Social Media is already at its peak in the country – according to data from the recent data from consultancy firm We Are Social, the Philippines is the world’s No. 1 in terms of time spent on social media. If your business is still not hopping in the bandwagon, here’s your chance.

This July, the 8th Philippine Business and Entrepreneur's Expo has invited social media professionals to share with you the basics of how to use Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Blogging as a way to communicate your business to everyone.

On the #SocialMedia for Business Seminar (to be held on Saturday, July 29), we are featuring The City Roamer’s Alwin Aguirre, The Reimaru Files’ Chad Ramos, Encyclopevia’s Via Galang and Social Media Influencer Christian Melanie Lee as they share their experience and expertise in the fields of Blogging, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook and to give you tips on how each platform can help you boost your business.

The 8th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo will be held at the Megatrade Hall 1 of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City this July 28 to 30, Friday to Sunday. We are open for exhibitors to showcase their products and services - get in touch with Ex-Link at (+63 2) 633-0153, 643-3887 or 535-1150; SMS (+63) 920 981 4376 or (+63) 920 924 2532; email info@exlinkevents.com or message us on Facebook @exlinkevents. Program lineup subject to change without prior notice.

This July, Ex-Link Events proudly presents the 8th year of the Philippine Business and Entrepreneur's Expo, featuring not just one but six main activities during the three-day event which aims to help Small and Medium enterprises.

First up on Day 1 (Friday, July 28) is the Marketing Pitch Competition, wherein students from all over the metro are invited to pitch their ideas, products or services to see which is the best among them all. (For inquiries on the Marketing Pitch Competition, email jay.agonoy@exlinkevents.com.) This is followed by the B2B Meet-up which aims to help businesses get new contacts and close new deals.

On the second day (Saturday, July 29) is the Social Media for Business seminar featuring key resource speakers on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Blogging as they share how these tools can help in your business. This is followed by the awarding of the Ten Best Mompreneurs in the community.

The last day is not without a bang as entrepreneurs and consultants from various industries share their knowledge, expertise and experience at the Entrep Success Forum, followed by the recognition of PBEX's SME Idols for 2017.

The 8th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo will be held at the Megatrade Hall 1 of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City this July 28 to 30, Friday to Sunday. We are open for exhibitors to showcase their products and services - get in touch with Ex-Link at (+63 2) 633-0153, 643-3887 or 535-1150; SMS (+63) 920 981 4376 or (+63) 920 924 2532; email info@exlinkevents.com or message us on Facebook @exlinkevents. Program lineup subject to change without prior notice.

The last weekend of July will be a productive one as Ex-Link Events brings you the 8th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo, featuring various activities for every aspiring and continuing entrepreneur each day:

Day 1 (Friday)

• Marketing Pitch Competition - The hunt is on for the best marketing plan across schools in Metro Manila.
• B2B Meetup - Meet with fellow entrepreneurs and close deals in person in this quick business networking session.

• Social Media for Business seminar - Learn how you can use social media to boost your business.
• Ten Best Mompreneurs - The search is on for the ten best mompreneurs all over the metro who inspire and nurture their businesses, family and society.

• Entrep Success Forum - Learn the best tools and know inspiring stories from entrepreneurs and key resource speakers.
• SME Idols 2017 - Witness as we give tribute to the people who exemplify the SME spirit.

The 8th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo will be held at the Megatrade Hall 1 of SM Megamall this July 28 to 30, 2017, Friday to Saturday. Booths are open for all interested exhibitors - call Ex-Link at (+63 2) 633-0153, 643-3887, +0920 981 4376 or +63 920 924 2532. You can also email info@exlinkevents.com to know more about PBEX 2017.

The Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo is your one-stop destination for ideas, concepts and business opportunities, serving Small and Medium Enterprises for 7 years and counting.

Last year's event at the Megatrade Hall 1 is a success, being featured in various media and is supported by organizations and schools around the metro.


The PBEX is now on its 8th year and is open for small, medium and large business alike. Get in touch with your potential customers/clients at one of the most accesible trade venues in the metro, the Megatrade Hall!

Call Ex-Link at (02) 633-0153, 643-3887, SMS 0920-981-4376 or 0920-924-2532, or email info@exlinkevents.com for more info. 

We're always told, "Think outside of the box." This is important especially in business, where trends change, and so are the customers' choices. You're in the heyday of your business, and you have customers, but will the customers you have now be enough for you to sustain your business in the long run?

Don't be fixated in one place

When investing on a business, make sure you're not putting everything in one basket. Putting your business in one place is not enough, and here's why:

• Not every store has its set of regular visitors.
• Not every store's offerings will have the same set of patrons
• Not every store survive being fixated in one place.

Why your business needs to be seen outside of your store and inside an expo?

Take for example our upcoming Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo slated for July. The PBEX last year was fruitful for the exhibitors and visitors, and it has been featured in business-oriented programs on TV:


Ex-Link has managed a lot of Expos for the past 15 years, and this year, we'll be having the 8th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs Expo this July 28 to 30 at the SM Megatrade Hall 1. Both of these events are expected to have a total of 5,000 visitors (based on foot traffic) for the three days of each event, so get your business here now!

Call Ex-Link at (02) 633-0153, 643-3887, SMS 0920-981-4376 or 0920-924-2532, or email info@exlinkevents.com for more info. Take note that we can also arrange for your business to be in other events, so get in touch with us now!

The 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo (7th PBEX) was held August 26 to 28 at the Megatrade Hall 1 inside SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

If you missed the event, don't worry, we have the highlights here!

The 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 1 has just finished its run last weekend. Aside from the exhibit, the 7th PBEX is filled  and here are the five takeaways from the event's conferences.

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.

Just last weekend, a tornado appeared in Manila out of nowhere, swinging objects surrounding it. The residents never knew that a tornado will pass through their area - what everybody know is the strong rains that have occurred in the early mornings of the weekend.

In these times, we don't know where calamities will appear - they may come while we sleep. This is the same with local businesses - go unprepared and be ready to fail fast. Let your business stay as a straw house and it will be blown away by the big bad wolf of changing times, trends and upgrades. This is why your business should be as free-flowing as a bamboo - even if it's a type of grass, it sways left and right, it's not bothered by the wind, and it's a very useful resource then and now.

Good thing we have the Business Sustainability and Resiliency Seminar this August 27. This features discussions on how to make your business sustainable from various resource speakers who are knowledgeable in their fields of work. From business coaching, to holistic approaches and to financial literacy, this seminar has got you covered.

If you don't want to let your business stay as a straw house, come to the Business Sustainability and Resiliency Seminar and get some bricks of wisdom to strengthen your business.

The Business Sustainability and Resiliency Seminar will be held at the Megatrade Hall 1, 5th Floor, Mega B of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. This is part of the 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo. Follow the 7th PBEX on Facebook for updates. Want to visit the expo? Register for free! Interested in the Seminar? Register below!


This event 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 MSME Success Forum, an activity of the 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo, will be held on Sunday, August 28, at the Megatrade Hall 1 of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. Please take note that the event's program is subject to change without prior notice. Find us on Facebook to know how to be part of the Forum.

More surprises are in store at the 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo this August 26 to 28 at the SM Megatrade Hall 1 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.

Way back the old times, Cebuana Lhuillier is simply known as a pawnshop; but the times have changed and they now offer more than just the usual pawning-lending services. They offer remittance services, e-loading and bills payment and micro-insurance services as well. The pawnshop's innovations has made them a leader in their field.


See Cebuana Lhuillier's financial services for businesses and individuals up close plus more surprises at the 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo this August 26 to 28 at the SM Megatrade Hall 1 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.

Driver's license validity is to be lengthened up to 5 years. Passport validity to be lengthened up to 10 years. Processing is to be done online to decrease queues. Commitments in processing of documents will be delivered at a set time and date.

These are the things that President Rodrigo Duterte opened to the 17th Congress at the 2016 State of the Nation Address last Monday, and while there are some things that are not mentioned, what supposed to be a 30-minute speech went up to 100 minutes - and yet, we can say that it is mesmerizing.

President Duterte pointed out problems one at a time, and then proposed a solution. One of them is the establishment of the 8888 anti-corruption hotline, which will be connected to the Executive branch. This will complement the signed Freedom of Information executive order that he signed.

To sum his statement on the 8888 hotline, he made it clear that when he hears something wrong within his scope (Executive branch), "even a whisper," he'll take charge, go visit the person involved and ask why. "[...] hiwalay-hiwalay na tayo [...]," as he says it, should deter those who will try to do so.

The relation, or perhaps the benefit, of the 8888 hotline is that it is set up to help streamline the process of documents and to mitigate red tape that has been hampering the development of most Filipinos, including in the MSME industry. Once the hotline is set up in the succeeding weeks, we'll see how things will work - for the better, we really hope.

Today marks the opening of the 17th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines, and as stated in the constitution, the Congress will open with a State of the Nation Address led by the president of the republic. This year, the State of the Nation Address will be done by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, dubbed as the first president elected from the Mindanao region.

Last week, we did a quick survey among our peers on what are the 10 things that we would like to hear in President Duterte's first SONA:

1. No tax for employees earning below ₱25,000 - so that employees will have less burden budgeting their monthly allowances.
2. Increase in SSS Pension benefits - senior citizens depend on pension more to sustain themselves.
3. Make food prices affordable and accessible - more food bought for a set budget means more nourished families.
4. Ease transportation - less time spent on traffic means more time to spend on being productive
5. Increase and unify the minimum wage - so that businesses won't need to adjust wages if they are going to branch out to multiple locations across the country.
6. Abolish contractualization - secured jobs mean secured futures.
7. Improved healthcare services - If everyone can benefit from the government's healthcare services, the better.
8. Ease of doing government transactions - reducing the days alloted to business registration saves time, money and sweat.
9. Telecommunications infrastructure - faster connections mean faster processing of transactions.

The Internet of Things (IoT). Drones. Web 3.0. Startups. These are some of the buzzwords that describe how technology has helped (and for those who are wary of it, taken over) society as we know it. Just imagine your business integrating with the latest technology:

• You can make full use of drones to show your store's facade
• You can develop applications that will also serve as your virtual store
• Your website can have the best-pleasing design and yet still serve customers
• You can describe yourself as a startup

Simply taking your business online is one step of integrating the latest technologies into it. Imagine the number of debit card holders who does their transactions online now from those in the next five to ten years. Imagine how many people are using mobile phones now, and how many of them have set up their virtual debit cards; or has their coupons inside it. We are merely estimating that a few utilize these new technologies, and we can predict that in that time frame it will reach to a quarter or third of the populace.

This is just a nutshell in a plethora of reasons why businesses should enhance themselves using technology, and there will be more reasons in the future. Let's use the available resources that we can use now and play with it, for it will sure help us one way or another for the next wave of technologies.

In preparation for the 7th Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo which will be held at the SM Megatrade Hall this August 26 to 28, we are giving away a vacation package at the "My Idea" online contest, and it's easy to join! Just follow the Rafflecopter widget below, and you're all set!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our criteria in determining the winner are based on:

• Number of likes (25%),
• Number of shares (50%), and
• The answer itself (50%)

The points added by completing the tasks in the Rafflecopter widget will be then added, as follows:

• 1 to 6 points = 80%
• 7 to 11 points - 85%
• 12 to 14 points = 95%

The average percentage of the two scores will be totaled, and the top 5 finalists will be called to show up at the third day of the 7th PBEX on August 28 and will receive goodies.

This promotion will run until August 14, 2016.


The 7th Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo will happen 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.

It's more than a month away before the 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo, and we have updates for everyone about this annual event.

First up, we are on Eventbrite, which means that you can check up on our events and even register your visit online to avoid the hassle of staying in the line for a long time. The three PBEX 2016 conferences are live on Eventbrite, and you can also register your visit on this page.

ASEAN MSME Business Summit 2016 (August 26, Friday)

Discuss the latest trends and best practices for the MSMEs in the ASEAN region

The ASEAN MSME Business Summit aims to bring together key resource speakers from various parts of the ASEAN region to give insights to the Filipino MSME community in time for the country's transition to the ASEAN Economic Community.

Among our key resource speakers is from Vietnam, who will talk about the opportunities in Trade and Investment in the said country. Take note, Vietnam is dubbed as an "emerging market standout" by Bloomberg, an that is a great opportunity for those who would like to expand their businesses internationally. We'll be providing more information in the next few weeks.

Business Readiness & Disaster Preparedness Summit 2016 (August 27, Saturday)

Prepare your business for possible incoming financial or natural disasters

The Business Readiness and Disaster Preparedness Summit aims to bring together key resource speakers to provide tips on how Filipino Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) should prepare their business for possible setbacks that could hamper their businesses.

Our industry partner for this summit is the Philippine Marketing Association, composed of experienced marketing professionals, and they'll be sharing insights, ideas and lessons on preparing your business for possible disasters.

MSME Success Forum (August 28, Sunday)

Get insights on the best practices of successful Filipino MSMEs

The MSME Success Forum aims to bring together key resource speakers to share insights and tips on how Filipino Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) can improve their businesses. Prior to this, a meetup of MSME entrepreneurs is set to be held before the Forum, so you are free to get ideas from them.


There's a lot of slots now, but these slots might get occupied - if we were you, go register here and mark the calendar. FREE Online registration is up until August 8, 2016.  Program highlights are subject to change without prior notice.

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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.

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.