"700 MHz" is the buzzword for the past two weeks after San Miguel Corporation sold its telecommunication assets to Globe Telecom, Inc. and PLDT, Inc., with the Philippine government having a part of its resources. This news went on as the latter two companies makes full use of the spectrum by building and opening cell sites that operates under the said bandwidth.

"700 MHz" refers to the bandwidth spectrum that has better coverage inside and outside buildings, making it a great cellular resource that the two telcos are clamoring for. This spectrum is mostly used for the 4th Generation (4G) and Long-term Evolution (LTE) services.

The good news don't stop at 700 MHz, as the two telcos have agreed to share their internet protocols (IP) to each other (IP Peering), and we will experience less latency (we refer to this as "lag") and thus making internet connections faster.

Prior to the surprising announcements, PLDT has inked a deal with the Philippine Open Internet Exchange (PHOpenIX) to connect the telco's fiber optics lines to the internet exchange last year.

We are reminded once again why we need a better telecommunication infrastructure, especially for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). We need better telco infrastructure to improve the delivery of products and services and to connect more people and businesses to other businesses. This should be a fact, now that we have been labeled as the second-lowest in Asia when it comes to download speed, not to mention one of the costliest in the region.

We are glad that we are seeing a positive outlook for our country's telco infrastructure amid doubts and uncertainty that the two telcos are closing in on making a duopoly, and we are certainly looking forward to the telcos' continuing efforts to provide the resources that people - and MSMEs for this matter - deserve.

If the quality of telco service improves, then it will definitely improve the ease of doing business in the country, thus giving us the chance of a stronger economy. Let's keep watching the happenings in the telco industry to ensure that we are off in the right track.

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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.

At our main office, they are also very solid in supporting the PMAP's National Wellness Day Celebration.

EXLINKEVENTS TCI Branch supports PMAP Celebration of National Wellness Day.

Let's face it - doing business in the Philippines legally is a pain in the neck. There's a lot of steps in registering a business in the country, and with many processes at hand (leading to Red Tape), entrepreneurs will go into three different routes:

1. Move on with the process as is, albeit tedious and resource-wasting,
2. Ask a fixer to speed up the process (which is definitely illegal), or
3. Just not register the business legally at all, even if this means facing more fines in the future.

Luckily, putting your business in the government registry will not be a hassle soon, as there's Project Repeal: The Philippine Red Tape Challenge. This is spearheaded by the recently-formed National Competitiveness Council, and they held their first "Repeal Day" last June 13.

What's the mission of Project Repeal?

Project Repeal's is an initiative to scrap unnecessary regulations that holds up the ease of doing business in the country. This was inspired by the reform initiatives of the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea and Vietnam.

Which are the agencies that support Project Repeal?

1. National Competitiveness Council
2. Department of Finance
3. Securities and Exchange Commission
4. Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board
5. Department of Trade and Industry
6. Department of Budget and Management
7. Department of Tourism

What is Project Repeal doing now?

Finance secretary Cesar Purisima said during the Repeal Day at the AIM Conference Center that there is an initial 17,388 declarations that were collected for review by the project's Technical Working Committee (TWC) from different government agencies, according to a Malaya Business Insight report.

How huge is this effort, basically?

The same report states that 3,771 out of 4,023 department orders published since 1958 "need to be either repealed or delisted." Overall, majority of the 17,388 issuances identified are declarations from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

What are the benefits of repealing unnecessary laws?

The UK scrapped around 2,400 regulations related to home-building to save about 100 million UK pounds. South Korea simplified 21.7 percent of its collection of regulations as they remove 48.8 percent of it, and they have allowed business to save costs worth 4.4 percent of their gross domestic product.

We are certainly looking forward that Project Repeal will be doing their task of easing up the business registration process in the country. If their task is fully accomplished, more businesses will open in different places all over the country, which will lead to more jobs, more consumers and more activity in the economy.

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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.

In a surprising move, Microsoft Corporation has bought LinkedIn for US$26.2 billion. Some of us can't believe why a big-shot tech company has bought the so-called "Facebook for professionals," but for those who are tending to the aspects of Customer Love such as Customer Relationship Management, Customer Loyalty and Rewards, Customer Experience and the like, this deal is big.

A Wall Street Journal report even says that the deal will be very beneficial for Microsoft's Dynamics CRM line. The social network for business has 434 million users, citing the WSJ report, and tying it to the company's services may prove to be beneficial.

Imagine this: You're in a company that serves big clients, and it uses the Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Most (if not all) of the client's employees that you have spoken with are on LinkedIn. If Microsoft integrates LinkedIn to Dynamics, you can see their profile pages - or even their current status updates.

Sure, LinkedIn is more into content nowadays with their Pulse platform where its users can write blog posts, and is quite similar to the Medium platform. Grant Feller of Forbes describes the deal like this:

"[...] LinkedIn is a content company. In effect, Microsoft has just bought one of the world’s most influential, specialised, highly read, constantly-updated (and, it must be said, occasionally annoying) digital media companies around. [...]"

The tech giant also thinks to tie the social network to its Office suite, and that's just two of the many possibilities. Still, LinkedIn will act independently from other Microsoft services, according to a letter written by the social network's CEO Jeff Weiner.

This post is part of the "Love thy Customer" series as part of the preparations leading to the Customer Love Fest, which will happen at the New World Hotel, Makati on October 20 to 21, 2016 from 9am to 5pm. This event will feature key resource speakers and the latest concepts in customer rewards. Join in on the fun and don't be left out.


This event is produced and organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, a business organizer in the Philippines. For more information, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-38-87, mobile number 0920-981-4376 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com.

Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The 47th National Marketing Conference of the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) titled "Hello, ASEAN" will be held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom at Newport City in Pasay City this July 28 and 29. This event features resource speakers from here and abroad talking about the best marketing practices in the ASEAN region.


"Hello, ASEAN" consists of the following activities:

• a conference that presents top-tier business, marketing and technology experts
• an ASEAN Pavilion and trade expo that facilitates networking and business meet-ups
• an industry exhibit that promotes B2B and consumer trading

Philippine Airlines (PAL) President Mr. Jaime Bautista, book author Mr. Joseph Balandi, Asia Brewery Inc.'s VP for ASEAN Business Mr. Joseph Cruel, Agora awardee and Ateneo de Manila professor Mr. Eric Soriano, Under Armour Singapore's Chief Product and eCommerce Officer Ms. Angelica Po-Suiza, The Philippine STAR Senior VP for Sales and Marketing Mr. Lucien Dy-Tioco, Mediaquest Holdings president Mr. Noel Lorenzana, Mr. Bennett and Irwin Galang of Cignal TV, Havas Media Ortega Director of Applied Antrhopology Ms. Gayia Beyer, Nestle and Unilever Head of Corporate Affairs Mr. Ernesto Macasenon, Citibank's Mr. Ramon Tejero, Charoen-Phokpand Foods VP for Philippine Operations Mr. Sakol Cheewakoset and Bloomberg Media Asia Pacific Managing Director Mr. Parry Ravindranathan are among the speakers for this event, which will be attended by local and international Chief Operations Officers, Chief Marketing Officers, members from the academe, PMA and non-PMA members.

For more information on "Hello, ASEAN," please visit http://www.helloasean.ph.

Booth spaces are available for those who want to engage in the marketing industry. For more information on how to book a space in the biggest annual event for marketing professionals, contact Ex-Link Events at 643-38-87 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com.

The Stores Asia Expo is part of the Philippine Retailers Association's annual National Retail Conference (NRCE) that has been held for two decades, the longest in Asia. The NRCE, which draws in over 800 retailers, owners, top retail executives and industry suppliers, is the most important event in the country's retail industry.

What's in it for the event's visitors? The expo brings together the following topics in different zones:

• Retail Solutions
• E-Commerce & M-Commerce
• Shop fitting & Store Designs
• Digital Marketing and 
• Retail Marketing

Moreover, the NRCE will feature local and international resource speakers to talk about the best practices and latest trends in the retail industry.

Major retail brands will join this year's NRCE, including The SM Store and Robinsons Malls, and that's one reason why you and your business needs to see this, much better if you have a booth there!

Booth spaces are offered at an early bird discount until June 30, 2016, and there are few booths remaining, so don't miss the chance! Book your event at the Stores Asia Expo and be part of yet another milestone in the retail industry.


The Stores Asia Expo will be held at the SMX Convention Center - Manila inside the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City this August 10 to 11. Updates on the Expo and the 23rd National Retail Conference are posted on the official Facebook page of the Philippine Retailers Association.

This event is managed by business event organizer Ex-Link Management & Marketing Services Corporation. For inquiries and partnerships, call telephone numbers 633-01-53 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.

The resource website SearchCRM of TechTarget defines CRM as "a term that refers to practices, strategies and technologies that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle, with the goal of improving business relationships with customers, assisting in customer retention and driving sales growth." In short, CRM is a way to know what your customers do.

Today, we are going to expand what we've talked about in the past few weeks to dig deeper and give you the benefits of Customer Love to improve your business. Maybe you're still not convinced to have your loyalty and rewards system until now, so we'll be delving more on why there is a need for businesses to have these kinds of systems.

To Attract Customers

One reason why your business has a need to implement rewards systems is to attract customers. There are customers who are buying pizza pies at the pizza parlor because they have a loyalty card, more so if they have friends tagging along. Their friends in turn will think of getting their own cards because chances are they are attracted to getting a delicious pizza pie at a discounted price.

To Know Your Customer

"Never waste an opportunity to get to know your customer," said speaker, consultant and book author Don Peppers in a Fast Company article. Knowing your customers mean knowing the purchasing decisions they are doing. If you know they're buying apples each time you put them on sale, you know that your customers are looking forward to your apples when it's sold less. This should make you think more about the value of those delicious apples.

To Influence Purchasing Decisions

Clothing brands also have their system of rewarding its loyal customers, thus affecting their purchasing decisions. Aside from having a sale on clothes, having a loyalty and rewards system adds more value to it, making it more sell-able.

These are just a few reasons why your business needs to reward your loyal customers, and if you look online, there are lots of great examples of companies having their own, some of which we are sharing in the "Love thy Customer" series on this space. Having a loyalty and rewards system is the norm these days, so think about these further as a way to solidify your business.

The Customer Love Fest will happen at the New World Hotel, Makati on October 20 to 21, 2016 from 9am to 5pm. This event will feature key resource speakers and the latest concepts in customer loyalty, rewards and experience. Join in on the fun and don't be left out.


This event is produced and organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, a business organizer in the Philippines. For more information, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-38-87, mobile number 0920-981-4376 or send an email at 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.

Joining the Ex-Link Staff is 2015-2016 Rotary Club of Mutya ng Pasig (R.I. District 3800) president Marian Claudette Tan. Ms. Tan is succeeded by Ex-Link Events CEO Ms. Michelle Ballesteros who is now leading the club's 2016-2017 Rotary Year (RY) as of June 1, 2016. This activity is also the club's project for RY 2015-2016.

During the program, Ms. Ballesteros emphasized the importance of education in building people of good character that may become leaders in the future, and implores the youth to study hard.

Ex-Link Events has done this activity years ago, and is committed to continue giving back to others in the coming years.


For more moments from the recent CSR activity, see the full album on Ex-Link Events' Facebook page.

Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation is a local business organizer in the country. For inquiries, contact 633-01-53, 640-12-80 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is also in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Just in time for a special #ThrowbackThursday, on this edition of "Love thy Customer," we'll talk about our beloved video rental store, Video City. Most of you won't see a Video City nearby, but at a time where renting DVDs were common, they were a go-to place for movie lovers who want to watch their favorite movies over and over again at the comfort of their home.

Video City lends a wide variety of local and foreign films on DVDs, VCDs and even VHS tapes, and they have a membership card where you can get discounts and good deals on movie rentals. What they do is a good example of implementing Customer Rewards practices - you can rent three movies for the price of two using your membership card.

Most of your parents have known Video City through the years, and they will remember that special place, so go ask them. In a world where YouTube and Vimeo are the choices to watch videos, the nostalgic feeling of renting a movie is priceless.

This is the fourth part of our "Love thy Customer" series as part of the preparations leading to the 2016 Customer Love Fest. This series will look back at the best customer relationship, rewards, loyalty and experience practices done by various businesses over the years. There's more case studies to reminisce to, and we'll be talking more about it in the next few weeks.

The Customer Love Fest will happen at the New World Hotel, Makati on October 20 to 21, 2016 from 9am to 5pm. This event will feature key resource speakers and the latest concepts in customer loyalty, rewards and experience. Join in on the fun and don't be left out.


This event is produced and organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, a business organizer in the Philippines. For more information, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-38-87, mobile number 0920-981-4376 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com.

Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

John Gokongwei, Jr. Henry Sy, Sr. Andrew Tan. Lucio Tan. Tony Tancaktiong. Manuel V. Pangilinan. Manuel Villar. All of these people are businessmen, and they have endured years of challenges and obtained years of experience in their fields.

You, as a budding businessman, are inspired by these people and their successes. Imagine yourself in the starting points of your work as a businessman, and think about the things that are happening around you. To help you, here's a quick quiz that will ask you questions about your business behaviors.

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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.

You're just about to go home when your boss told you to re-send the email that you sent him earlier. the problem is, you don't have a data connection. You see a silver lining in the form of a 7-Eleven store which has a WiFi connection open for those who have their Every Day! Rewards card. Lucky you.

7-Eleven Philippines introduced its Every Day! Rewards three years ago, and one of its features is their points-to-WiFi data conversion, where 1 reward point is equal to 20MB of WiFi data. to get points, buy items at 7-Eleven stores, show your Every Day! Rewards card or CLiQQ app before the transaction, and get points for every Php50 spent. This approach is simple.

While the speed varies from branch to branch, this feature is loved by its customers, and this is among the reasons why some go to 7-Eleven frequently.

Combined with the CLiQQ mobile application, this has made transactions more convenient, as the mobile app doubles as a rewards card as it includes the card's bar code. Tapping into users with mobile phones is very effective for 7-Eleven, and eventually other brands will try and follow the same effort that they've done. That's what you get by loving your customers.

This is the third part of our "Love thy Customer" series as part of the preparations leading to the 2016 Customer Love Fest. This series will look back at the best customer relationship, rewards, loyalty and experience practices done by various businesses over the years. There's more case studies to reminisce to, and we'll be talking more about it in the next few weeks.

The Customer Love Fest will happen at the New World Hotel, Makati on October 20 to 21, 2016 from 9am to 5pm. This event will feature key resource speakers and the latest concepts in customer loyalty, rewards and experience. Join in on the fun and don't be left out.


This event is produced and organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, a business organizer in the Philippines. For more information, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-38-87, mobile number 0920-981-4376 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com.

Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

To serve our clients and customers better, Ex-Link Events are going to utilize Facebook's latest features.

Facebook Shop

If you have noticed the "Shop" part of our Facebook page, you can see the different events that we market the booths for - and clicking on one of them shows you the full details of each event or promotion that we offer. There are more featured offerings on the Shop section of our Facebook page.

Messenger Code

[1] See the 'Friends' tab on your Messenger app, [2] scan the code with your camera, and [3] it will automatically direct you to the person/business you wish to chat with.

The latest addition in the evolving Facebook Messenger is the Messenger Code which you can scan through your phone's camera, making connections to businesses and people much easier.

If you have a quick message to us, or if you would like to inquire about our services, just scan the code below using your Messenger app and let's have a talk. (We usually monitor messages during office hours, 9am to 7pm, Mondays to Fridays).


These two new features are available on our Facebook page, facebook.com/exlinkevents. We're looking forward to good conversations with you here at Ex-Link Events, further enhanced by Facebook's up-to-date services.

If you prefer to talk to us via phone, no problem - call us at 633-01-53, 640-12-80 or send us an email at info@exlinkevents.com. Aside from our Facebook page, we're also on Twitter and Instagram.

In just two weeks, we'll witness the biggest pop culture event in the country, ToyCon 2016. Let's take a peek at what will happen inside ToyCon 2016.

The Biggest ToyCon Yet

For years, the ToyCon has been held at the SM Megatrade Halls, but this year, its organizer, the Asian Comics, Toys and Hobbies Collective, Inc. (ACTHCI) has decided to conquer all halls in the ground level of SMX Manila in Pasay, making it the biggest ToyCon yet.

This is the 15th year of ToyCon

ToyCon's been with us for fifteen years. Imagine, a small gathering of toy collectors have assembled to hold a small event somewhere in the metro, only to become one of the major events that fans look forward to every year.

Hodor is Coming

As part of this year's event, ToyCon has partnered with PopLife Entertainment to being the POP! Life FanXperience in Manila, the first one in Asia. Aside from artists such as Bronson Pellitier, Kiowa Gordon, Frankie J, and Mario Maurer, Kristian Nairn (who is well-known as Hodor from the hit series "Game of Thrones") will be coming to Manila.

Yes, Hodor is coming - no, don't hold the excitement in your hearts. You know you want to see him up close.

Big Exhibits coming through

As part of the POP! Life FanXperience, ToyCon will be bringing us the following exhibits:

• Stan Lee's Excelsior! Exhibit, featuring his works from Marvel Comics,
• Kotobukiya and Enesco Exhibit, featuring figures from notable Japanese hobby shop Kotobukiya,
• The Suicide Squad Movie Exhibit,
• POP! Life Exhibit, featuring Funko POP! Vinyl Figures, and
• The Voltes V 40th Anniversary Exhibit, which is expected to be the tallest one (25 feet high) to be done inside ToyCon.

In addition, GMA Network's Encantadia 2016 will be at ToyCon as well! Not only that, this year's event will have the biggest dealer floor, so if you think that last year's exhibit is too small for you, wait until you see for yourself the biggest gathering of toy collectors, sellers and enthusiasts which makes ToyCon THE toy event of the year.

CosFanX

Calling all cosplayers! Also a part of the POP! Life FanXperience, the CosFanX Cosplay Competition will be held inside ToyCon, and the champion will go to Thailand to compete in the grand finals.

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This is the next level of the Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles Convention as it sails forth to become a world-class event, and we hope everyone joins us in being a part of another milestone in the making.

ToyCon 2016 will be held at Halls 1 to 4 of SMX Manila in Pasay City this June 10 to 12, 2016. Tickets are on sale at SM Ticket outlets and online at smtickets.com.

Ex-Link Events is the Expo Manager for the 15th Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles Convention. For inquiries and partnerships, contact us at 633-0153, 640-1280 or send us an email at info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Last Tuesday on our "Love thy Customer" series, we talked about the Starbucks Philippines Planner and how they made use of the brand's experience to reward their loyal customers. As promised, we'll talk about another planner that made full use of its experience to build a community - ladies and gentlemen (especially ladies), we'll talk about the Belle de Jour Power Planner.

Ten years ago, Viviamo, Inc. released the first BDJ Power Planner which aims to help women conquer the world. Included in it are full-color pages filled with inspiration, spaces to jot on, and coupons from different brands. The Power Planner's users love it, and with their support, Viviamo set up websites such as www.ilovebdj.com and www.bdjbox.com. They even have their own series of events like the BDJ Fair!

What should brands take note of about the BDJ Power Planner? In the case of Starbucks, the planner is more of a reward for staying to drink; but in the case of the Belle de Jour Power Planner, the planner is more of a benefit to those who got one.

Vivamo focused on targeting its market of passionate women through it and then expanded it further through below-the-line activities (such as events). They've reinvented "Customer Experience" further.

This is the second part of our "Love thy Customer" series as part of the preparations leading to the 2016 Customer Love Fest. This series will look back at the best customer relationship, rewards, loyalty and experience practices done by various businesses over the years. There's more case studies to reminisce to, and we'll be talking more about it in the next few weeks.

The Customer Love Fest will happen at the New World Hotel, Makati on October 20 to 21, 2016 from 9am to 5pm. This event will feature key resource speakers and the latest concepts in customer loyalty, rewards and experience. Join in on the fun and don't be left out.


This event is produced and organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, a business organizer in the Philippines. For more information, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-38-87, mobile number 0920-981-4376 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com.

Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This is the third part on our Road to PBEX 2016 series. Our Google+ Page will be showing all posts from this series of features.

Do you remember the time when you are trying to register your business and you've had a hard time processing papers just to make your business official? Fortunately, those days were gone, as Republic Act 10644 is signed in 2014.

What does this Act mean? The development of Negosyo Centers in the country. What makes Negosyo Centers interesting? Will it be able to help budding micro, small and medium enterprises to do business in the country easier? On this segment, we will point out five (5) things you need to know in a Negosyo Center.

Who made the Negosyo Centers possible?

The RA 10644 or "AN ACT PROMOTING JOB GENERATION AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES" (also referred to as the "Go Negosyo Act of 2013") has Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV as its sponsor, and it was filed by various house committes to the First Regular Session of the 16th Philippine Congress in December 2013.

It was then co-sponsored by majority of the Philippine Senate the following year, and was then signed by President Aquino III in July 2014. The process took around seven (7) months from the Senate to the President's table.

What are the models of the Negosyo Centers?

According to the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (which also refers itself to "Go Negosyo," its brand), the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has set four types of Negosyo Centers with different features:

• Model A: A facility ideal for provinces, cities, and first-class municipalities with 3 to 5 business counselors plus support staff. Facility includes a reception area (receiving counter, PBR kiosk, computers, lounge, and library), consultation and meeting room, working area, and a training room
• Model B: A facility ideal for second-class municipalities with 2 to 3 business counselors plus support staff. Facility includes a reception area, consultation and meeting room, and working area.
• Model C: A facility ideal for third- to fourth-class municipalities with 2 business counselors plus support staff. Facility includes reception area and 3 desks.
• Model D: A facility ideal for fifth to sixth class municipalities with 1 desk officer LGUs and the private sector are encouraged to assign personnel to support the Negosyo Centers. They are also allowed to host the facility should they have available space that is accessible to more entrepreneurs.

Does it help in making business in the Philippines better?

Where are they located?

The DTI website has a directory of Negosyo Centers around the country - in Metro Manila, there are Negosyo Centers in Manila, Mandaluyong Parañaque, Makati and Pasay cities. The DTI has just opened 155 centers all over the country, and they are planning to add 144 more, according to the Manila Bulletin. If you know an existing DTI Business Assistance Center, it must have been converted into a Negosyo Center as well.

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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.

Planners. These are the things that scatterbrains need in order to keep standing. These include the tasks that you jot, the things needed to take note of, and the important dates which you should not miss - well, it's you who will mark these out. Brands can take advantage of planners by adding their touch to it.

There are lots of planners available today, but we'll be showing two examples of how brand leveraged the planner into something more than just what it looks like - we're going head first with the Starbucks Philippines Planner.

Starbucks Philippines started this concept in 2003 with these words: "[...] we’ve thought of creating something to keep you company as you begin your day with a fresh cup of coffee, something to plan your day with or cherish your moments with. Something that will tell our story. And keep yours as well."

They've been doing this before the year ends, and there's been widespread positive and negative reaction about this. Even Fitz Villafuerte, an influential blogger on personal finance, has stated his advice to those who would like to get it; not to mention the satirical news website "So, What's News?" shed humor into this.

What seems to be appeal of the Starbucks planner? Let's get back to what they've said before: It's about Experience. Starbucks has positioned itself as the "third home," and part of this positioning is the look and feel of their stores.

This also rubs off on the planners that they are giving away in exchange of their continued visits to Starbucks stores. In this case, they've used Customer Experience and Loyalty methods, and they've improved this over time by partnering with notable brand Moleskine last year.

In the next post, we'll talk about another brand which leveraged the planner not just as a tool but also as a gateway to building a community.


This post starts our "Love thy Customer" series as part of the preparations leading to the 2016 Customer Love Fest. This series will look back at the best customer relationship, rewards, loyalty and experience practices done by various businesses over the years.

The Customer Love Fest will happen at the New World Hotel, Makati on October 20 to 21, 2016 from 9am to 5pm. This event will feature key resource speakers and the latest concepts in customer rewards. Join in on the fun and don't be left out.


This event is produced and organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, a business organizer in the Philippines. For more information, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-38-87, mobile number 0920-981-4376 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com.

Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"No man is an island." "Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay para sa sarili lamang. (Nobody lives only for himself)" These messages imply that one cannot do anything alone, so everyone has to find pathways to make sure they will be seen.

Trade fairs are pathways to let your business be seen by your potential customers, clients or partners - and the Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo is one of them. If you're part of the Small and Medium Enterprise industry, you are very much welcome here.


The video we've shown you in this post comes from the previous PBEXs at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall from 2014 and 2015. On its 7th year, we are planning to widen the path for SMEs to gain everyone's attention. With that said, we need your help.

We are looking for successful Small and Medium Enterprises all over the metro and nearby areas that will showcase what they do and what they have, and we will feature them as part of the "Road to PBEX 2016" series on the Ex-Link Events Blog and our new YouTube channel.

We are looking forward to your cooperation, and we hope that your business will be selected to be part of our Road to PBEX 2016 series!




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.

In every business, there are two parties: The customer/client and the businessmen. In every deal with both parties, the customer/client needs something that the businessmen provides. This was how simple deals are done.

Through the years, we see three things that are related to doing business: Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Customer Loyalty and Customer Experience (CX). Yes, these are related to each other, but what's the difference between them?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

The resource website SearchCRM of TechTarget defines CRM as "a term that refers to practices, strategies and technologies that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle, with the goal of improving business relationships with customers, assisting in customer retention and driving sales growth." (Emphasis ours)

A great example of implementing a CRM is Amazon.com, in which they have your details and the list of purchases that you bought from them. They, in turn, can recommend you the things you might want to add to that shopping card of yours.

Customer Loyalty (and Rewards)

According to UK-based Customer Experience consultancy and training company Beyond Philosophy, "Customer loyalty is the result of consistently positive emotional experience, physical attribute-based satisfaction and perceived value of an experience, which includes the product or services." (Emphases ours)

Think of it this way: You're using your preferred brand of detergent because it cleans better than the other brands as if it's brand new. You kept using it for that reason, and it consistently gives you the same great effects that made you love the said product.

If your company makes that detergent brand, then you have a loyal customer. Now what if your business is a grocery store? How can we apply customer loyalty in that case?

Imagine this: Your customer has been buying fresh vegetables from your store for so long, and you want to reward him for coming back to your store - then you decided to give him a little extra - a bottle of Hundred Island dressing to complement the packs of Lolla Rosa lettuce that he bought.

The next day, another customer bought three tubs of ice cream for a party, and as a reward, you gave him a pack of wafer cones. The next customer who followed him bought packs of sausages and you gave a bonus pack of barbecue sticks.

Rewarding your customers consistently gives them the feeling being welcomed always, and that is where we go into the last part,

Customer Experience

According to a market insight published by US-based SAS Institute, "Customer experience is defined as your customers’ perceptions – both conscious and subconscious – of their relationship with your brand resulting from all their interactions with your brand during the customer life cycle." (Emphasis ours)

From the earlier part, we can see that the customer enjoys his/her experience at the grocery, and they will recommend their friends to come to your store. Customers who refer their friends to come to your store have become advocates for your store, serving as a guide of sorts for those who have no idea what your store looks like, what you offer and how do you fare well with them.

Now that you have a grasp of what CRM, Customer Loyalty and CX means, let's simplify it further by going back to the grocery store that we've talked about earlier:

By rewarding your customers (Customer Loyalty), you are creating your own ecosystem to track the customers who deserved to be rewarded (Customer Relationship Management) and by doing so, you think of a special way to reward them (Customer Experience).

If you want to know the latest in CRM, Customer Loyalty and Customer Experience, attend the Customer Love Fest, which caters to the Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Customer Loyalty & Rewards, and Customer Experience Management industries.

The Customer Love Fest will happen at the New World Hotel, Makati on October 20 to 21, 2016 from 9am to 5pm. This event will feature key resource speakers and the latest concepts in customer rewards. Join in on the fun and don't be left out.

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This event is produced and organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, a business organizer in the Philippines. For more information, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-38-87, mobile number 0920-981-4376 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com. 

Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This is the second part on our Road to PBEX 2016 series. Our Google+ Page will be showing all posts from this feature series starting this week until the week of the event.

The Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo is on its 7th year already, and a lot of things have happened in those 7 years of the event's existence. While a lot of things have changed, the PBEX is still in its location and with the primary objective intact: To help the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) industry.

Imagine this - You've just established your business (Congratulations!), and you've been flocked by your loyal customers, but time has passed and you're thinking, "How about if I expand my business?" You take a good look at yourself, at your business and your customers right now. You tell yourself, "Looks like there's more room for my business to grow," thinking confidently.

Then you thought of the challenges that you will face - of course, you need to think of the risks or else it won't be fair to your business if you took only the positive side of it - and you got a bit stressed out. Good news: We're here to help.

Why your business should be at the PBEX?

1. Six thousand (6,000) visitors will come inside the PBEX - and most of them are established businessmen and budding entrepreneurs who would like to learn the latest trends in the SME industry or get ready to kickstart their business lives.
2. Regardless of which kind of business you have, there's hundreds of booths to choose from. Your potential business partners will sure to see you easily as the PBEX is divided into different dedicated zones.
3. Maximizing your business' sales is hard to do alone, so joining expos such as the PBEX will not only help you increase your leads, but also lead you to future partnerships with other companies.

By the time you've read this, you should be thinking of the opportunities that the PBEX will bring to you as a brand; so what are you waiting for,


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.

Imagine this: As a customer, you go inside your favorite store and check which items you want to buy. After that, you go into the counter and the clerk asks you, "Do you have a rewards card?" You showed up your phone instead. The year is 2016, and this is now the norm for some mobile users in the country.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of the Philippines now has a smartphone, according to a GSMA Intelligence report (PDF), This means that smartphones have penetrated more than half of the country. Smartphones made us realize that there's one device for doing almost anything, and this is a big data pool for companies.

“Smartphone users are comfortable with using mobile apps and if the mobile app seems bona fide, beneficial and attractive, it will get downloaded,” said Dr. Lance Elliot of solutions provider Interactions in a Mobile Commerce Daily feature that talks about mobile commerce in this year.

With that said, the smartphone has become a tool for rewards cards - and most companies with rewards systems are tapping into the power of these devices, and those who has their rewards systems are now making the switch to smartphones from previous systems that use the short messaging service (SMS/Text Messages).

If you think you are missing out on these trends, then it's time to attend the Customer Love Fest, which caters to the Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Customer Loyalty & Rewards, and Customer Experience Management industries. Last year, mobile was the talk of the town in this event, and we'll catch up with the latest on mobile as a tool for rewarding customers.

The Customer Love Fest will happen at the New World Hotel, Makati on October 20 to 21, 2016 from 9am to 5pm. This event will feature key resource speakers and the latest concepts in customer rewards. Join in on the fun and don't be left out.

This event is produced and organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, a business organizer in the Philippines. For more information, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-38-87, mobile number 0920-981-4376 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com. 

Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Most of you have heard the term "ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)," which is the attempt of the Association of South East Asian Nations to build an single market which has the potential to be one of the largest in the world. You will probably be confused with the technical matters included in it, so we'll help you imagine what the AEC aims to be.

Let's start with a story. There's this one village by the name of ASEAN, and in that village we have Juan, Ahmad, Kong, Kevin, Singh, Farah, Thant, Ryan, Natcha and Minh. All of them have their own businesses - in the case of Juan, he has his own sari-sari store.

While they are successful in their own businesses, Juan and his fellow businessmen seek to expand their businesses and their customer base, but there are two things that they need to consider:

• They are not the only ones who want to expand, as they've heard from their customers that other businesses are expanding their business nearby the ASEAN Village.
• They need a place to start growing, but they don't know where to do so.

One day, they decided to talk about creating their own space where they can integrate with each other's businesses, and the plan was drafted at Ryan's house. They agreed to share their knowledge, ideas and concepts with each other. Some slightly disagree, as they will have to share their resources with others, but that is exactly the purpose of their discussion: To share the resources in order to build a bigger community.

The story is far from over, as countries are preparing for this transition. This ASEAN Economic community does not just involves governments from its member-states, but also the people doing businesses in those states. Because of that, we are being educated to prepare for the incoming tweaks that will take effect in the next few years.

If you would like to read further, the Asian Development Bank has listed 12 things that everyone needs to take note of about the AEC, including:

• The center of global economic gravity is shifting toward Asia
• The ASEAN Economic Community will allow the free flow of goods, services, investments, and skilled labor, and the freer movement of capital across the region.
• ASEAN's potential market is larger than the European Union or North America
• ASEAN is one of the most open economic regions in the world

As local businesses get a larger audience, they need to globalize it in order to not get left behind. This is why the Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo is all about, as we will gather resource persons to discuss how can business grasp the idea of going global.

The 7th Philippine Business & Entrepreneurs' Expo will happen at the Megatrade Hall 2, 5th Level, Building B of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City this August 26 to 28.


This event is organized by Ex-link Management and Marketing Services Corp, a Business Events Organizer in the Philippines. For partnerships, call tel. no. 633-0153, 643-3887, or email info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook and Twitter.

This is where the 2016 Customer LoveFest comes in. As the first of its kind in the country, the Customer LoveFest is divided into two parts - the Customer Experience Management Conference and the Customer Loyalty Conference and Expo. This event is a learning opportunity for those who are in the fields of customer service and customer experience.

There are three simple reasons why you need to take part of this annual conference:

1. Meet like-minded professionals who are working in the field of customer service and related fields, as well as executives from various companies. This event gathers businesses who are seeking to improve their systems and methods in retaining customers and building brand loyalty.
2. Know the best practices in running Customer Loyalty Programs and Customer Experience Management. From branding to the digital economy, new innovations in customer love are popping up, so as a business, you need to gain knowledge on how brands have implemented effective strategies to keep your current and incoming customers happy.
3. Be ahead of everyone else. There are companies in the retail industry who have implemented their customer loyalty systems thanks to the knowledge they got form the Customer Love Fest.

Take a look at the highlights of last year's LoveFest:


The Customer Love Fest will happen at the New World Makati Hotel this October 21 to 22, 2016.

This event is produced and organized by Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation, a business organizer in the Philippines. For more information, call telephone numbers 633-01-53, 643-38-87, mobile number 0920-981-4376 or send an email at info@exlinkevents.com. 

Ex-Link Events is also on Facebook and Twitter.