SM honors top partners in gala night

MANILA, Philippines - In celebration of its 30th anniversary, SM Supermalls held its very first Partners Summit at the SMX Convention Center.

The two-day event “Bricks Click, Creating the New Marketplace” featured a retail forum on the first day and a gala night, where it awarded its top partners, on the second.

The event was SM’s way of thanking those who have been part of the SM Family – some since it opened its first mall in SM City North EDSA, some in later years and some as part of a new generation of corporate leaders.

Fifty-four companies were honored in the Top Partners, Most Innovative Store Design, Green Retail and Best in Marketing categories during the gala night. There were also awards for the Most Popular Brand through an online poll.

“Much has happened since we opened our first mall 30 years ago,” said SM Prime Holdings president Hans Sy in his keynote speech during the forum. “The retail landscape has become more global and competitive, technology has forever changed the way we live and do things, and customer tastes have changed along with the times.”

Challenged by online formats and social media, Sy, who is an engineer, cited the qualities which brick and mortar companies like shopping malls share – strength, durability, value, sustainability and the ability to withstand the test of time. He also noted how companies and relationships are built one brick at a time.

By working closely together, SM and its partners have changed the Filipino lifestyle forever.

“Our malls are indeed called cities, places where families and friends gather together to eat out, have fun, and even do their business transactions, and hear Sunday Mass,” said Sy. “We have become part of the lives of millions of Filipinos.”

Reinforcing the bricks click concept were Francis Kong in his talk on Retail Innovations, the Disney Institute’s Wing-Hoe Tan on Surprising and Delighting Customers, and Samsung’s David Kang on how on-ground and on line can work together.

A panel discussion featuring Google’s Aitor Maguregui, Samsung Philippines’ Heirbert Dimagiba, the Max Group of Companies’ Mark Gamboa and McDonald Philippines’ Margot Torres shared insights on key experiences and best practices in navigating the digital and in-person landscape in the Philippines.