Ready for WOFEX?

The annual World Food Expo or WOFEX is just a week away! There is no bigger food show in the Philippines. Be sure to be there - August 6-9, 2008 at the World Trade Center. Only 16 years old and above allowed.

A Busy Trip To Kuala Lumpur

Budget airlines have made travel so accessible. A trip to Malaysia is now just a fraction of what it used to cost, making it a favorite destination for Filipinos. On a business trip, we also managed to catch many expos on-going in this bustling city. To our happy surprise, the events were in line with many of our on-going and future shows so it made the trip very fruitful.

L - Of course, no blog on KL should be without the Petronas Tower

R - For the first time, however, we took the monorail and trains

L - Rojak, a famous street food, is their version of mangga w/ bagoong

R - Street performers w/ unusual instruments making beautiful music

L - These pipes are still a curiosity. A must try on the next trip to KL

R - Petaling Street - knock-offs ala Greenhills / 168 L - Beautiful mosques also light up their skyline at night

R - It was sale season (up to 70% off) but Manila remained cheaper

due to the strong Ringgit and the weak Peso ... oh well!

International Beauty Expo

Beauty is big business all over the world. It is amazing that 2 big shows were held in Malaysia one right after the other. First stop was the International Beauty Expo at the KL Convention Center and a day after it closed, Cosmobeaute Asia opened at the Putra World Trade Center. Both shows were big shows with unbelievable crowds. Proof positive that beauty can also mean money.

The IBE was the classier of the two shows in terms of size, booths,

venue and activities. Cosmobeaute was more of a selling event.

Of course, make up supplies and how it is applied were the biggest

attractions - not surprisingly, many women flocked to get freebies

L - Plenty of free foot spas, facials, manicures, pedicures, etc.

R - A nail art competition was on going -- yes these are fingernails

And the biggest crowd drawer? The hair / make up / fashion show

with models doing the runway and photo shoots.

A Chocolatey Trip in Malaysia

Another food show, but this time it was more a competition than an exhibition at the Malaysia International Bakery & Confectionery. Had a lot to see and learn on the day of our visit, where some excellent chocolate sculptures were on display. Below are some of our favorites :

Chocolate in various creations - a virtual heaven for chocoholics!

Saw how many visitors to MIBC couldn't refuse to steal & try them

L - Incredible details, too good to eat, almost a shame its edible

R - A sense of humor - the Simpson family gets choco-fied!

L - The olympic theme is always a best seller this days

R - So lifelike, i refuse to believe these are of the Hesheys kind!

Gaming Expo & Real Estate Expo in KL

The exhibition industry in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is definitely robust! Aside from the main exhibits we went to, we were lucky to also be able to catch GameAxis LIVE (an event very much similar to our very own Hataw Hanep Hero .... but certainly no match to the size and excitement of H3!) back-to-back with a Real Estate Expo (for property developers).

GameAxis LIVE

L - While located inside a mall, the event surprisingly had few people.

R - Even the cosplayers were no match to the participants of H3! L - Some arcade games were being launched, but nothing cutting edge

R - The PS3 and the Nintendo Wii took up most of the exhibit spaces

***

Real Estate Expo

L - A lot development plan of one of the exhibitors. Great details!

R - I was wowed by the miniture models, realistic enough to live in The advancements in computer technology, in 3D rendering & virtual

tours still did not make the 3D model obsolete as shown by this expo

Davao Crocodile Farm

Memories of childhood during the recent visit to Davao Crocodile Farm. Although small and nothing in comparison to the San Diego Zoo or even the Singapore Zoo, animals, no matter in what setting, will always be an interesting subject. For a P100 entrance fee, i guess it was already value for money. Got camera crazy so posting a few favorites.

When was the last time you visited a zoo?

Mindanao's Biggest Food Show

Mindanao is the 2nd leg of WOFEX. With a growing food and beverage industry, there is no doubt that the country's food basket is where most of our ability for self sufficiency in food must be fought. FPP Mindanao continues to be a conduit to buyers and sellers, enabling the industry to improve its output and compete in a much wider local and global market.

L - Sen. Bong Revilla, with buddy Philip Salvador joined the opening.

R - Getting bigger, even the lobby was filled to the brim with booths

L - Straight from the oven - freshly baked bread during the seminar

R - Barista Competition was the choose the region's representative

L - Learning opportunities -still one of the biggest come on to the expo

R - Ingredients to machinery, the widest array of industry products L - 4 days of busy transactions, booking orders, entertaining inquiries

R - At the end of the day, products big and small were mostly sold out

Dairy Congress in CDO

Cagayan de Oro was the location of the 2008 Dairy Congress & Expo. Industry reports during the event are encouraging for the industry. Although dairy continues to account for one of the biggest agricultural imports of the Philippines, it was reported that there are actual increases in milk production in the country. The efforts of the Dairy Confederation of the Philippines to promote the industry through events like the Dairy Congress & Expo is already bearing fruits - or, more appropriately, already yielding milk.

L - Limketkai in Cagayan de Oro - the perfect venue for the dual event

R - The US Dep't of Agriculture continues to be a main supporter of DCP

L - Cong. Rufus Rodriguez joined by officers and kids in a Milk Toast

R - Former Pres. Erap was gracious enough to be a guest of honor

L - An outdoor exhibit the featured cows, goats and even horses R - Actual cow milking was done to the delight of the visitors

Consider going into Dairy Farming where demand far outpaces the supply - a huge business opportunity!