Small businesses and even micro enterprises may feel the same great need to hold occasional or periodic company meetings as big corporations do during formal employee gatherings. After all in worst scenarios, holding a business meeting to manage the company grapevine could spell the one big difference between having smooth office operations and a full-blown employee walk-out. But in some instances though, initiating a company meeting may also be borne out simply from good management practice to boost employee morale with an announcement of strong year-end earnings. Whatever may be the purpose, business meetings can always serve as your single, most valuable management tool to reach out to employees fast and clear. 

Wendy's SM Marikina Function Room Reservation
Photo courtesy of Go Entrepinay

As critical as the timing is the venue where to hold these company meetings. From an entrepreneurial mind-set, a decent, comfortable venue, enjoyable food, purposeful agenda, and effective communications may just all be the essentials for a productive business meeting. It's a good thing that nowadays, there are alternative business venues for you to explore aside from the office and other grand event venues. Aside from offering accessible location inside shopping malls, some fast-food restaurants can accommodate even the not-so-big business meeting needs. One such place discovered recently was Wendy's restaurant located at Upper Ground Floor of SM Marikina, just across SM Supermarket.  

Aside from the all-good food freshness it's known for, Wendy's SM Marikina now offers function room reservations for meetings, seminars, and other events. It has affordable booking rates that start at a minimum order amount of Php 5,000 for a 2-hour use of the function room with maximum capacity of 60 heads. Apart from the food, inclusions for function room reservation are sound system, projector, white screen and crew assistance. Payment terms require a 50% down payment and full payment after the event. 

Wendy's SM Marikina has ready, set food packages for you to choose from such as below. But you're free to make delightful add-ons to these with Wendy's well-loved green salad dishes and the ever-popular Salad Bar.  Or perhaps, you may create your own menu as to how you would like your meals to be. 

Food Packages: 

Package 1 at Php 120:  Spaghetti, Cheeseburger, and Softdrink

Package 2 at Php 139:  1-pc. Fried Chicken with Spaghetti and Softdrink

Package 3 at Php 165:  1-pc. Fried Chicken with Rice, Regular Fries, and Softdrink

Package 4 at Php 189:  Cheeseburger, Spaghetti, Regular Fries, Softdrink 

Wendy's SM Marikina Meetings Food Packages
Photo courtesy of Go Entrepinay

At least a two weeks’ notice is required before the event.  As per asking from Wendy's SM Marikina, actual event may be set during mornings from 10am -12nn on weekends, and from 10am to 9pm on weekdays. For clarifications and inquiries, you may call Wendy's SM Marikina contact numbers:  650-5510 and 09257517788

Corporate events held outside the office confines are occasions much looked forward to by everyone. Breaking daily office monotony through outdoor corporate events can definitely provide that much needed breather and ice breaker to employees. In the end, this can help unlock valuable boost to work productivity. 

Outdoor corporate events made more fun with party themes.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

While swimming excursions and team-buildings are most common during summer, you can also explore outdoor party themes for your other company events. Whether a product launch, promo activity, or company anniversary, you can level up your corporate celebration while taking advantage of the sunny weather outside. So come on, brush up now on tips for events planning and pack up things for your next company shindig while summer is still here! 

1. English Garden Tea Party

Hold your own classy and posh version of an afternoon tea party as you draw some inspiration from the well-polished Downton Abbey TV series. Spruce it up some more by holding it in a fete garden venue complete with fresh flower arrangements as table ornaments, paired with fine china plates, silver cutlery, teapot, and teacups for dining wares.  Top these all up with a savory menu of fancy, yet filling, canapés, spreads or jams, cakes, biscuits, and pastries.  And of course, don’t forget to offer a variety of teas from herbal, fruit, etc. Best of all, a serving of iced tea comes as a refreshing treat for summer.    

English tea party with flowers, pastries, teapot, and garden setting.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

2. Cocktails by the Bay

Entertain your guests in style by serving cocktails after lunch or dinner by the river or bay side. Aboard a yacht or boat while holding steady or in cruise, the magnificent sunset or bay view in the late afternoon or evening creates a high-profile setting perfect for any trade or gala event. Add to the cocktails the performance of a live band or acoustic performer and you’re all set to have a successful and an entertaining time for the rest of the party.

Fresh fruit cocktails by the bay or riverside.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

3. Spanish-Mexican Fiesta

As Cinco de Mayo rolls out, it’s time to get into fiesta mode!  Translate the flamboyant Spanish flamenco dance into vibrant, bold colors of summer for your banderitas, table cloth setting and centrepieces, glasses, and plates.  For food servings, go for crunchy-filled tacos, freshly grilled corn-on-the-cob, elaborate Spanish paella, or hot Mexicali rice. And oh, don't forget to put on el sombrero!

Festive banderitas mimic fiesta-like events.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

4.  Barbecue Cookout

Who can resist the smoking hot, off-the-grille smell of barbecue?  Almost everyone just gravitates to barbecue cookouts to have a piece of it.  More than gathering everybody for a favourite meal, barbecue cookouts can even be turned into a perfect team-building activity. Divide the company into teams for a cooking face-off challenge to see who grilled the most and tastiest barbecues for the day! Those tongs will not only surely work out the muscles, but may also bring out unexpected culinary wits from the group.  

Barbecue cookouts as sure-fire formula to gather everyone around.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

5. Carnival Fun Fair

If you have various activities lined up, holding a carnival fun fair party theme may just be the answer. Put up fun play booths, amusing and show-stopping performances from fire-breathers, jugglers, to clowns, and kiddie food stands such as pop corn and cotton candy. This party idea suits up well with company events where the whole family is enjoined to take part for one awesome day of fun and activities.

Carnival fun fair theme for all-family fun and activities.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

6.  Hawaiian Tropic 

Get the closest feel of tropical paradise with a Hawaiian luau swim-out party by the pool or beach. Apart from floral attires, garlands, and grass-skirt accessories to create the ambiance, prepare generous servings of fresh fruits platter or fruit drinks of coconuts, pineapples, mangoes and more! Make a greater turnaround of the venue with palm trees, greeny shrubberies and coral displays for that lush tropical vibe.   

Get inspired by the Hawaiian Hula dance.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

7. Rustic Country Farm

Go back to the old and rustic country farm lifestyle for a laid-back corporate event party theme.  Adorn the occasion with roadside vignettes composed of scarecrow mock-up, piles of hay stock and farm implements.  You could pop up the table with hefty farm-produced fruits and vegetables and servings of freshly squeezed lemonades, home-baked apple pies, and green, leafy salads.

Go rustic country farm with scarecrow and fresh produce backdrop.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

8. Racing a-la Fast & Furious

If you’re going for excitement and adrenalin-rush, why not try a car racing themed-event where you get to recreate the Fast & Furious driving mania? You could have it held in one huge open area marked with race tracks, heaps of tires, covered tents, and food attendants clad in mechanics’ jumpsuits. Or you could opt to go vintage style with open car wagons, old wooden fences, tent seats, and other barn-like paraphernalia.      

Try old-style, vintage car racing for a travel back in time.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay 

9. Nature Wonder-Woodland 

Going for a dreamy look and feel is possible with a nature-inspired woodland theme. Transform your world into a magical forest with enchanting fairies, friendly dwarves, and lush flora and fauna. Create your own tiny house version of the Hobbits’ residence from Lord of the Rings movie and let this serve as your venue centerpiece!

Wander into nature wonder woodland.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

10. Musical Concert Festival 

Rock or cozy up your business presentation events with an outdoor concert party theme. Break down your audience into small groups with distinct lawn seating arrangements, snacks and drinks. Go minimalist with just the night sky, outdoor breeze, and in-between live musical performances from different genres and talents, including an in-house all-employee band, ranging from pop, jazz, R&B, folk, to country, serving as your event backdrops.  

Sway into musical concert for corporate presentations.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

11. Camping Adventure    

For a sense of excitement and adventure, try to go on a camping party theme.  Prepare to provide for tents, sleeping bags, outdoor cooking utensils, and first-aid kits, among others. Ready-to-eat and picnic menu foods are necessary if you plan to go all out, such as hotdogs which can be cooked easily from a makeshift fire.  However, a food catering may be arranged if you plan to camp outdoors at a distance away from your lodging accommodations.  Think about games similar to Survivor TV show, which require teams to undergo a series of challenges before they can win the competition.

Camp out with survival game challenges.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

12. Under-the-Sea Bounty

Celebrate thanksgiving milestones with an under-the-sea themed-gathering.  Ideally to be held by the beach, convey your message on bounty with a festive serving of rich seafood variety such as fish, shell-food, squid and edible seaweeds. Line your table setting as well with shells and starfishes, and have fun trials of mermaid outfits for the ladies to complete the party experience!   

Let starfishes and seashells accent your beach party theme.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Tagaytay, seat of the smallest volcano island that is Taal, is obviously one among the top favorites that vacationers flock to in the Philippines. Whether local or foreign, tourists find this place irresistible for various reasons.   But if you happen to be from the business or investor side, it wouldn't be hard as well to realize the many factors, such as below, that make Tagaytay a viable site for your next enterprising move.  

Tagaytay's Taal Volcano Lake
Photo courtesy off therealbrute via Flicker

1.  Nearness. Outside the busy and congested metropolis, Tagaytay poses as your nearest vacation getaway that lies south of NCR.  With average traffic, it would only take probably around two to three hours drive to Tagaytay if you're coming from the farther parts like Marikina or Quezon City. But it's definitely just a stone's throw away if you decide to start off after work from Makati or Alabang and get there via the Binan exit from SLEX.  

2. Temperate Cool Weather.  It may not be as cold as Baguio, but admit it, Tagaytay's refreshing cool weather offers the next best thing after the nerve-raising traffic in Metro Manila.  Owing to its slightly elevated location, Tagaytay's higher altitude, similar to Baguio, will truly leave you gasping up for more of a breath of fresher and cleaner air.  

3.  Breath-taking scenery.  If Mayon volcano in Bicol boasts of a perfect cone, Tagaytay meanwhile, holds the smallest volcano within a lake.  Just imagine what a lovely view that is to beckon with, too! If you need some place to think about or clear your mind off things, or simply just to enjoy sight-seeing,  Tagaytay promises to give you not one, but all that.  

4. Tourist Haven.  With its favorable location, weather and scenery, Tagaytay has undoubtedly become a tourist haven.  Among the various tourism spots for rest and recreation, the most frequented are man-made theme parks that guarantee family fun and bonding time like Sky Ranch, People's Park In the Sky, and Picnic Grove.

Destination weddings have also been associated with Tagaytay in the recent past. Apart from the picturesque Taal volcano and lake serving as romantic backdrop to wedding couple and guests, several beautiful Tagaytay wedding churches serve as witnesses to memorable wedding ceremonies.  

Beautiful wedding church at Our Lady of Lourdes Tagaytay
Photo courtesy of Go Entrepinay

During Holy Week, Tagaytay transforms into a Catholic pilgrims' destination due to the nearby chain of Batangas churches for Visita Iglesia. There are also other Tagaytay religious places ideal for prayer and meditation to fill one's spiritual nourishment like the Pink Sisters, Our Lady of Manaoag at Tierra de Maria, and Chapel on the Hill, among others. 

5. Nature's Bounty.  While modern commercial structures have emerged to line Tagaytay's landscape, its rustic farm appeal remains.  Guests on their way back home would surely find it hard not to make a stop-over at the roadside stores for a buy on food delicacies notably buko pies, farm products, and fresh fruits ranging from bananas, pineapples, corn, to watermelons.       

The steady and high visitor traffic in the small, yet upbeat town of Tagaytay, not only during holiday season but the whole year through, suffices to assure you of a strong, viable business location. Now, as to what business niche or offering you could bring to the place creates an exciting prospect left for you to think about.  

Nothing ever beats the joyous feeling of receiving gifts. And who wouldn't like it?  After all, isn’t it true from the classic cliché that best things in life are free? In the business world, corporate giveaways take the common form for office gifts especially during December. And admittedly, these are very popular and such a common place in the office ranging from pens, calendars, and up to the most possibly unique, creative item you could ever think of.   

Promo budget possibly stretched to the max by corporate giveaways.
Photo courtesy of aiia via Pixabay

But more than you just being a good-hearted soul with the kind act of gift-giving on Christmas time, try pondering on below about the benefits that corporate giveaways can actually bring to your business. You might say that in the end, all the tiring fuss during yuletide season is worth it.  

1.  Branding

When you talk with marketers, branding seems to be all that matters to stay at consumers’ top-of-mind. Corporate giveaways with your properly impressed brand logo on them should give all the branding you need for your business, but with the fun element of doing it! Promotional gifts like notebooks or coffee mugs found everyday on your customers’ desk are absolutely some form of hardworking advertising that gets your business to be remembered.

2.  Mileage

More than just brand presence, corporate giveaways are a smart way of making your ad spending work further. For instance, an eco-bag with prominent branding on it carried around on a shopping spree becomes ultimately a walking advertising. Just imagine the repeat viewership it achieves whenever another sees it virtually from your customers’ use. While a typical giveaway is said to be retained for 5.8 months (which I tell you is like almost equivalent to a single burst for a TV commercial), there’s indeed a great multiplier effect that can be generated during this time period for creating impressions on other potential customers each time it's used or exposed.

3.  Imaging

Distributing corporate giveaways especially during trade events can also be a resourceful device for attracting and leveling the brand with your desired target market. But of course, you need to think about well what giveaways will be amusing and yet useful to catch the attention of a specific demographic and/or psychographic attributes set from the crowd.

4.  Goodwill

Who can just hate the kind gesture of gift-giving? Anyone who’s faced with it is most likely to respond back with favorable regard.  Just consider the following survey figures which undoubtedly support the typical reciprocal behavior extended towards gifts.  While 31% of those receiving giveaways from an ASI study posted more possibility of transacting with the supplier, a survey at Webs indicated that 52% of respondents specified an increased positive regard for a company after receiving corporate giveaways. That is why leaving behind giveaways is found commonly handy by sales representatives when attending to first-time sales calls with their clients.  

5.  Budget Management

If you’ve got a tight marketing budget to work with for your ad & promo activities, corporate giveaways may just be the way to go around it. Keeping your giveaways inventory at low price but infusing the WOW factor into it via unique and impactful items can give your company the needed loud bang to customers. Investment spending presented by corporate giveaways is found more favorable by small businesses over other advertising forms. 

Indeed, corporate giveaways distribution promises valuable benefits which make it a very popular route for business promotion.  If properly utilized and managed for more than just a one-time gift-giving tactic, you could turn it into an effective marketing campaign for your company. Apart from increased sales, its’ end-all could be the long-term benefit of gaining customer loyalty.

Events for business promotion have increasingly gained importance. Major firms, whether local or multinational companies (MNCs), have become more highly visible outdoors, marching out into industry-wide exhibits or staging private initiatives of their own.  But according to a 2015 joint survey of The UPS Store and Inc., a considerable percentage of small business owners, recorded at 42% of total respondents, likewise put their marketing budget to events. 

Event marketing for worthy consideration of small business owners
Photo courtesy of purplegillian via Pixabay

As these small business owners may probably have realized, events to be effective don't require hugeness in terms of activities or attendance as long as they meet your marketing objectives. Find out more the reasons why events marketing can work the same or even more, not only for established, but also for small and startup businesses like yours. 

 

Highly Targeted Audience.  Tri-media is basically designed to touch base with the broad mass audience.  With events marketing however, you could decide even for an extremely selected audience of your choice. You could devise ways to drill down and cut through the audience pie by putting in place activity qualifiers such as payment of entrance fees, showing up for attendance of specific family members from particular age segment, presentation of employment I.D.s for exclusivity on specific occupational group, and so on. These event screeners serve to guarantee that you generate the market with corresponding demographic or psychographic profile you’re targeting.  With the assurance of high interest from event attendees  since compliance with these activity safety nets is made voluntarily, wise marketing investment is on the works for your business.

Face-to-Face Communication.  Nothing beats the rewards which personal communication can bring you. Beyond the actual message transmitted, personal communication also enriches interaction via non-verbal cues that you see from customers like facial expressions and body gestures. Based on these verbal and non-verbal communication signals you receive, you could make the best out of your conversation with clients by asking on wants, clarifying gray areas, soliciting suggestions, and probing further on possible product likes or dislikes, etc. If you’re on a trade exhibit that combines retail selling, you could adjust your negotiation binge based on these message signals to have better chance of closing a sale, or generate leads from contacts made.  Overall, face-to-face communication grants you the chance to wrap up your customers' experience towards something pleasant and memorable, which they can attach to your brand and will make them buy when they see it at the trade.  

Direct Feedback.  Market feedback is very much valued in business.  It's the only way you could know how your product is faring with your customers.  This can help drive your business’ current performance and future outlook.  The enriched, individual interfacing with clients during an event made possible by face-to-face communication may be summed up to a general trend on consumer behavior and attitude toward your products and services.  This nudges you to return to your work station, to rethink, and to redraw your marketing plans, if the need may be.

  

Dovetailed Approach.  When you decide to go with events marketing, you have the freehand on planning your event execution.  Except for minor technicalities on audio, sound, light and other venue parameters, the sky’s the limit until where your wit and creativity can bring you for your event. You need to be clear though on your business goals for joining or hosting one to make sure your money, time, and efforts aren’t wasted on non-sense activities. For instance, if you intend to heighten awareness and education for your product’s new feature and benefit but you’re focused mainly on games and marketing collaterals distribution without conducting any product demo or sampling activities, you’re definitely much off the target, girl!

Better Control.  A marketing event is like a live show, with your company, brand or product acting at curtain call upon the exhibit's opening and closing hours. Any changes to the program can therefore be done on real time without any lags. You, yourself can effect these revisions without going through or waiting on third party agencies.  This definitely puts you at better control all throughout your event for any corrective measures to avoid wasted resources. For instance, if your aim is purely product retailing but you see on the first day that stock movement is slow, you may consider coming up with free goods promo like a Buy 5, Get 1 FREE to hasten sales off-take.

Got a key company event coming up?  If you're up to staging one with a different vibe unlike other occasions before, why not try fusing in some Chinese flair towards holding your own Asian-inspired celebration. When you see this fitting the picture, Gloria Maris Greenhills may stand as your one feasible option. 

Gloria Maris Greenhills for Chinese vibe during corporate events
Photo courtesy of Go Entrepinay

Gloria Maris has long been popular for its wide array of succulent Chinese dishes, but now, it also has offerings for choices on affordable party packages. Its various amenities at Greenhills also make it a functional venue for corporate parties. Found within the mainstream commercial center, its location lies central to buzzing business districts of Makati, Taguig, Ortigas, and Quezon City. Adding to that is its spacious dining areas at the ground floor, which is good for small- to medium-size company lunch-outs or dinner treats.  

Grand dining halls at Gloria Maris Greenhills.
Photo courtesy of Go Entrepinay

But if you have grander corporate milestones to spread out from your sleeves, the even wider banquet halls located at the third floor could suffice for that need.  Parking also doesn't seem to pose a problem for there is a car park right at the basement.  VIP or guests drop-off is also made convenient by the driveway clearance set off from the main Missouri road, paving way for a more dramatic entrance into the venue if you wish so.

The internet has certainly gone mainstream to become part of everyone's life nowadays. Thus for enterprises, an online business presence has emerged as one necessity to thrive in today's digitally-driven consumer world. However, if you're an entrepinay start-up or wannabe whose main concern is to put up your business from the grounds up and turn it running, producing a website may sound economically not viable to you. 

Online presence is one of today's business necessity. 
Photo courtesy of geralt via Pixabay

But actually, there are practical ways to initially build online presence for your business and make your products or company known to customers without spending much. With internet access found nearby at neighborhood internet shops and FREE Wi-Fi provided at malls and other public places, even small and medium enterprises (SMEs) may find the tips below as worthwhile considering.    

1.  Post At Buy & Sell Sites

An excellent starting ground for enterprising internet beginners are buy and sell sites which could be best bets for sales leads since customers with intention to buy but seek numerous options for online shopping essentially turn first to these sites. No complex or specialized computer skills are required as site navigation is all aided and made on queue; you just need to be more adventurous with buttons to click later so as to take advantage of the site's offerings and features. Best of all, registration is FREE. You need though to post interesting photos and descriptions of products you're selling to stand out from other sellers.

Since buy and sell sites are many, you may need to consider the traffic, ease of navigation, and target market the site caters to when deciding to register.  For instance in the Philippines, you may choose to look at top buy & sell sites before exploring elsewhere.  

2.  Register At Company Directory Listings

You may also achieve online presence via company directory listing sites.  Although minimal information like company name, contact number, office address and business nature may be published about you by these sites, there are still chances you may appear at search results and get to be contacted by potential customers.  

Directory listing sites may be general or specific for a particular group, industry or association.  If you're a wedding supplier, you may also find helpful registering at popular wedding websites as these already have targeted customers and the chance to connect with your rightful market looks definitely favorable. 

3.  Work With Social Media

Another fast way to build web presence is via social networking. Of course, you wouldn't want to miss on social media which is favored by almost the entire internet population, especially Pinoys. Try creating your fan page at Facebook, customizing your LinkedIn public page or posting photos at Instagram.  The beauty of these social websites is the faster, if not immediate, feedback you derive as you continue on with their use. You get to learn easily how many you've gotten for Likes from Facebook, Connections from LinkedIn, Followers from Instagram, etc.

4.  Appear at Video Sites 

You may find acting or appearing before a camera enjoyable.  So go ahead, create your own video and deposit it at video upload sites.  Try coming up with helpful instructional videos which viewers will find useful such as Step-by-Step Guide or How-To solutions with your product so as to make them not appear a hard sell.

5.  Write Your Way to Blog  

If you're fond of writing or have a knack for it, why not put this into productive use via a blog?  You could create your original write-ups or cite other articles that will interest your market and post them at the blog section of your website or exclusive-for-blog sites, if you don’t have a website yet. If readers like your content and find it valuable, they’ll keep returning to your blog and eventually, end up buying your products later.

As an entrepreneur, the internet is one potent tool to grow your business.  There are several ways to build your online business presence beyond the ultimate company website which usually requires large marketing budget.  So go ahead and explore how an online presence can help you reach out to customers, grab interest, achieve sales and build loyalty later on.    

After finally breaking through on the big idea for your business, what comes next you may ask.  At this time, you definitely can't wait to see a physical mock-up of your product cut out straight from your mind just the way how you envisioned it to be.  

Get available help on product design. 
Photo courtesy of Margarita Morales via Pixabay

Perhaps unless you're a born craftsman, this comes as no huge challenge. But to those who would rather spend long hours on solving business problems, brainstorming on the next ad campaign or servicing clients' needs than tinkering with their own hands, product design may surface as one monstrous task.  But no room for worries now since there are several resource groups available to provide assistance when it comes to designing your product.  

1.  Product Design and Development Center of the Philippines (PDDCP)  

Formerly known as the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), PDDCP serves as a technical arm of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).  It is the key government agency tasked with the mandate of creating and developing designs for Philippine products and services.  

PDDCP especially caters to small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) along with private/public groups and design enthusiasts. Aside from attending to SMEs' product design and development requirements, it also offers a diverse mix of design-related services that includes seminars and workshops, technical consultation, graphics label design, merchandise development, raw materials research and library publications, among others.      

2. Local neighborhood and community craftsmen

You may not look that far for product design help since it may actually just be right at your reach nearby.  There are some enterprises whose workshops or offices operate at the barangay level.  

So come on, why not ask around your friends and stroll around your village neighborhood. Or perhaps, tap also your fellow SMEs. For sewn products, do you remember si Ate Linda mananahi, or perhaps, si Kuya Vic karpintero for putting together some wood crafts? It's not a remote possibility that you may even come across women paper or handicraft weavers just a few blocks away from your home.   

Sometimes, prominent communities or towns come as top-of-mind for specific industries or skills set. For instance, Marikina is well-known for its highly skilled shoe- and leather product-makers.  There's also Paete, Laguna famous for its finely chiseled wood carvings. If you're really keen on polishing your product design, you may contact local government units (LGUs) for referrals on reliable community craftsmen. 

3. NGOs, Cooperatives, & Foundations  

There are also organized groups of marginalized sectors formally registered as NGOs, cooperatives or foundations that offer product design services.  While they may aid you on your product requirements, you also help give back to the less fortunate.  Among the more popular of these groups is Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, which helps improve lives of Persons With Disability (PWD) through training and livelihood employment.  

4.  Private Entities

Finally if you're not really constrained on budget, you may try to search for the rightful private company or freelancer with skills specialty on industrial design to help you with your product design needs. For one, there is the National Council of Industrial Designers of the Philippines (NCIDP) that could jumpstart your research.  

Whoever you resort or end up with for your product design needs, it is just helpful to bear in mind that your finished output should be one that you're happiest and most satisfied with. It may be easy to fall prey into complacency and mediocrity by just settling with "pwede na" or "okay na 'yan".  Remember at the end of the day, your product showcase will serve as best frontliner of your business, and at most, of yourself. 

At some point, you may be in search for a food events venue to hold your small business occasion, client meet-ups or even simply, your last dining stop to cap a busy day.   If you happen to be within the heart of Metro Manila, particularly in closely-woven areas of Taguig-Makati-Ortigas commercial business districts, finding a venue seems not to be a problem at all with numerous restaurants found in the place.  But getting the right one with an extraordinary treat could be quite a task.  

For an urban location where meat can be the usual and easy option, seafood dining may prove to be somewhat special. Though bits and pieces of seafood recipes may be traced at mainstream restos, still a completely authentic seafood dining could be a rare catch. When you feel for this craving, why not try Dampa sa Libis? 

Fresh seafood dining experience at Dampa sa Libis 
Photo courtesy of Go Entrepinay     

Dampa sa Libis simply just have almost the whole crustacean family right in its in-house wet market.  It boasts of the widest array of seafood.  If you love shelled creatures that quickly open, there are mussels, oysters, scallops and clams to choose from.  But if you’re open for some time cracking them up before feasting on your meal, the prawns, shrimps, crabs and lobsters may just be right for you. And of course, don't forget your staple seafood like fish and squid.  And what’s more? You’ve got all these seafood plus a choice of your favorite recipe.  Whether plain boiled, grilled, stuffed, buttered or just any way you want it cooked, the place can do it for you. 

Take time to explore Dampa sa Libis and find out for yourself why this specialty seafood events place is a crowd favorite, given its favorable central location to business districts in the metro.

Valuable benefits of corporate giveaways can’t be truly undermined.  It could serve as the crucial marketing vehicle to achieve your business objectives if properly planned and implemented. But first-time purchasers may just be overwhelmed with abundant ideas for corporate giveaways found in the market today. 

Just as time-tested experiences provide the most valuable insights, it may take some months and occasions before you can master what giveaway items click with your customers. Hence, purchasing newbies may find helpful a bird’s eye view to set off the right perspective about this market. A general industry framework can likewise guide the meticulous decision-making process which goes with the buying of corporate giveaways.

Plan ahead for a successful corporate giveaways program.
Photo courtesy of aiia via Pixabay

Corporate giveaways may be broadly classified into mass-made and customized types. Especially during events, there may be targeted receivers for your giveaways which you have in mind. For general crowd visitors, you may go for mass-market types that can create branding awareness such as pens, fans and button pins.  Meanwhile those with special roles such as key opinion leaders (KOLs) and industry authorities who may serve your business some form of representation, selected made-to-order (MTO) items are ideal.  These may include bags, planners, aluminum cases, etc. directed towards more specific marketing purposes like brand imaging or loyalty.

The pricing that follows from these two classifications likewise threads the same reasoning. Mass-produced items have more affordable pricing that comes with its greater availability due to the easy production involved. On the other hand, customizables certainly require greater craftsmanship and longer lead time to produce.  Hence, MTOs demand higher price for its finer quality.

But on the other hand, several giveaway items may have proven to be all-time favorites across customer types and budget considerations. For marketers who are in quick search for hardworking promotional freebies, here's a fearless forecast on leading choices for corporate giveaways and why these marketing collaterals remain as preferred gifts to customers.   

With the above in mind, you may think about the proper budget, quantities and timings associated with the giveaways type you plan to order.  In office settings, the purchase process for giveaways may be made more complicated given the several layers of approval for design and financing concerns.  Thus, early planning is also essential for any successful corporate giveaways program.