OFW's are said to be the new heroes of the country as they have consistently contributed about 8-10 percent of the country's GDP. A huge chunk of this are medical professionals, nurses and they've been praised as the best in the world.
About two years ago, Singapore based NurtureRN saw the need for these professionals to be guided, armed with the right knowledge, utilize innovations, and create meaningful connections to further their career goals. It's why they made the move to hold a first of its kind trade exhibit and launch, a platform that could take you to that path called "NOW Expo Asia 2026" (Nursing Opportunities Worldwide Ecosystem Expo) specifically to target over 5000 stakeholders, to help and answer their concerns.
To do this, they also partnered with TrueProfile and DataFlow, the masters of professional credentials verification. They also have sought talks with National and Local Government Units to address, educate the greater majority of their audience including students, educators, including those who are in the workforce and ones who are seeking for opportunities here and abroad.
Here's our coverage on video as we talked about the details of their event:
"NOW Expo Asia 2026" will happen on June 26th to 27 at the SM Megamall Megatrade hall on mall hours. Admission is FREE so there's no reason for you to not be there for this event created especially for Nurses, medical professionals, students and their families.
They won't be taking NO for an answer. If you've got a concern too that you think needs urgent response, they will hold live sessions, talks from experienced Nurses who are based in the US if specialization is something you're planning to do. This is a continuing goal for them so after the event, they would also welcome folks to get in touch with them via their socials and official website https://www.NOW-EXPO.com. Schedules will be posted soon!
Filipinos love for coffee is not surprising. If I'd ask you how many cups you've had for a day, you would probably lie to lessen the guilt or just throw in a number and call it a day. We are after all the second largest coffee consumer in Asia right after our neighbor Japan, because those cups of coffee in the morning gets counted too. Our coffee culture is undeniable, and the industry is still growing. The strong market actually has issues, supply isn't enough locally. Surprise, surprise!
Recently, they launched the 2025 edition of The Philippine Coffee Expo which they labeled as "Charting New Frontiers". This will happen on May 9 to 11 at One Ayala's events facility called SPACE which is directly accessible from the Ayala MRT Station in Makati. The media conference was arranged by Perdem Hay Marketing Solutions Inc. and their sponsors Gourmet Farms Inc., the Provincial Government of Sultan Kudarat, the Department of Agriculture's Philippine Rural Development Project and National Project Coordinating Office, the kind people from Easy Brand PH (who's got awesome products btw!), Eighty Plus, Top Creamery, and the folks from Curve Coffee Collaborators too.
The event will also house the annual Philippine Coffee Quality Competition where they choose the best coffee beans and recognize the farmers that produce it. They also recognize the folks in between, who make sure those who get those beans from the land they came from to your coffee cup. They follow strict guidelines to make sure they acknowledge those who have merits. Exhibitors include Lasa, Cavite State Polytechnic University, Food inc., the good people of Cordillera Coffee, Agnep Heritage Coffee, Cafe Vera, Ciento Cookies, Milestone Coffee + Kitchen, D'Baristroe, Drip Kofi, Messy Summers, Subtle Coffee, Agkafetta Coffee, Cafe Sartog, and more. If you are planning to put up a cafe, or simple trying to source products for it, this would be the best event you could go to. They also had different artists do Coffee Art, which was so nice to see done live!
There will be local and international resource speakers, Coffee and Story Sessions, exhibits, business connections, cupping events, several pop up cafes on site, international specialty coffee exhibitors, Barista and Roasting competitions too.
Ms. Brenda Claver the PCG Director for Audit says "I've been doing talks in different regions, from barista, supplier, and just about everyone in organizing this event. Coffee is a source for comfort, and the Philippine Coffee Expo has been an occasion to come together to share our expertise. Bringing the world together, from our exhibits, demos, it will be a feast for the senses. We have roasters, equipment manufacturers to showcase the latest products in the coffee world. It's not just about coffee, but community, to promote and work together in an environmental way, spreading the love for coffee."
Philippine Coffee Guild Chairman Mel Garcia says "Coffee is part of my research, this is more than just celebrating produce, but beyond that, it's an industry that involves producers and consumers deeper than the usual. We have members across the chain, even educators and enthusiasts who are members. Composer of those that represent stakeholders, public or private, and we are an organization that represents the industry and its members. The first one was in Davao in 2022 and we promoted farm entrepreneurship. We are going around the country and did it in World Trade Center, and now we are the highly accessible One Ayala and their SPACE. Foot traffic was great, and we had to beg off some attendees because there were so many folks coming in. We need to look beyond the industry, the sheer number of is visibly growing, but perhaps, not really maturing. With your help, we want to use our platform that would be able to help us. Some of our sponsors are here. Help us to tell people that our market needs to mature. We need to address volume, an entire ecosystem, this great venue will house a multitude of regions and represent their provinces. This would be a great place for you to get first dibs and network with like minded individuals, and surely baristas will fight for their place. They will be judged with world class criterion, in this annual coffee competition. You could see how lives have changed with it."
Here's the press conference on video, please enjoy!
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adds "We are recognized by DTI and have SME's, Pop Up Shops
participating. They are leading brands that you would be good to talk to
about the industry and various sectors."
As you can see, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have yet to discuss a lot about the Philippine coffee industry and its promising future. If you would want to acquire tickets to the event, please visit their official site philippinecoffeeexpo.com and register there.
Travel Tour Expo 2024 is happening this year with the theme "The World Within Reach".
Ms. Patria Chiong the TTE Chairperson says "With the help of our sponsors DOT, Unionbank and media partners, the Travel and Tour Expo is happening this year. People are raring to travel, with places that work with their budget, ease of travel and the DOT's "Love Philippines " campaign, PTAA is here to make sure people can make memories in the country. We are confident to exceed the goals of the DOT, people are raring to go out and restrictions are lifted. We are giving travelers choices, it just boils down to budget and in the TTE we've got that. From 3 to 5 star hotels, tour packages, special trips, we can offer to different needs of passengers and customers. We are looking forward to the future, way beyond this event and there's really no way to go but up! I would say it would be up by 20-25 percent (a ballpark figure). The ASEAN, Israel, Taiwan is going to be popular as they are Visa Free."
There will be 4 halls occupied and it has been sold out to travel boards, agents, and businesses. One side will be delegated to business to business markets and exhibitors, and all these will be open to the public on February 2 and 3.
Sellers will include international offers for Australia, Balkan, China, Dubai, Egypt, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE, the US and Vietnam.
As of now they have over 68 sellers and 220 registered buyers in the event. Gates will open 10am on the first day, and 9:30 am on the second day. The TTE secretariat wants to emphasize that we all need to help the DOT succeed as this will be a public and private sector cooperation. The Bayanihan spirit still exists. So see you at SMX 2F Function rooms because this will be big! Unionbank card holders will also get perks especially on the opening day plus some eGC's up for grabs.
There will also be raffle draws, prizes, surprises, entertainment numbers, and an auction for trips so make sure you bring your budget on the day!