“Exciting” Activities Highlight Cebu Business Month 2013

For more than a decade now, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has topped its annual Cebu Business Month celebration towards strengthening and fortifying the growth of the business sectors, and entrepreneurs alike in Cebu.

This June 2013, the Cebu Business Month (CBM) will once again be slated. The whole month of June will be a month-long jubilee for the business community with a series of events that highlight, celebrate and inspire success in the Cebu Business Community.

In the launching and press conference of the CBM 2013 held last Wednesday at the Marco Polo Plaza hotel, the activities and its theme “EXCITE CEBU Power-Up Global Business” were unveiled. The word EXCITE stands for “Experience Cebu’s Creative Industries, ICT & BPO, Tourism and Entrepreneurship”, all towards powering-up for global business for Cebu industries.

An official theme song for this year’s business month was also launched–a first in CBM. Another first in CBM will be the “1st Cebu Run for the Rivers” where more than a sporting event, it aims to raise awareness of taking care of Cebu’s endangered rivers and freshwater resources as well as raise funds for clean-ups of our rivers and esteros.

Then, there’s the awaited Great Cebu Sale where sale events from the retail, ICT & BPO, Furniture Fashion, Home Accessories, Exporters, Hotel and Restaurants, Wellness and Fitness, and Hardware and Construction will be hosted. The venue will be in SM City Cebu starting on June 2.

Melanie Ng, CBM 2013 Overall Chair

Other events will be ICT & BPO Conference and Expo from June 4-5, June 14, 2nd Creative Industries Summit, and the Tourism Congress on June 21 at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel which will be capped by a Tourism Night. CCCI has also invited other tourism offices from other countries such as Thailand and Singapore, to join in the Tourism Congress.

There is also the “Talento Cebuano” where success stories and the arts and culture sectors will be featured at The Ayala Center Cebu on June 22. As to Entrepreneurship–micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will be showcased from June 15-19 with the theme “Cebu–the hub of sustainable lifestyle in the Philippines. An Eko Fest and Eko Entrepreneurial Conference will be staged. It aims to promote Cebu as the country’s green destination and to shift the mindset of small, medium enterprises and business organizations towards the promotion of sustainable consumption and production.

A Grand Chamber Awards Night will cap all the events of the CBM 2013. According to Grand Chamber Awards Chairperson Tess Chan, it will be a grander awards and fellowship night as they highlight the milestones and road maps of CCCI. It will also recognize local, national and international Cebuano businessmen, and families who have contributed to the economic progress of Cebu. Thus, the event will show how the CCCI helped Cebu in its economic progress.

Lito Maderazo, CCCI President

The CBM 2013 “Excite Cebu!” thrusts on the four pillars of Cebu’s business community namely Creative Industries and Advocacy, ICT & BPO, Tourism and Entrepreneurship. With the creative industries as one of the focus this year, committee Chairperson Mary Anne Alcordo-Solomon said that the creative industries is the new driver for the growth of Cebu with the rooted individual skills of the Cebuanos.

Great Cebu Sale Co-Chair Camille Villareal-Aldeguer also elaborated that with the sale in addition in this year’s CBM, they aim to promote Cebu as a shopping hub thus institutionalizing Cebu as a shopping destination. This is as the likes of countries like Hong Kong and Singapore. As to the rationale of the Great Cebu Sale, Aldeguer mentioned that most exporters and importers who are manufacturers of global brands manufacture their products here. Surprisingly, products that are bought abroad are made here in our very own locality.

The Cebu Business Month 2013 will run from June 1 to 28.