The Asian Football Confederation, Royal Jordanian Airlines, PepsiCo and the Jordan Tourism Board are the latest high-profile names to commit to the Soccerex Asian Forum, taking place on 13-14 May on the banks of the Dead Sea in Jordan, in partnership with the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP).

Jordan’s national carrier, voted Airline of the Year by Air Finance Journal in 2007, Royal Jordanian Airlines become the official airline partners of the Forum and will have a significant presence at the event.

The Jordan Tourism Board and PepsiCo have signed up as official event supporters and will exhibit to promote their various causes. The Tourism Board, an independent, public-private sector partnership committed to utilise marketing strategies to brand, position and promote the Jordan tourism product as the destination of choice in the international markets, will also sponsor the social evening taking place at the Marriott Dead Sea Spa & Resort on Tuesday 13th. Among the world’s biggest brands and official sponsor of the AFC, Pepsi (PepsiCo) will act as official drinks supplier of the event.

The AFC 2015 Asian Cup LOC will be partnering Austrade, the Australian Trade Commission, to host the networking café, the networking hub which is at the heart of the exhibition hall and which will be aptly rebranded as “Café Australia”, in reference to the host country for the tournament. The AFC will also be involved within the conference programme, giving delegates updates on the delivery of the Cup in a panel dedicated to major events, as well as an outlook on the issues surrounding women’s football in Asia by AFC Vice-President Moya Dodd.

“We are very excited to bring this impressive selection of global brands to the event,” said Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie. “These are first-class organisations that bring the sport and the community together, and we believe will help Jordan and the rest of the continent become a destination for the global industry and soccer fans alike for many years to come.”

The presence of Australia as well as India and Korea and a host of other Asian federations signals the arrival of the Asian Forum as the most significant gateway to the whole of Asia in the global football industry. In addition to national associations, a number of premier footballing institutions including FIFA, The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, The FA, La Liga, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona, the Japan Football Association and Galatasaray, have signed up for the event.

The Forum, held in partnership with the AFDP founded and chaired by HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, will bring together the leading figures from the world of Asian football as well as other international football experts to discuss the development of the game across Asia. The conference agenda will include a review of the opportunities for growth and the challenges facing Asian football.