Trade shows still drawing buyers

The nation’s premier exhibit design was a huge success, judging by the number of visitors and buyers that trooped to the show. Based on a report, around 2,000 buyers from all around the world visited the show held at SMX Convention Center. The event was held from October 16-19. This year the emphasis was on eco-tourism via new, specialized zone called as ‘BIO-Search Philippines’ that showcased not only the retirement villages in the country but also the product innovations for health and wellness. Again abaca materials and abaca materials were the center of the show, crafted into many unique functional materials and the use of recycled papers also took attention.

The one article that I read indicated that as with other FAME shows, some form of underground tensions are available and discernible on the floor, as competing participants take pictures of the designs of the other. Well I should know. I was fortunate enough to be involved in one FAME, in 1995 I think when I was still in highschool. It was the same CITEM sponsored at PTTC-World Trade Center. My friend was manning our display, and I end up cjecking out the displays and the designs of the other exhibitors. And I was not the only one doing that, as other competitors also lounge around, checking designs and getting hints from these designs. Foreigners, snapping pictures of Philippine designs so there is indeed a lot of movement on the floor during these design shows. Everyone wants to have a piece of the perfect star on the floor. I missed that experience now. At the end of that show, a manufacturer of porcelain exchanged goods with us, they gave us small and cute-looking flower pots while we gave away our abaca placemats and agas placemats.

Falling abaca handicrafts sector in Albay

My professor said this two weeks ago, and I can say that indeed the abaca handicrafts sector is falling. I mean this has fallen greatly. The usual measures of popularity and profitability are usually seen during this time of the year. It’s supposed to be the orders time at the start of the September months for abaca handicrafts’ goods and seagrass handicrafts’ goods like bancuan bags and seagrass or agas placemats. Orders are peaking up and competing contractors should be competing for workers and prices right now. Others are scouting materials like bancuan leaves are being done as this time. But right now, we don’t see this coming. The grass-root and small enterprises in this area are down and it would be a sad Christmas. It’s time for this sector to re-invent seagrass handicrafts and abaca handicrafts.