It's in the (conference) bag

Are conference bags still relevant as promotional vehicles for event sponsors?

It doesn’t seem so based on the contents of a bag that was given to delegates of the BusinessWorld Economic Forum held last July 12, 2016 at the Shangri-La at the Fort in Taguig City.

Only a handful of sponsors had promotional materials or items inside the bag. It was pretty dismal, particularly since the only items inside the bag about the economic forum was a half-fold program and the delegate’s I.D.

Do event sponsors still consider the conference
bag a promotional vehicle for their companies
and/or products and services?

Plainly speaking, the bag comes nowhere near the prestige of the event. Speakers topbilled by Manuel V. Pangilinan who heads the MVP Group of Companies, Vice President Leni Robredo and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III tackled the topics of succession, integration, disruption and capacity – with the aim of understanding, predicting and influencing the country’s business and economic growth, particularly in light of forthcoming changes under the Duterte administration.

Concrete Jungle

When my mom moved into a condo in Cebu, I really didn’t think much about how different it would be from living in a detached family home. I was just glad that she was finally living on her own terms in a two-bedroom unit that was spacious enough for her and her household help. A bonus was the terrace she always said she wanted although there is little chance of sitting outside and sipping coffee unless you want to do it in full view of the cars, pedestrians, habal-habal and tricycle drivers below.

And then we move into one in the central business district of Makati City, considered the country’s financial and business center.