THE country is becoming more appealing to international participants of Philippine trade shows and expositions as the full integration of Association of Southeast Asian Nations draws closer, according to an official of Worldbex Services International, an events and exhibitions company.
“The Philippines is one of the benchmarks (for Asean). There are a lot of investments coming in. They see the Philippines as a big opportunity,” said WSI marketing director Jon Richmond Ang at the sidelines of the opening of Philippine Building and Construction Expo (Philbex) at the Trade Hall of SM City Cebu yesterday.
WSI has been organizing trade events since 1996. Its first event was the World and Building Construction Expo (Worldbex), said to be Asia’s biggest construction show.
From there, Ang said the company has brought in other events like the Manila International Auto Show, Manila Foods and Beverages Expo, World Bazaar Festival, Cebu Foods and Beverage Expo, Philbex and Cebu Auto Show.
Yesterday, WSI also opened Cefbex with 85 participating companies. The Cebu Auto Show was also opened yesterday with 100 exhibitors.
“(Holding trade shows) is rewarding. It is very booming. A lot of foreign shows come to the Philippines and they use our company (WSI) as a benchmark,” Ang said. WSI has been holding trade events in Cebu for eleven years.
The official said the heightened interest of international traders in the Philippines can be attributed to its “open market,” especially in the food industry, where there are fewer restrictions on meat and alcohol compared to neighboring countries.
Another important factor, he added, is the Filipinos’ English proficiency, which makes the country even more appealing to foreign traders.
Three hundred exhibitors joined this year’s expo in Cebu. Of the number, 20 percent are foreign companies, 50 percent are Manila enterprises and the rest are from the Visayas.
Due to the increasing number of participants, Ang said WSI is on the lookout for bigger venues in Cebu where succeeding trade shows will be held in the next few years.