SEVEN micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from Negros Occidental are being featured in the ongoing Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) International Furniture and Furnishings Show 2021, the first unified virtual exposition for the Asean furniture circuit.
These are Artisana Island Crafts, Bevz Handicraft, Creative Definitions, Golden Arts and Furnishings, Tumandok Craft Industries, Yssa’s Handicraft Manufacturing, and Hacienda Crafts Company.
The 10-day trade event is organized by the Asean furniture Council (AFIC) and hosted by the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP).
It allows participants to see great designs, interact with top designers and manufacturers via chat, video call, schedule a meeting, exchange photos and brochures, as well attend virtual conferences at the comfort of their home or office.
Christina Gaston of Hacienda Crafts Company told SunStar Bacolod that the Philippines is one of the eight countries represented to bring local products to the global market through a digital platform.
Gaston, who also chairs the Association of Negros Producers (ANP), said the organization was invited to participate through its business support organization (BSO) network, especially CFIP and Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF).
“As entrepreneurs, we must learn to navigate and take advantage of new digital tools and platforms available to us,” she said, adding that their participation is supported by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Tourism Promotions Board.
The organizer, in the event's official Facebook page, described Hacienda Crafts as an envirosocial design company that sustainably creates lamps and lighting, tabletop, accent furniture and home decoration, and elevates indigenous natural materials, traditional skills and communities.
It said Hacienda Crafts’ mission is to transform lives by transcending boundaries at its core.
“The company achieves this through designing for a contemporary lifestyle, incorporating traditional craft materials and techniques as a community based manufacturer,” it said, adding that “mostly women are the ones who weave these crafts at home, providing a second income for their family.”
For Gaston, the event being an Asean show provides them with greater opportunities to sell to other markets. There is also an opportunity to learn from others through the conferences.
As an exhibitor herself, Gaston said “it is important for us to tell our brand story so that potential buyers can interact with us directly.”
“We also have to participate so that we become part of the database for buyers to find our products and companies online,” she added.
The ANP official stressed that competition is fierce and it is important to capacitate themselves by learning how to be part of virtual events and promoting their products to the global market.
Gaston said each of the companies has supply chains that will benefit from every order. “This is how we support development and sustainability,” she said.
With the prevailing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic also affecting MSMEs across the globe, the Negrense producer said it is about learning how to do business in the "new normal."
“Virtual shows are going to take the place of physical shows. Eventually, there will be hybrid shows -- physical and virtual -- when things get better,” Gaston said.
Virtual boots of Hacienda Crafts Company and other participating Negrense MSMEs can be visited until March 18 by signing up on https://aiffs.vx-events.com for free visitor pass.