Work should be fun and challenging.

These two things give us the reason to go to work every day with passion and energy.

In Exlinkevents we strive to do that. We strive to make it FUN. This is the reason why we have two GREAT ORGANIZATIONAL OUTINGS A YEAR. Every place we go we strive to know it. We always believe that the people that go to a particular place are changed, and sometimes forever changed.

We also strive to make it CHALLENGING. Ask one of the Exlinkers and they will tell you the challenges they face in staging an event to make it successful. No doubt, for us the event is an ART.. It is like a blank canvass during the conceptualization stage and colors appear during the implementation stage – making it an ART, we are all proud of saying we have a small part in making it an ART.

So we now go to the most important reason we are discussing about the FUN and CHALLENGE, this year Exlinkevents further challenge its internal capacity by creating bigger events. When we say bigger we mean BIGGER! Now because of this we need additional people in sales and marketing.

In particular, we need people who have EXPERIENCE in sales and marketing. This is to shorten the learning curve of knowing the industry. This also speeds up the contribution of these lucky people to the vision that we set this year.

The vision is simple:  Create Business Events that will make an Impact to the Learning and Economic Development of the Country.

The FUN and CHALLENGE is the gravy of what we do and who we are.

Who we are defines what we do. This is very important. Exlinkers work not only for personal economic reasons but for improving our society, our country. In what we do, we create progress.

You see, we do business events like tradeshows that facilitate business transactions. We also create and manage conventions that act as vehicle for knowledge transfer and dissemination.

Every time we do what we do best, in our hearts and mind we know that we are making a better society, a better country. This knowledge is enough for us to KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND FLYING HIGHER.  

Now if you have the experience, send your resume to info@exlinkevents.com. If you do not have the experience but believes in our Vision we will give you a shot to be part of our family.

Yes, we need additional people to expand the panorama of the organization. Lastly, to make the group jump shots that we take yearly, in our out of town sorties, BETTER and BIGGER.

The buzzword right now is Relationship Marketing. However, even in the past one way to gain clients and maintain customers is by strengthening the relationships between the seller and the buyer.

But the current tough business environment made relationship marketing even more meaningful and compelling. It is a must for all companies who wanted to survive the brutal competitive environment.

Relationship Marketing makes doing business easier. Relationship marketing uses the common sense that people will care for you if you show first that you care for them.

Relationship Marketing develops trust and with a trust transformed like a strong Narra Tree, there is no doubt that continuous business is ensured.

One way of developing a strong relationship with your clients is by using the phone. Yes, by maximizing the affordable tool that is telemarketing.

You can use telemarketing by:

1.Greeting Clients During their Birthdays

2.    Greeting Clients A Good Day

3.    Calling Clients Just To Know How They are Doing

These are simple things but are very important things for a human being (all your clients are human beings, if you are forgetting about this fact).

This fact gives telemarketing a new meaning. For majority, telemarketing is about pushing sales. Yes it is but it is not only that. We now can see that telemarketing is one of the best ways to do Relationship Marketing.

A Telemarketer Saves A Client’s Day

There is one story that I love about Telemarketing. It begins like this, a telemarketer called a client that has not yet done any business to his company. During this time the client is undergoing an emotional situation. The client had a very ugly fight with her husband.

At first, the client is very mad for the call she received with the telemarketer. Sensing that this is not the best time to sell, the telemarketer sincerely asks the client how she is feeling today. This question led the client to open up with the telemarketer.

The great thing with the telemarketer is the he is a good listener. He listened intently and emphatically to the client. The client feeling his sincerity opened up. The telemarketer did not advice anything, he just listens and, from time to time, answered and asked questions. The client became comfortable with the telemarketer because of this gesture.

After the emotional outpouring to the telemarketer the client felt good. Anyone who has made an emotional release will feel good. The client say thank you to the telemarketer for giving her time to listen to her. The telemarketer just says “no problem” he felt the need to do it and said goodbye.

After a week, the client called the telemarketer and did business with him. She gave the telemarketer a big sale. The telemarketer earned the Sales Achiever of the month in his company because of this account. End of story.

The lesson now is that Relationship takes time with the client. Telemarketing is a powerful tool, we just have to know how to use it most especially in our quest to do Relationship Marketing.

  

There are rules to make your job as telemarketers easier. Here are 3 Rules to remember to make it more fun and, yes, easier!

1.    Know Who Your Calling

If you know who you are calling, like if he is a manager, you will understand that a telephone conversation with him/her must be precise and will not waste his time. In addition, if he allows an extended conversation you can dwell on his interests – people love talking about their interests. Allowing him to extend the conversation in his areas of interest allows you to establish an initial trust with the person.

2.    Schedule the Call

People hate telemarketers that gate crash. Since we have emails and mobile phones, we can use this tool to schedule a telemarketing conversation that he will feel comfortable talking and answering you in the phone.

If telemarketers do this the term cold calling is gone since there is an initial awareness by the one receiving the call that the telemarketer will call and, best of all, he is expecting it.

3.    Inform the client how long will the conversation last

Time is of the essence to everybody, most especially those that are holding supervisory and managerial positions. If you the telemarketer promised that the conversation will last for 5 minutes make sure it ends five minutes or else you lose your credibility. But if you feel that the client is willing to extend then ask permission, if he obliges then you have the opportunity to further convince him about what you are offering.

These simple rules are all about being prepared and being respectful. Simple it may seem but this helps the telemarketing profession a respected profession most especially in the Philippines.

He is quiet. He just seat in his corner cubicle and opens his work computer. After this simple ritual, he clicks the adobe Photoshop icon and a new world is created, a new universe traversed.

He has been wielding his magic in Exlinkevents for five years by creating logos and other graphic design requirements of the organization and clients.

Yes, he is quiet like graphic artists are. But make no mistakes about him, his scarce shared observations and comments are deep and sometimes mental. It is a sort of out of this world experience that gives you a wide grin or sometimes asphyxiation for laughing too much.

He only talks a lot when he is drunk and it happens during company outings.

He is quiet but his silence is the calmness that allowed Exlinkevents to have wonderful logos and designs, for five years that has been the case and will continue to be a commonplace to this chaotic world that he seems not to mind.

So Fox I raise a toast to this long overdue piece.

Thank you very much Fox for spending your five years in Exlinkevents productively. We hope to have you for many more years to come.  

And please remind me, we will have to change the red wine you are holding into Mardi Gras Vodka the only key to make you express your PURE LOVE ( if you know what I mean). 

People are asking me if there is a need to have a Telemarketers Summit in this time and age of computer and automation. My answer is why not?

Why not do a Telemarketers Summit when one of the highest contributors to our economy is Telemarketing or known in another name as Outbound Call Center.

In our present landscape where 96% of the companies are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who do not have access to high end communication technology (not yet but I hope the time comes it will be affordable), telemarketing is used by these enterprises.

Ergo, the need for Telemarketers Summit – a learning event where SMEs and large companies can further hone the skills of their telemarketers.

I think these are the three compelling reasons why Telemarketers Summit must take place and grow:

1.    An Effective B2B Tool

Telemarketing used correctly is an effective Business to Business tool. It allows the owner of a company to talk to the right people – the decision makers that can do business with his company.

2.    An Effective Lead Generator

Telemarketers provided with the right database can create leads that can do business with the company telemarketers are serving or working with. The best examples here are hotels and banks where I received a lot of calls from telemarketers – I ended up giving business to the companies they represented.

3.    An Effective Relationship Marketing Tool

Business is about relationships. Telemarketing is a conversation between seller and potential buyer. Telemarketing used by a competent telemarketer can establish relationships with customers. The best thing about it is that the relationship can last a longer period of time.

Now having revealed these reasons even I can’t help attending and listening to the speakers of the Telemarketers Summit.

After the cobwebs of the old year have gone, it is time to get down to one of the first important events this year – MICECON 2013, SMX Convention Centre, Lanang, Davao City.

MICECON 2013 is an event where tourism industry players gather to discuss the newest trends. It is also an event where old relationships are strengthened and new partnerships formed.

Some of the topics are: Imagining the Future of Travel, The Future of Meetings Asia Pacific, Why Meetings Matter, Global Competitiveness and the Challenge of Philippine Tourism, Keeping Associations Healthy, Wealthy and Wise, Rise of Asian Brands, Brand Strategy on a Tight Budget.

There are other interesting topics on the event. However, what is great about MICECON 2013 are the speakers – majority are international speakers and respected on their fields of expertise.

I remember the first MICECON 2010 in Subic – it is magical, fun and full of learnings. I said to myself this event will pump-up the industry and it does! Right now, tourism industry is healthy and growing. In fact, it is one of the sunshine industry.

The Department of Tourism and its arm the Tourism Promotions Board is doing a superb job on this.

Besides the learning sessions, I can’t wait to see the entertainments and games prepared by the organizers – this gives the event an extra ooompphhh.

However, MICE as a tourism industry needs proper support and strategies - MICECON 2013 will drumbeat the need to take a closer look on this very important industry.

I can’t wait for MICECON 2013. 

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:)

Nature is a rich resource of event management lessons.

I got another one in my trip to Calaguas Island. You see going to the paradise called Calaguas Island entails a challenge. The challenge is to navigate and remain calm in the middle of a very unforgiving sea with waves that can go as high as a Cathedral. Luckily, for Exlinkevents group we encountered a wave as high as 2.5 meters.

The event management lessons that I got from this trip are these:

1.    Event Management is like a boat trip to Calaguas Island, you first must encounter the unforgiving challenges of the waves before you get to enjoy paradise.

Fear has no room in this endeavor of managing events. In order to execute and implement an event that meets expectations of your clients and group you must be willing to face the waves of problems that sometimes are as high as a cathedral.

2.    Event Management is like a boat driver. The more you are competent, the more you are confident to navigate the boat safely to shore.

Our boat driver is a tried and tested boat driver. He knows how to tame the swells that our boat encounters. This is the reason why we are able to safely reach our destination. The same is true to events manager. The more an events manager acquires experience in the field, the more he can control the outcome of the events. The more the events manager acquires experience, the more the probability of success is assured.

3.    Event Management is like a boat driver that having competence knows how to have fun in the middle of the unforgiving sea.

Despite the big waves that makes you feel like you are in a scene of the movie “Perfect Storm”, I saw our boat driver smiling and so relax. In fact, he is making fun of one of the 

Exlinkevents who seems on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

This is also true for events manager who are like boat drivers who have acquired expertise and can laugh at the challenges that are sometimes impossible to solve. The reason the events manager can relax or be humorous is because his competence gave him the power to see the solutions and tame the waves of challenges that are crashing into his projects.

I am very thankful for Calaguas Island for these 3 lessons. I am looking forward to ride again the waves that makes this paradise special.