BUSINESSMEN in the city and province of Iloilo will be joining the 5th China Maritime Silk Road International Brand Expo in Quanzhou, Fujian Province of China on April 18 to 21.
Mayor Jose Espinosa III will lead the official delegation to promote and sell the city’s products and potentials globally.
“Iloilo City Government has been invited by the Foreign Affairs of Fujian Province of China specifically Quanzhou City which is our sister city. The letter of intent for the sisterhood agreement was signed last year,” said Local Economic and Investment Promotions Office head Ritchel Gavan.
“For economic cooperation, the first engagement as sister cities would be this international brand expo,” she added.
The food and accommodation will be shouldered by the host city while the fare will be shouldered by the delegation with the help of private sector in the city.
Exhibitors include RGies Delicacies, Balay Tablea, Al Di Foods, Einar’s Natural Food Export, Jaki Peñalosa, Totong Gellangarin, Balai Hablon, and Women United through Handcrafted Lace and Embroidery of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo.
Private buyers include Iloilo Business Club (IBC), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board.
The exhibitors were chosen with the help of Department of Trade and Industry, and based on their capacity to supply the international market given if bulk will be bought from them during the expo, Gavan explained.
Gavan noted there will be 300 exhibitors from 40 countries and more than 20,000 buyers during the four-day exhibit.
IBC executive director Lea Lara said aside from marketing the products from Iloilo, the exhibit will enable the delegation to experience how an international expo is run.
“We would like to see how the fair is, how products are being marketed, and what are the preferences of international buyers, because we are also prepositioning ourselves as Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions destination,” Lara said.
“Quanzhou is a manufacturing city, a port city similar to us. We would like to see how they have shaped their local economy from being an old city to one of the industrial cities in China,” Lara added. (PR)