News

Women 2020 Entrepreneurship Summit

March 19, 2020 - World Trade Center Metro Manila recently hosted the biggest and most inclusive women entrepreneurship summit organized by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines and Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE’s Go Negosyo) last Tuesday, March 3, 2020. The Women 2020 is an annual summit that is centered on reinforcing the entrepreneurial spirit of the Filipino people, particularly the Filipina and recognizing their capacity to be agents of changes and progress in the modern times. According to the Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship and Founder of Go Negosyo, Joey Concepcion, majority of the 99.6% micro and small entrepreneurs are women and they are natural-born entrepreneurs. The Summit tackles the role and identity of women in the global business landscape, and how they can unleash their full potential for creating impact in the world, thereby producing sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all regions. The summit was divided into subtopics such as: Women of Impact, Women of Legacy, Women of Style and Substance, Women of Earth, Women of the World, Women of the Future. The Summit was attended by women from different parts of the society and gave recognition to exemplary and outstanding women in the different industries. Sources: https://www.gonegosyo.net/programs/women-summit/ http://www.women2020.ph/ Read More

“Up Close and Personal” with Pasay City Mayor

March 19, 2020 - The World Trade Center Metro Manila will hold a Business Forum & Networking Cocktails with its very own City Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano in May 2020. The audience composed of representatives from corporations, government, relevant trade organizations and business leaders, especially from the micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, whose businesses are located in Pasay City, will get to know the first lady-Mayor of Pasay City up close and personal. She is a seasoned politician who served as three-term Representative of the Lone District of Pasay from 2010 – 2019, prior to being elected as Mayor, winning by a landslide in the May 2019 election. Mayor Emi is expected to present the City’s business environment, development and community building plans and programs, as well as directions and strategic imperatives for the City of Pasay, otherwise known as Travel City. The City is more popularly known as an entertainment hub were hotels, major venues, restaurants, and other leisure establishments are located. A large part of Metro Manila's tourist and events traffic are found in the City. World Trade Center Metro Manila, the country’s only world-class exhibition venue, is located in Pasay City. Read More

WTCMM Supports the 51st WTCA General Assembly

January 27, 2020 - In support of the 51st World Trade Center General Assembly happening in Taipei, Taiwan on March 1-4, 2020, World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) is forming a business delegation to take part in the conference. The business delegation aims to participate in trade related activities, gain industry insights, exchange expertise, explore international business opportunities, establish global network and showcase the Philippines to the international market. With the implementation of the New Southbound Policy (NSB), Taiwan expects better trade and investment ties with 18 countries including the Philippines. Previous to the NSB policy, the Philippines and Taiwan have cooperated in the areas of education, human resources, smart agriculture, aqua-agriculture and tourism. The Philippines is one of the 66 countries that enjoy a visa-exempt entry to Taiwan, making the country accessible and convenient for travel. Recently, a new bilateral investment agreement was signed with the Philippines in December 2017. Since then, Taiwan was the Philippines’ second-largest source of foreign direct investment after Japan. The Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs stated that the Philippines could serve as an important gateway for Taipei’s economic expansion and a hub for its global market access strategies. Read More

MARKETS OF THE WORLD X FEATURING DESIGN INDUSTRY

December 29, 2019 - The tenth “Markets of the World” (MOW X), organized by the World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) last December 17, 2019, featured the Design Industry, one of the most dynamic sectors of the global economy with a powerful transformative force for socioeconomic development. The Forum, attended by delegates representing industries of food, abaca fiber, event organizing, advertising, civil and architectural works, logistics, eco-tourism wellness farm, and destination management, provided an exciting discussion among professionals absorbing a wealth of information on the different facets of design, dealing with the interface between economy, culture, technology, and social aspects. The discussion focused on products and services bearing creative content, cultural value and market objectives, with creativity as the main driver. Markets of the World is a regular trade seminar series conducted by the WTCMM that features major and fast-emerging economies. To contact the WTCMM about its upcoming trade activities and details of the Exhibition Halls and Function Rooms, please email wtclub@wtcmanila.com.ph. Read More

WTCMM Certificate in International Trade Program

December 29, 2019 - The first batch of graduates of World Trade Center Metro Manila’s Certificate in International Trade (CIT) completed an 80-credit hour program held last September 2019. The nine (9) graduates, whose profile are from the industries of food and catering services, franchisors of local brands, export manufacturing, and importer of lights and sounds. The WTCMM CIT Program is a trade educational program offered in the Philippines, and modeled after the programs offered by WTC Denver, WTC Mumbai and WTC Winnipeg. To contact the WTCMM about its upcoming trade activities and details of the Function Rooms and Exhibition Halls, please email wtclub@wtcmanila.com.ph. Read More

Up Close & Personal with Mayor Francisco Domagoso

October 28, 2019 - The seventh of a series of World Trade Center Metro Manila’s (WTCMM) Networking Forum and Cocktails was held on October 21, 2019. This time, the audience got to know the Rockstar Mayor of Manila City, Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso. Mayor Isko Moreno has taken over media by strongly redefining local governance with unparalleled courage thereby inspiring and drawing admiration, support and confidence from various echelons of society, from top businessmen, foreign investors, dignitaries and no less than President Duterte himself. He keeps everyone, including the common people he serves, in awe of his professional charisma. Without much ado, Mayor Isko Moreno dispensed with the usual presentation and directly entertained all questions thrown at him by the audience, with his straightforward and on point answers. As such, he was able to articulate his plans and programs for the City of Manila, especially mentioning his plan to collect garbage on his birthday, October 24, 2019. The Networking Forum and Cocktails was attended by delegates representing varied industries, a majority of whom are from the MICE, travel, hospitality, logistics, and business. They were delighted as the charming Mayor gamely obliged to take selfie pictures with them himself and were all happy to see him up close and personal. The event was made possible with the support from Worldstage Productions, Inc.; Philippine Retirement Authority, Le Chef Catering Inc., San Miguel Brewery Inc.; Exist Corp.; Blue Coffee Distributors Inc.; and Miguelito’s International Corp. The WTCMM, through the Manila WTC Club, conducts regular business forums featuring eminent personalities that influence Philippine business and economy, up close and personal. These forums present timely and relevant topics that affect foreign and local businesses, as well as talks by government officials on programs significant to doing business. To contact the Manila WTC Club about its upcoming trade activities, please email wtclub@wtcmanila.com.ph. Read More

WTCA AWARDS WTCMM PREMIER ACCREDITATION

October 28, 2019 - WTC Metro Manila was awarded Premier Accreditation by the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) with Specializations in Building Trade Development Capacity, Business and Member Services and Conference and Exhibition Services. This achievement demonstrates that WTCMM meets the WTCA quality standards and provides exceptional services, embodying the very best of the WTCA. During the 50th WTCA General Assembly in Queretaro, Mexico in April 2019, WTCMM was selected as one of the pilot WTCs, along with WTC Gibraltar, Santiago and Toronto. The program has two accreditation levels, namely, Accredited Member, awarded to a WTC that demonstrates a baseline range of criteria (42-60%); and Premier Accredited Member, awarded to a WTC that demonstrates a higher range of criteria (above 60%). A WTC can get extra recognition for areas it specializes in which may be any or all of the categories: 1) Building Trade Development Capacity; 2) Commercial Real Estate and Services; 3) Business and Member Services; and 4) Conference and Exhibition Services WTCMM will receive a special accreditation plaque, a digital logo, and announcement of the award in during the 51st WTCA General Assembly in Taipei, Taiwan in March 2020. Read More

Champion MICE Catcher

October 28, 2019 - Pamela Davila Pascual, a University of the Philippines Diliman (UP) tourism graduate, who first worked as a Binondo head office bank teller, waited for “the right time for the right job.” She entered the pearly gates of the world of meetings, incentives, conventions and “MICE” in 2008 after two decades of tourism, hotel, media and theme park experiences, and stayed. For 11 years, Pascual has been leading World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM). From matchbox cars to light aircraft, this branded showcase hosts all manner of exhibits. “Before the internet, the World Trade Center Metro Manila was the only link of local companies to the world. The global exhibit market has grown. The stagnant market in Europe is coming to Asia and looking into the Philippines after opening offices in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia,” says Pascual, president of the 23-year-old pioneer exhibition venture and market leader. “My near-term plan is to grow the company, complete its expansion and capture a slice of the global market growth. We plan to expand in 2020. WTCMM is opening a new, two-level exhibition place with four halls and two-level basement parking in 2022, on the east side tent extension,” she adds. It was former president Fidel V. Ramos who convinced Pascual’s boss, businessman Guillermo Luchangco, to build the WTCMM for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which the Philippines hosted for the first time in 1996, recalls Pascual. Due to a dearth in design expertise at the time, Gensler and Associates, a global design and architectural firm, was commissioned to present the masterplan for the 30,760-sqm gross area exhibition hall to fit the specifications of seasoned trade show and exhibition organizers. Thirty years later, Gensler designed the Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California. “This is a very dynamic business. One has to be keen on operations. I was brought in when I was a business unit head. Eleven years ago, I went through the adjustment, the learning curve. I knew the business foundation; I got used to the culture and processes and met with clients who grew with WTCMM since the start,” adds Pascual. Read More

Markets of the World IX

October 23, 2019 - The World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM), organized the ninth “Markets of the World” (MOW) IX on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at the WTCMM. MOW IX featured Halal - which simply means permissible or allowed in Islamic Arabic. With 1.8 billion Muslims, and Muslim spend estimated at $2.1 trillion in 2017, the Islamic Economy continue its steady growth. Food and beverage lead Muslim spend by category at US$1.3 trillion, followed by clothing and apparel at US$270 billion, media and entertainment at US$209 billion, travel at US$177 billion, and spending on pharmaceuticals and cosmetics at US$87 billion and US$61 billion respectively. With the increase in the number of affluent Muslims, the halal industry has expanded further into lifestyle offerings including halal travel and hospitality services as well as fashion. This development has been triggered by the change in the mindset of Muslim consumers as well as ethical consumer trends worldwide. The Halal market is non-exclusive to Muslims, and has gained increasing acceptance among non-Muslim consumers who associate halal with ethical consumerism. The event was attended by delegates representing varied industries, from manufacturing of food and food ingredients; to hotels; and government agencies, especially in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. It provided an important convergence of professionals absorbing a wealth of information on the Halal market. The MOW is a regular trade info seminar conducted by the WTCMM that features different major and fast-emerging economies every seminar series. To contact the WTCMM about its upcoming trade activities and details of the Function Rooms and Exhibition Halls, please email wtclub@wtcmanila.com.ph. Read More

Corporate Award for WTCMM

September 20, 2017 - World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) was recognized by Milkin Corporation as one of its Corporate Partners during the latter's recent 25th Anniversary held at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel. In picture, Mr. Ricardo Cuna, President, Milkin Corp (3rd from left), together with its officers, awarded the iconic gelato trophy to WTCMM President, Ms. Pamela D. Pascual (4th from left). Milkin Corp. is a member of the Manila WTC Club. Read More

MOU Signing between WTCMM and WTC Seoul

September 19, 2017 - World Trade Centers (WTCs) Metro Manila and Seoul signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on September 8, 2017 at the WTCMM Board Room with the objective of promoting trade, investment and economic cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Republic of the Philippines. Shown in the photo are Ms. Pamela D. Pascual, President of World Trade Center Management, Inc. (WTCMI), the franchise owner of WTCMM; and Mr. Jae Chool Lee, Senior Executive Managing Director, Korea International Trade Association (KITA), the manager and operator of WTC Seoul. Read More

Centrallia 2016

November 9, 2016 - MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Philippines participated in Centrallia 2016 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on May 25-27, 2016 at the RBC Convention Center. Pre-arranged one-on-one meetings were attended by the members of the Philippine delegation which allowed them to quickly connect and explore business opportunities with their foreign counterparts. Together with the Department of Trade and Industry, WTCMM’s Pamela D. Pascual and Lila P. Cailles led the members of the Philippine delegation, such as BGC Basketcase Trading, Elemie Naturals Inc., ISS-I Intelligent Storage Solutions Inc., Mindanao Pearl Center, City Government of Zamboanga, Export Marketing Bureau, Philippine Retirement Authority, and Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority. To learn more about WTC Metro Manila, please click on the source link below. Read More