The opening day of the 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo is going to be big as the ASEAN MSME Business Forum will be held on the first day of the Expo. Witness movers and shakers in the business as they talk about relevant topics that are connected to the incoming ASEAN economic transition.

Mr. Ricky Alegre from BusinessMirror will define the role of the media in the preparation to the ASEAN Economic community and Mr. Willy Arcilla of the Wong+Bernstein Advisory Group will ask us if we are ready for it. On the larger financial side, Mr. Benjie Oliva from the Philippine National Bank will discuss the state of the remittance industry in the time of ASEAN integration.

On the local SME side, DTI-NCRO3 Chief Ms. Elma Viray will talk about the benefits of Negosyo Centers and why businesses need to connect to it, and the Landbank of the Philippines will discuss the connection between SMEs, the financial institutions and the inclusive growth that is the buzzword for today's changing economy.

The ASEAN MSME Business Forum will take place at the seminar room of the 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo inside SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 1 from 1pm to 5pm. For information on how to join, text 0920 924 2532 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com. Seats are under a first-come, first-serve basis.

This forum is made possible with the Philippine Marketing Association, and is organized by Ex-Link Events and SM Megamall Megatrade Hall. For information on Ex-Link Events, please call 633 0153, 643 3887 or email info@exlinkevents.com

We have a special announcement for people seeking to improve their workplace - we will be having Business Consultant, Coach, RBG Philippines CEO and High Impact Trainer Mr. Raymond Lim to talk about "Harnessing the Human Capital of your Organization: 7 Proven Strategies to Double your Revenue and Triple your Profits" at the first day of the 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo this August 26, 2016 from 11:00am to 12:00nn.

Mr. Lim leads the Money Making Muscles series of seminars, in which he has been through parts of the country to teach people how to be their best when it comes to investing. He has been featured on ANC and the Philippine Daily Inquirer as well.


Don't miss this chance - text 0920 924 2532 to pre-register. Seats are in a first-come, first-serve basis. This is made possible with RBG Philippines.

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The 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo is organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation. For partnerships, call 633-0153, SMS 0920 981 4376 / 0920 924 2532 or email info@exlinkevents.com. Follow Ex-Link Events on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The country's economy is changing as time goes by, and all of a sudden, we'll be part of a bigger economic community in the next few years. Unlike before, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) will now have to compete in a much larger market which also involves neighboring countries.

To get ahead of the rest, you must equip yourself with knowledge in new trends going around the MSME industry, and if there's one place that we recommend you to do that, it's the Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo.

The Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo (PBEX) is an event that is part of our conscious effort in cultivating and nurturing the MSME Industry. This three-day event gathers a lot of visitors, and has been running for six years and counting.

This year’s event highlights various conferences that cater to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise industry. On the first day, the ASEAN MSME Business Forum will gather key resource speakers from parts of the ASEAN region to discuss ideas to help MSMEs expand to the region.
The Business Sustainability and Resiliency Seminar will take place on the second day, covering topics related to business preparedness and how to mitigate possible business troubles. On the last day, the MSME Success Forum will gather business owners and businesses for a day of knowledge- and idea-sharing.

Aside from the conferences, there will be a Business-to-Business (B2B) meetup on the first day and exhibits from different business throughout the whole expo.

If you’re in for three days of fun activities, come join the 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs’ Expo at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 1 in Mandaluyong this August 26 to 28. Admission is FREE, and you can register online at http://www.philippinebusinessentrepreneursexpo.com to avoid queuing and receive updates.

For more information, visit the Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo on Facebook, call 633-0153, SMS 0920 924 2532 / 0920 981 4376 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com.

The last two weeks showed us that the new government is results-oriented, and what more good example of this is the recent developments in the Agriculture Department (DA):

• Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol urged everyone to ensure implementation of programs to ensure rice sufficiency in the country,
• The National Irrigation Administration, the National Food Authority and the Philippine Coconut Authority are under the DA again,
• The secretary himself vows to focus on food production, which is the raison d'etre (reason of existence) of the department.
• Piñol also said that he plans to adopt the best practices of farmers in rice self-sufficient regions, and asks for updated soil data which has been used for four decades.

It is reported that the Philippines has the second-highest in Asia when it comes to electricity rates, just next to Japan. The high cost of electricity is a problem that is to be tackled by the Department of Energy under the new administration. Meanwhile, a 2014 ADB report puts the country next to Indonesia in the places with high water tariffs.

What does this mean for us, especially those in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise industry? High cost of utilities caused by high demand and low supply means that we have to build more sources of energy or basins of water to supply the needs of the public.

Building more sources of water and energy will require money, land and human resources. There are other sources that are active, such as water treatment facilities and wind power plants, but these won't be enough as there will be more people in the future. There's a reason why some people are more happy to invest in companies related to utilities, as it is expected that these companies will build more sources of utilities.

Of course, these things will not just be the government's responsibility alone - we have a part on this. If we know the value of these utilities, we will then take care of it, especially in a country where it is a bit pricey. If the MSMEs have their own measures to conserve water and energy, the better.

Utilities are so valuable - just a blackout or a water or phone interruption will hamper sales and the delivery of services, and if you know the value of something, you will use it wisely.

There are lots of ideas and concepts on doing business in the Philippines and more at the 7th Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo this August 26 to 28 at the SM Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City. You can talk with fellow entrepreneurs, or just observe and gain knowledge to polish your business and expand it further.


This event is organized by business event organizer Ex-Link Management & Marketing Services Corporation. For inquiries and partnerships, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-3887 or email info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Today is a public holiday, as declared by the Philippine government, in observance of the Feast of Ramadan or Eid'l Fitr. Eid'l Fitr is celebrated by the Islamic faith three days after the end of the month of their fasting (Ramadan).

Speaking of the Islamic faith, they are the second largest population in the country, with 94% of them living in the southern part of the Philippines, especially in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) region, according to the data of the Philippine Statistics Authority (then called the National Statistics Office).

Imagine that you are in the food service industry and you want to cater to people of various cultures, including the Islamic faith. You will then research about their dietary laws, and why they do what they do. This is what you've found:

• They don't eat swine (pork) meat
• They don't eat meat of animals that has felt pain before being slaughtered, or has died of themselves
• They don't eat blood (thus they have a method of slaughtering that is based on their Quran called Dhabīḥah)
• They don't eat meat dedicated to other than Allah (God in Arabic)
• They don't drink alcoholic beverages
• They have a certification called "Halal," where the produce has been processed with the Islamic demographic in mind making it safe to eat by their standards.

After knowing this, you start to ask your friends who are Muslims what to do next so that you can cater to them. If your business caters to a wide variety of cultures, not just Islam, you will take consideration of the processes they do and the rules that they follow. Having a product or service that caters to, and respect different cultures is appreciated by your target market, so better think about the possibilities.

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There are lots of ideas and concepts on doing business in the Philippines at the 7th Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo this August 26 to 28 at the SM Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City. You can talk with fellow entrepreneurs, or just observe and gain knowledge to polish your business and expand it further.


This event is organized by business event organizer Ex-Link Management & Marketing Services Corporation. For inquiries and partnerships, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-3887 or email info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We've referred to earlier reports from the Philippine Statistics Authority on the tourism industry's contribution to the country's gross domestic product, which we can consider as well as the income generated by the country through its manpower.

This video gets in the details of Tourism Industry's "Big Chunk" that it has contributed to the growth of the country's income last year, and this is a must-see for those who want to take a step in the business of tourism.


There are lots of ideas and concepts on doing business in the Philippines at the 7th Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo this August 26 to 28 at the SM Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City. You can talk with fellow entrepreneurs, or just observe and gain knowledge to polish your business and expand it further.


This event is organized by business event organizer Ex-Link Management & Marketing Services Corporation. For inquiries and partnerships, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-3887 or email info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

There's this saying that "Nothing is certain but death and taxes." Speaking of taxes, it is the one of the most grueling things that businesses worry about. Yes, we have to pay our taxes - it's our obligation after all - but with all the processes businessmen need to do, they often come out worried or frustrated.

There has been a need to amend and simplify the country's current tax system further, especially for Micro, Small and Medium enterprises, in order to raise the country's economic status further. Easing up the tax payment process means that valuable resources - time, money and manpower - are spent well. The extra time that businesses will save from the amends will then be used for future projects and activities that are valuable to them.

To be fair, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has done measures to modernize the tax system, by doing the processing via the eBIR Forms that can be done at the companies' offices; but there is a lot to do to definitely improve it. Digitizing the process is one step, simplifying it is another.

There are individuals and organizations that are helping MSMEs to make full use of the current tax system, but that's not enough. There are high hopes that the next administration will be doing its best in answering to the needs of the MSME industry, and every business in the country are hoping for the same change.

There are lots of ideas and concepts on doing business in the Philippines at the 7th Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo this August 26 to 28 at the SM Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City. You can talk with fellow entrepreneurs, or just observe and gain knowledge to polish your business and expand it further.


This event is organized by business event organizer Ex-Link Management & Marketing Services Corporation. For inquiries and partnerships, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-3887 or email info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Every business is supported by its customers, and the hunt for the next customer is a challenge for promising businessmen in order to thrive and survive. Luckily, there are expositions and trade fairs that opens their windows to them.

Getting even a small space inside will bring you big opportunities as you will be able to observe how your business or brand fare well with your fellows. There are two things you need to consider: Exposure, and Experience.

Event managers such as Ex-Link Events come up with new concepts for events to gather a specific market. Almost every month, there's a different event for each specific audience, and once the audience comes to an event and gets to your booth, that's Exposure.

Now, as the business, you want to turn that Exposure into good use, so you will think of a concept that will provide a great Experience to those who can see your booth. If your plan is efficient and the exposure is fully utilized, then the audience won't be spectators anymore - they are now your customers, and your leads.

Now that you have learned these two Es that you need to consider, you are on your way to book a booth for an event.

While you are thinking about your eye-catching concept, you might want to consider booking for the 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo this August at the SM Megatrade Hall. The PBEX's attendees will be looking forward to owning their own business, and if you are seeking to spread out, this is your chance!


If you want to know more about doing business in the Philippines, come to the 7th Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo this August 26 to 28 at the SM Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City.

This event is organized by business event organizer Ex-Link Management & Marketing Services Corporation. For inquiries and partnerships, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-3887 or email info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.