AdCongress22: Are you ready, CamSur?

MANILA, Philippines - Less than five years ago, this province was not on the events radar. It ranked low in the excitement meter. Prone to typhoons and other such wraths of nature, the province was in terribly bad shape.

But that is so 2007. 

Camarines Sur – that’s CamSur for short – has since climbed from Number 39 to reach 10th place in the Philippines’ top 10 income-earning provinces. How’s that for a Cinderella story? 

From Nov. 16 to 19, at the CWC Convention Hall, the Plenary Sessions of AdCongress22 will unfold to thousands of delegates from the country’s advertising industry. Dubbed “Change the Game,” AdCongress22 is nothing like its predecessors.

The economic growth of CamSur is powered by the province’s tourism efforts. The region itself is steeped in colorful history. Naga City is the third oldest city in the Philippines with its landmark churches scattered across the city. The Peñafrancia Festival attracts 5,000 pilgrims a year. And with the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) constructed and administered by Gov. LRay Villafuerte, CamSur topped Boracay and became the Number 1 tourist destination in the country in 2010.

The CWC is an aqua-adventure complex that boasts of amenities for Dragon Boat racing, wakeboarding, swimming or just simply wading. CWC guests have a choice of dwellings from container vans renovated into suites, to tiki huts for backpackers. There are, of course, the exclusive rooms at the Villa del Rey. 

Yes, it is the country’s Number 1 tourist destination, but is it ready for AdCongress22? 

As the AdBoard’s biggest event, the Philippine Ad Congress is the country’s biggest trade event. It is a speakers and delegates congress, a celebration of creativity, and a congregation of clients and producers displaying the latest in a massive and spectacular trade exhibit.

This year, featuring an edgy logo and a roaring website that features an ultra-hip Cosplay-drawn board game, AdCongress22 pioneers an online adventure that intersects with actual, physical action. Branded activities like the reality game show-inspired Petron Amazing Quest will pit individuals on the road with adventure-laden Petron pit stops from Metro Manila all the way down to CamSur.  

Golf, badminton and fun runs are part of a larger sports event. In addition to these standard games, AdCongress22 has exciting fun sports to offer in its Laban ng Palaban challenge including, Ultimate Frisbee and Water Obstacle.

Though CamSur is an Ad Congress neophyte, it has nonetheless been hosting and staging massive events like the CamSur Ironman with its throng of foreign participants. The CamSur Ironman roster includes the country’s who’s who.

“We were once a tourism nobody, now we are the venue of choice of world competitions and foreign film and TV productions,” says Governor Villafuerte. 

For AdCongress22, CamSur will see the convergence of world-renowned speakers, creative, media and publishing professionals, and Filipino game-changers and fashion experts. CamSur will be the stage where the top three networks CEOs will appear on the same stage together. Undoubtedly, having lawyer Felipe Gozon of GMA Network, Manuel V. Pangilinan of TV5 and Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III of ABS-CBN together will hit the history books.

“(Our success) is a reflection of CamSur’s transformation. We are a province that has gone through many tragedies and trials, but we are now being compared to giants like Cebu, Palawan and Boracay,” the governor adds. 

At CamSur, not only will AdCongress22 feature the author of the best-selling book Groundswell, Charlene Li, the event also looks forward to welcoming the newly appointed Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.   

Just two days to opening day, the delegates are preparing for the ad congress, and just about ready to depart for CamSur. Addressing the droves headed for his province, the governor says, “The Number 1 tourist destination in the country is all set and ready to host AdCongress22!”