker tournament operations are confirmed to hold talks, with confirmed speakers including:

• Matt Savage – the TDA's founder and serial Poker Hall of Fame nominee
• Neil Johnson – A member of the TDA Board since 2007
• Lloyd Fontillas – A member of the TDA Board since 2019
• Mylene Advincula – General Manager of the Metro Card Club
• Nobuyoshi Takizawa – Certified Tournament Director
• Ray Chiu – Certified Tournament Director

The summit is designed to bring together those professionals who make live poker tournaments happen every day, with discussions focused on real-world challenges those professionals face during events. Some of the subjects set to be discussed include:

• Technical discussions on tournament rules and procedures
• Analysis of practical scenarios based on real-life scenarios
• An open forum between professionals from different regions
• A seminar on handling difficult table decisions

The 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has seen a handful of situations arise that those attending the summit will discuss at length. For example, the alleged chip dumping incident during the heads-up stage of the Millionaire Maker and the excessive ten-minute tanking of Will Kassouf in the Main Event.

Tournament directors from all corners of the globe will discuss how to handle such situations fairly, cleanly, and in accordance with the professional standards expected across the international circuit.

Leonardo Cavarge, the CEO of the World Poker Federation, says this latest summit reflects the WPF's mission.

"This summit reflects the mission of the WPF – to create a unified and professional global structure for poker. By joining forces with the TDA and APSA, we're helping bring international standards to Asia while listening to the region's specific context. That's how we make poker stronger: together."

David Tai, President of the Asian Poker Sports Association (APSA), mirrored Cavarge's comments.

"The TDA Continental Summit – Asia Edition is a key opportunity to raise tournament standards in the region. As APSA President, I fully support this chance for Asia's poker leaders to align, learn, and grow together."