Welcome 2015! This is another year – a year of new challenges and mountains to climb.

For event managers like me, we are pretty excited to create, produce and manage events.

Just this morning, a student interviewed me and asked me if event management is an easy job. I told her my principle in life, “all jobs are difficult, but a job that you love doing becomes easy.”

So here are my 5 New Year’s resolutions as an event manager.

 1.    Attend more International Events

Attending international events expose me to different ideas and allow me to discover the latest trends abroad that I can apply in my own events.

 2.    Guide and Train my Event Partners

No man is an island and this holds true in events management. I have a lot of young staff under me that I consider partners in making an event successful. I will train them harder this year and create curriculums that will suit their individual needs. The more they become successful, the more I become successful. Training is the key.

 3.    Serve my loyal clients more

Loyal clients contribute to 80% of our income and growth. I will give them the utmost care and create packages that will give them more value to their money. I will always wanted them to say to us, “Exlinkevents gives value to our investment.”

4.    Create Trailblazing Events

Exlinkevents is known for creating pioneering events like Parking Conference and Expo, Loyalty Conference and Expo, Telemarketing Conference, Big Data Conference and a lot more.

We will create more of these events this year just wait and see.

5.    Learn, Unlearn and Relearn

In an industry that is in a constant flux, we cannot relax so this year I am scheduled to enroll and learn different disciplines that will help me become a better leader and event manager.

As I have learned recently, “It Never Gets Easy You Just Get Better.”

Happy New Year Event Managers!

We always know that chaos works in an orderly manner. However, it is not that simple, it is up to us in finding that order. It is up to us in creating the order. It is up to us in accepting the order that we created. It is up to us in achieving a productive result in the order.

Lastly, we cannot create an organized chaos if we are too emotional about it. Organized chaos is based on intelligent and scientific approach. 

Event Management is chaos. It is up to us how to make it as an organized chaos.

The year is about to end. Although there are still few days before December bid farewell, I cannot help but recollect the superfast year that swooped my way.

Being an event organizer, the life that I fully accepted as my destiny, I am amazed as to how life is a blur albeit full of enriching adventures and learnings.

Breakthroughs this year:

Continuous Success:

Magic Zones

Magic zone is like being in the zone as a basketball player. In particular, I am talking about projects that cannot be revealed as of the moment, increased number of leaders in the organization, and a burgeoning industry.

But life is not that easy. There are a lot of trials along the way and for me these trials are the secret sauce for the success you reap.

Event management in the Philippines in particular Business Events Management has a long way to go and for now I feel our group has the razor sharp edge to move forward and lead the pack in this niche that we created.

Insatiable Appetite for Event Management Challenge

This is the key I guess, to be on your toes and to never be relaxed event success after success comes your way. In addition, always dedicate and create projects that will have impact your country and the society.

The learning curve is still big and the room to fill bigger but for now THANKFULLNESS is the word that occupies my heart – you cannot helped but be thankful upon realizing that event management is you and you are the event management.

Zen occurs like watching the lotus in the still water.

The process rolls and events manager do what was expected by client A. However at the end of the day, client A was not happy. At the same time, you as an event manager felt something is not right.

These situations take place because of the conflict between “what was expected and what was needed”.

Sometimes, the client does not know what he needs. In these types of clients, the event manager must act as a consultant; he must try to uncover the needs of the client before the event takes place.

It is easy to say but hard to do in uncovering the needs of the client. However, we as event manager have no choice if we want to satisfy the client and help his organization make the most out of the event.

Again, the expectations are sometimes different from what are needed. The key in uncovering is to probe the client and bring out these needs.

Exlinkevents CMO bags two recognition awards in the recent Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) first monthly meetings held last January 30, 2012 at Tower Club, Paseo De Roxas, Makati City.

Michelle De Ocampo Ballesteros, Chief Marketing Officer, Exlinkevents was recognized for having PERFECT ATTENDANCE and PROFITABLE PROJECT. The Perfect Attendance Award is given to PMA members who have complete attendance in all PMA monthly meetings and activities. On the other hand, Profitable Project is given to members who have contributed net profits to the organization.

Last year, the Asiannovation Exhibition in Glorietta contributed a huge profit to PMA. Mitch Ballesteros and Exlinkevents helped PMA market and manage the particular project.

Exlinkevents under the leadership of Mitch Ballesteros is a consistent PMA member awardee and active in helping PMA forward its goals and objectives as an association.

Exlinkevents also helped in the marketing of Asiannovation Conference last year – an event that is very successful and one of the best conferences in the country.

Other awards given by PMA in the past years to Exlinkevents and Michelle Ballesteros are Haligi Awards, and Presidential Awards.

Michelle Ballesteros is active contributor in PMA’s Monthly General Meetings, Agora Awards, National Marketing Conference and other related activities. She was also a past board of directors of the association.

The Philippine Marketing Association is one of the oldest associations in the country. It is the leading marketing association in the country and contributed so much in the development and progress of the marketing industry.

On the other hand, Exlinkevents is one of the leading professional exhibition and congress organizer in the country (PEO and PCO). It organizes and manages an average of 20 to 30 events a year. Among the bigger exhibition events it organizes are MegaBalikbayan OFW Expo - now on its 10^th year, and International Beauty, Health and Wellness Expo (IBHWEX). As for conferences, last year it staged the first Loyalty and Rewards Conference – a very successful conference for retailers, banks and finance companies.

This year Exlinkevents is staging another ground breaking conferences: the Telemarketers Summit and Data Conference. The Telemarketers Summit is the first conference that aims to improve and increase the productivity of telemarketers of the companies. Data Conference is a conference aim at providing companies the right tools on how to read data and help them in making correct decisions.

Exlinkevents is also an active member of the Tourism Congress, PACEOS, PMAP, MAP, ASAP and PCCI.

These affiliations allow Exlinkevents to be an effective event management company in the Philippines. The affiliations also allow Exlinkevents to partner with other event management companies in the country and, most especially, in international arena. 

7. A New Dawn for an Important Industry - Advertising and Event Suppliers Conference and Expo

As one of the officers of Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines (ASAP), I am happy to be the leading proponent to have an event that will combine the suppliers and clients in a conference that will enlighten the suppliers of the industry. It is a first time for the association. The event generated a lot of positive results. This is enough for me to be thankful and be humbled from the experience.

8. A Start of a Mission - MICE 101

Again, I am a serial starter. In the Philippine Association of Convention, Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS) which I am also a board of director, I spearheaded MICE 101 an idea to educate future MICE players. There are no seminars for this industry in the country and this was the first. Again, the results are outstanding. My smile is wide that it reaches both ends of my ears. MICE stand for Meetings, Incentive Travel, Convention and Exhibition - we aim to claim our lost spot in Asia in this industry.

9. A Fruitful Meeting and Trip – Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan

Meet the Palawan Tourism Office – check. Forge partnership – check. Visit the Crocodile Farm and eat crocodile meat – check. Visit the Underground River – check. Eat Vietnamese food with the local twist – check. Honda Bay – check. All I can say is that I will be back in Palawan since I left my heart there.

10. A Challenge, a Fun Wrapped into One – Being Appointed as Head of the Ad Congress 2013 Trade Exhibition

I love Ad Congress. This is one of the best events in the country. This is one of the best events to learn. To be given responsibility to head a critical area. Boy oh boy that is more fun. My competitive juice is up. I am looking forward to meet the expectations of the Executive Committee and the people who believed in me this Ad Congress 2013.

11. A Confirmation – Published in PANA’s Ad Edge Magazine

One blog article I wrote got the people behind Ad Edge interested. This leads to a communication and the rest is history. Although there is an honorarium that goes along with it but I remember my feelings when one of my poems got published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Honorarium does not matter what matter is that special feeling of getting acknowledged for your hard and excellent work.

12. An Event to Say Thank You - FBW Meet-up

I call this a landmark achievement of being able to convince the FBW Family to have an event inside one of our events. The reason is simple online friends need to meet offline. This group is a family for me. Seriously, to see in person the people I engage daily online is another experience that makes you smile on life’s simple pleasure.

I wanted to add other things that makes this year awesome but I think just to recount these 12 things is sufficient enough to say that blessings overflowed this year in my path in the events management industry. I am looking forward to claiming what is in store for me this coming years – ooh I can’t wait.

The year 2012 is about to end but holy cow this year is full of breakthroughs and milestones that I do not want to let it go. But I do not have the power to do it. So I am just sharing my awesome 12 reasons for calling this year a great year.

1.    Welcome to the Land Down Under - Melbourne, Australia

The opportunity to visit and do business in the land down under is one of blessings that I am so thankful.  Being inside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center and enjoying the sun outside its nearby park with my wife is definitely special. I hope to be back again in this city.

2.    Rich Culture  - Manado, Indonesia

The place is very much Davao or other Philippine provinces. However, the place distinct personality is the Christian churches which are 5 meters to 10 meters away from each other. The Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch colonizing the place has something to do with it.

I talked to some locals and they are very into the cockfighting. Some say they badly wanted to buy from the Philippines because they heard we have better breeds of cocks. Notable during this trip with ATF, the It's More Fun in the Philippines Campaign Video was first launched here.

3.    Nine Years and Growing - MegaBalikbayan OFW Expo

This event has grown by leaps and bounds. This year it was able to attract Indian exhibitors. This year it was able to increase target market for its exhibitors. This year there are a lot of new things that was accomplished in the event. I am mighty proud how this brand grew robust this year.

4.    An Idea Whose Time Has Come - Loyalty Conference

This is a ground breaking event for Exlinkevents. This is my baby! The strong attendance and the positive feedbacks from the delegates are an indication that Loyalty and Rewards Program is a concept whose time has come in the country. Exlinkevents spearheading the growth of the industry in the country is something that I am proud of.

5.    Jaw Dropping Beauty - Anawangin Cove, Zambales

Exlinkers had a great time in visiting this paradise. A virgin place where groups like Exlinkevents can bond and enjoy summer. Definitely, two thumbs-up for being able to be in this place.

6.    Only the Brave and the Bold - Calaguas Island, Daet, Camarines Norte

I never know what to expect from this place but experiencing its powerful waves and powdery sand is like winning a sweepstakes. I can die smiling that is how this experience affected me - a memorable adventure with the Exlinkers this December. Plus, we are the only group that used this cove for one day. Wow experience indeed:)