One Cebu expo expects 3,000 buyers

CEBU, Philippines – Organizers of the second One Cebu exhibition this coming August are expecting to draw 3,000 international delegates to the event which aims to make Cebu products known in the worldwide market.

One Cebu, a province-wide exhibition participated by local government units (LGUs) and private sector, is being organized by the Cebu Provincial Government. This year, the event is slated on August 7-16.

According to One Cebu chairman Enrison Benedicto, the organizers had started to invite international delegates to the 10-day exposition to Cebu, specifically those countries or provinces abroad that have sisterhood agreement with Cebu.

Also, Benedicto said they are asking the help from the export-related organizations like Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF), Fashion Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters in Cebu (FAME), and Gifts, Toys, and Housewares Exporters (GTH-Cebu) to invite foreign buyers to the event.

Already, invitations had been sent to Moscow Chamber of Commerce, and other business organizations in Russia, and China, Benedicto said.

This is the first time that the One Cebu exposition extended its marketing campaign to the international market. “We want to make it big, not only to generate business, but also to spur tourism in Cebu.”

The event which will be held at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) will be held back-to-back with the scheduled “Russian Forum” probably in the first or second week of August.

Thus, Benedicto is confident that more Russian buyers will be able to take a glimpse of the Cebu-made products and services, from all over the province.

“One Cebu is trying to create a venue that will showcase the ‘best of Cebu’. It is also a good opportunity for product makers in remote towns to market their products to the international market,” he said.

Last year, the first One Cebu event provided business opportunities for start-up entrepreneurs, and gave birth to bulk-buying deals with buyers, such as the Torta making in Argao, Cassava Chips, and Candle making, and cottage cheese making, among others.

In order to raise the bar in showcasing only the best of Cebu, Benedicto said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), led by provincial director Nelia Navarro, will be organizing a standardization and screening process for exhibitors, so that only quality products and good services will be exhibited in the event.

Each town shall provide their best delicacy or tourism related services to be showcased in the exposition, but not necessarily the products or services that are already identified by the One-Town-One-Product (OTOP) campaign of the DTI, Benedicto said.

Benedicto also said that the Creative Cebu program will participate in the event, and it will provide technology-transfer, or training to start-up entrepreneurs on how to maximize their creativity in packaging their products and services not only to the local market but to the bigger customer base in the world as well.