Watch out!

Yes! This is how I feel during the general meeting yesterday, May 30 at PICC of the Philippine Association of Conventions,Exhibitions,Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS) which EXLINK is part of.

The speaker from PICC is a great speaker with a deep emotion and belief that our country can regain the lost honor that we have when we started the MICE industry in Asia-Pacific.

Yes, we are, as most other industries, the pioneer of exhibitions in Asia-Pacific and then because of politics has gone to the wayside.

But globalization forces us to team-up as a nation, as one strong team of Philippine MICE.

For those who would like to know more, the Philippine MICE Forum is on August 14-15,2008, at Sofitel. International speakers of the events and exhibitions industries will be there.

See you there!

I am posting the Young Entrepreneur Congress (YEC) Seminar Sked. The event will take place this coming June 23-26, 2008.

The event aims to serve the graduating marketing, business management and entrepreneurship students of different schools in the Metro.

However, during the past schools from the provinces was able to send their students in the event.

The event has four general topics: Leadership, Sales and Marketing, Technology for Business and Finance.

At first glance, these topics might be boring but wait! The speakers are great and the knowledge they will share are a product of their success stories using their tricks of the trade, taking this into account, what you will get from the event is PRICELESS for you as a budding entrepreneur.

Hey for those who are reading this blog, I will be around and just tell the secretariat that you have read this blog and I have instructed them to give something for you, a token of appreciation for giving your time and attention.

So see you there!

My hats off to the Salt and Light and Inspire Consultancy for creating an event such as the John Maxwell Conference this coming June 10 at Edsa Shangrila.

The last time I heard the main venue already is overflowing so they have to get a new room to accomodate those last minute participants. And I am talking about the Edsa Shang venue.

Anyway, what I like to give focus is the simultaneous livecast in other 9 different venues all over the Philippines of this great event.

The power of technology to give a particular event an effect as big as this magnitude is radically awesome.

So what's next for an event to accomplish is mind boggling.

Technology and the Filipino Creativity...endless possibilities.

The Philippine Marketing Association President Mr. Alex Flores will speak in the upcoming FIL-NEGOSYO Expo, June 20-29, 2008, Megatrade, SM Megamall.

He will talk on "Micro Business Best Practices to Ensure Your Way to the Top", June 28,2008.

Together with Mr. Flores are other top and successful resource speakers that will give FREE BUSINESS SEMINARS to the public on how to make their business successful.

For a complete line-up of the program, email: info_exlink@yahoo.com or call 643-3887.

I was in a meeting yesterday, we met with one of the pillars of the tradeshow and exhibition industry. We are negotiating for the booth price. The meeting was held in his office.

When the meeting started it was clear that the price will be the dealmaker.

As we gave our reasons why the price should be lowered, our counterpart did one of the best and smooth way to handle our request. He concentrated on the value of their services versus the competition. He enumerated the benefits that we will be getting out of tapping their services.

He compared his company and services to a Honda car while the nearest competitor that is bidding our account a Kia car. He explained it in a very smooth and convincing way.

In the end, he won our account.

Most of the times, as sales and marketing professional who are pressured to convince our clients, we are stalled when they focus on the price. We encounter difficulties in persuading them not to focus on the price per se but on the totality of our services.

But as to what I experienced yesterday, we must never give-up but persevere to explain and show the values of our services, the more when what we say is true.

Because an excellent service or product really has a higher price compared to a mediocre one, which in the end can give bigger benefits to our clients.

So next time, remember the Honda and Kia story of value and price.