BHW show to showcase Cebu's assets

CEBU, Philippines - This year’s Beauty, Health and Wellness Show will showcase the strong assets of Cebu in the Health and Wellness industry and the efforts made by industry players in strengthening and professionalizing its services.

The BHW Show 2009 was formally launched to the media during yesterday’s 888 news forum. The event is spearheaded by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry in partnership with the Cebu Health and Wellness Council, Philexport Cebu, and the Spa and Wellness Association of Cebu who share the same goal of gathering more stakeholders dealing with beauty, health and wellness services for the 5th staging of the BHW show.

With the theme, “Experience Life!” the BHW show will take place on November 4-8, at the Ayala Center Cebu. This year’s show is no longer compared to the past shows, in order to fulfill their goal of bringing in more exhibitors and visitors.

BHW 2009 chairman Nelson Bascones said that more things are to be expected during this years’ show which is in line with the intensified promotion of Cebu as the premier destination for health and wellness.

Bascones said that this will greatly help the tourism campaign and increase the knowledge of more people in terms of the Beauty, Health and Wellness services in Cebu .

He said that the show would also be a way to discuss the advances in the industry as well as discuss different topics and issues of the health and wellness sector.

Also he encouraged more companies in the Beauty, Health, and Wellness industry to use this opportunity in showing of their products and services and have open possible partnerships and other business prospects.

Marketing and Brand manager Sabine Schacknat said that they are aiming to gather more exhibitors this year compared to the last show, which only had 47 companies.

She said that they are targeting to gather more enterprises engaged in beauty health and wellness like beauty salons and parlors, beauty clinics, hotel spas and day spas, fitness studios and gyms and health foods and restaurants.

Schacknat said that they have mainly changed the concept of the show which was originally a trade show into a wellness event.

“This is a holistic approach to share the concept of beauty, health and wellness,” added Schacknat who said that the show is focused on promoting a lifestyle rather the products.

Schacknat said that Cebu has been already known for a lot of tourist destinations and world-class services but this is the time to show “more of what we can still offer.”

According to Schacknat, they are targeting mainly the Cebuano community as well as the travelers who would want to “indulge in the pleasure of a healthy lifestyle” but are also inviting the investors, suppliers and all others interested in the industry.

Apart from the exhibitions, the show will also have a Medical and Dental Tourism Forum, the Health and Wellness Forum highlighting workshops and demo on “hilot”, the second fun run dubbed as “Rock ‘N Run” and the Dancesport Competition.

SWAC president Johnny Lim said that this is a great way of stepping up the efforts in promoting medical tourism.

Lim said that in their part for the Spa and Wellness players, this would be a good time to further strengthen the Filipino-kind of massage or “hilot”.