Be the first of all in anything, the actor's value proposition, the activities, and the impact made have to be original, new, creative, novel, innovative, disruptive or ground breaking, actualizing the potential or qualities in humans or expanding the new horizon of our vision. People tend to remember, recollect or recall the first of something, but not the fair followers or subsequent instances. Even be the first to "like" something creates a first good impression for all.
Other than "liking", it can be very hard to be the first of something though, as there are controllable and uncontrollable factors. Insightful personal/team value and exceptional capacity aside, objective favourable support and environment are also the necessary conditions. What is the sufficient condition to be the first in something, I believe, is a right mix-and-match between the relevant actor(s) and the circumstances - right place and right time included.
The International Trademark Association (INTA) holds its annual meetings - the world's largest trademark event - primarily in US, and it was until its 136th one that it had its first in Asia - in Hong Kong in 2014. The event coincided with my residual tenure as the Head of Intellectual Property of Hong Kong, China. I appeared in INTA's media and activities, and was the first INTA speaker in Asia (or Hong Kong) to disseminate messages via my original songs!
INTA announced on May 20, 2018 that it would hold its 142th annual meeting in Singapore in 2020, which I thought, as a matter of fact and history, would be INTA's second annual meeting in Asia. Taking a sub-regional perspective though, INTA's Singapore annual meeting would still be its first one in Southeast Asia. I would watch with interest to see if there would be any first INTA speaker in Southeast Asia (or Singapore) who would attempt to do what I did!