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

Who wouldn't want fresh flower arrangements as gifts?  Anyone’s affirmative answer if you ask around underscores the lucrative potential of a flower shop business.  In the Philippines, flower shops face an existent local demand with a growing sophistication which shaped the ornamental horticulture industry.  It was from one in the '80s that was characterized by few cut flower varieties limited to mums, daisies and roses, and with narrow focus on price instead of quality to one of the '90s’ growth markets which was geared towards better quality, wider variety, and enhanced flower arrangements with foliage and fillers.

Flower arrangement with foliage and fillers
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Ever Present Demand

The steady demand for flower arrangements come from all-year round occasions such as Philippine weddings, birthdays, parties, funerals, and also from regular purchases of consumer and institutional buyers, such as churches, hotels, and restaurants.  But apart from stable demand, flower shop business in the Philippines also enjoys seasonal demand upticks during Valentine’s day, Mothers’ day, graduation season (March-April), wedding months (December & June) and All Saints’ Day (November).  As flowers remain virtually a luxury product, flower shops can expect a strong demand with an equally buoyant economy.

Three-tiered Supply Chain

Unsurprisingly, entrepreneurs don’t stop on their tracks to meet the ever present demand for flowers.  Supply chain of the cut flower industry offers several options for business owners to cash in. You may decide to become a wholesaler supplier/grower that delivers cut flowers and ornamental plants in bulk to flower shops and markets, a retailer florist catering to flower arrangement needs of end-consumers, or a florist supplier providing the flower arrangement tools, accessories, and materials. 

In Metro Manila, the best buys for flowers are found at big flower markets such as Dangwa in Sampaloc and Farmers Market in Cubao, where customers can buy in bulk, in cheap price, and 24/7.  Aside from downtown flower markets and standard flower shops, consumers may also opt to purchase now from online flower shops via the internet. Online flower shops offer outmost shopping convenience without worrying about time and traffic involved when going to physical flower markets. With just a click of the preferred item and completion of online payment, orders for flower arrangements can be delivered by online flower shops.

Get Set Before Rosy Fields

While strong domestic demand comes as an attractive lure to any enterprising business enthusiast or experienced florist ready to venture on his own, the floral arrangement industry requires a keener look beyond the sweet icing on the cake.   Below are some factors you may want to look into to get yourself more prepared before making your way to the rosy fields of the flower shop business.

1.  Where to Set Shop?

Location is one of the most critical decisions you have to make in any business, and this applies as well to a flower shop.  Firstly, your location must have easy accessibility and high visibility to your target market.  Hence, proximity to churches, hospitals, funeral parlors, and commercial centers with higher purchasing behavior can offer assured demand. Secondly, the presence of competition can determine your share of the overall business in the area.  If there are several competitors around, you need to think further how you may differentiate your product offering from the rest.  Also, your consideration of location choice should factor in the rental costs if you decide to hold business away from home.

2.  Store Planning

Since your flower shop should ideally consist of several sections like the work area, sales counter, clients’ area, and display area, store planning must consider appropriate design elements and efficient space utilization at the same time. 

Providing for a display window through which your customers can view anytime from the outside can definitely save on store space.  Also, make sure to offset a minimal store space with highly creative displays of your other services or gift inclusions like balloons, stuffed toys, and goodies. 

Glass display window can save on showroom space.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

3.  Flower Arrangement Training
It's necessary that you learn the art and craft of flower arranging whether you plan to do the floral arrangements yourself or get employees later for additional help. Even if you may have a natural flair for visual arts, the knowledge and understanding of the principles, techniques, styles, and materials that you'll acquire from formal training can be handy when you decide to go free styling in the future. Your formal training must be supplemented with practice and may be enhanced further with DIY instructional videos from the internet and other readily available reading materials.

4. Big Item Investments

There are several big-ticket items which you must invest on. At the outset, you need pieces of furniture to sit and work on, and to accommodate your clients and suppliers with.  Additional inclusions in the purchase list also include office equipment for carrying out daily paper works, such as computer, printer, and scanner.  A hardworking camera is most necessary to produce your portfolio of flower arrangements.  Essential also to flower shop operations are refrigeration containers to keep freshness of flowers for several few days. And later, multiple deliveries may also require you to invest in a delivery vehicle.

5. Inventory for Fresh Flowers and Flower Arranging Materials

Flower shop operations will eventually entail you to keep inventory for several items.  Aside from office stationery and supplies, you also need to stock on materials for flower arranging such as floral foam, vases, pots, baskets, wire, floral tape, wrapping papers, gift tags, ribbons, balloons, toys, etc. 

Though perishable, keeping inventory for fresh flowers is also needed to legitimize your flower shop display area. Hence, determining the right inventory level is the key by knowing what’s in demand and in season. It's  advisable to keep a reasonable low inventory at first so no much wastage is incurred.  You can adjust this later once you get more familiar with the demand behavior.    

Fresh flowers inventory for flower shop
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

6. Suppliers’ Pool

Sustainable life of your flower shop business rests, among others, upon the reliability of your suppliers for fresh flowers. At best, it's advisable to transact directly with wholesaler flower farm growers or flower markets to get the best prices. Try to search for a wholesaler supplier that can accommodate small quantities even for the first few orders, which you can increase later to conserve delivery charges.  Strive to team up with reputable suppliers with established track record in quality and servicing. Finally, never tie yourself at the mercy of a single supplier but back up with two to three more.   

7. Employees

Flower arranging is one which needs much care and attention.   Other than the main task of assembling the elements together to compose a beautiful flower arrangement, the cut flowers and other ornamental plants call for trimming, cleaning, preserving, protecting from pests, and display maintenance.  Definitely, you can’t do all those by yourself as the business grows.  Thus, consider as well the costs of hiring employees to lend additional hands for all tasks.

8. Marketing

You can explore and come up with a full list of marketing activities to promote your flower shop business depending on how far you can unleash your creativity and budget. There are the traditional promotions ranging from flyer distribution, wedding fair attendance, specialized magazines print advertising, inclusion in trade directories, etc. You can also transform to become a full-blown online flower shop and do e-commerce and internet marketing.  Truly, your imagination can be the only limit!  But with all these, always keep focused on your target market to take on the most effective marketing strategies.

Summer in the Philippines can be pretty tough with heat index reaching anywhere from 35 to 40+ degrees Celsius range, a rather usual scenario for Pinoy residents, but quite extraordinary for those coming from abroad. The high temperature can easily switch you on to idle mode as you try to avoid further exhaustion and sweating from summer's scorching heat. Surely, a beach getaway to nearby Batangas or a road trip northward up to Baguio spells a whole lot of fun.  But while everyone devises ways to cool up, budding entrepreneurs or business-minded people also see the school break as a great time to engage in summer business ideas. 

Jump to your summer business adventure.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Whether done on a part-time seasonal basis or something that can jumpstart a long-term enterprise, exploring summer business ideas that are easy sell-outs during this sunny time of the year definitely provides one productive escape. If you're one among the enterprising crowd, read more below on hot business ideas for summer that you could cash in, too. Take that jump now to your summer business adventure!

• Tame the appetite

A sure-fire formula to bring fun amidst the summer heat is to eat!  And with that goes the hungry appetite of everyone for anything cold or munchable, which are enjoyable to take with the cooler breeze found outdoors. 

1. Thirst quenchers or "Palamig"

Thirst quenchers are very popular in the Philippines during summer time.  Unsurprisingly, it's only during summer that these so called "heat-busters" get heavy advertising exposure due to surge in demand; otherwise, you'll find these as just regular fast-food menu staples on ordinary days. 

Pinoy Halo-Halo
Photo courtesy of dbgg1979 via Flickr Creative Commons

Top-of-mind thirst-quenchers include halo-halo, sago-gulaman, mais con yelo, buko-pandan, and even fresh fruit shakes. All these may be blended in different style and taste concoctions, consisting of fruits and other flavoured ingredients, but one thing present always is the crushed or full-load ice. Easy to prepare and easy on the pocket, this home business can be found virtually almost in every village or community in the country during summer. Try levelling up if you choose this business by perhaps adding a cherry or strawberry on top to perk up your own halo-halo brand!

2. Mobile barbecue grille food cart 

Mobile barbecue food cart
Photo courtesy of Besophia via Wikimedia Commons

Another sure hit during summer are parties! Whether a live concert marathon, night bazaar sale, or even outdoor movie viewing, the crowd will definitely love some food treat after the event.  In these venues, nothing can be more appetizing than barbecues cooked smoking hot from the grille. Barbecues are another Pinoy favorite and are loved for being a versatile meal, which can be eaten either as quick snack or with rice.  Serving and selling barbecues from a mobile cart on wheels definitely appears exciting with the "on-the-go camping" feel it comes with. 

• Go with travel-bound services

With the Philippines being an island country, there are just so many places to travel to especially during summer.  If you're one local resident in a tourist destination, why not base your next business initiative with tourism-based services from which you have the most advantage in terms of proximity, familiarity and knowledge.   

Go travel-bound.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

3. Tour guide/coordinator

If you have so much to tell about a tourist spot due to familiarity with the place, or just for the simple love of it developed elsewhere, you can use your knowledge to assist and guide local and foreign guests when they come and visit the locality.  Not only the ways and directions to the place, but knowledge about history, culture, and language will also be most helpful.  

4. Van-for-hire 

Van-for-hire transport services for ferrying travellers are also in-demand during summer. As every household wouldn't want to miss going out on at least one summer trip, marketing your van-for-hire business may start and come easy with word-of-mouth or simple little flyers distributed into mailboxes of every house in your village.  You just have to make sure that you don't only have a reliable and comfortable vehicle, but reasonable rates, too.  Also, be ready with a flexible schedule to accommodate overnights and out-of-town trips that require more than a day's travel time. 

5. Destination weddings/events management

Holding private occasions, whether indoor or outdoor, during summer is also one common sight due to long holidays and school vacation. If you love celebrations, providing destination weddings or events management services can also be a fun and lucrative business.  For summer, get ready with more use of sunblock for beach or pool-side events aside from the usual and intensive coordination work that goes with the work.
    

• For the love of kids

School is out and so are the kids.  With the little folks at home, every smart parent would want to keep them busy and productive.  Indeed, summer offers the best time for kids to learn more beyond the lessons taught in formal school. 

Summer learning for kids
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

6. Swimming/sports clinic

If you happen to be a well-trained or awarded athlete in swimming or other sports, why not share your formal sports knowledge with the kids?  Gather the interested kids from your village and rent out the clubhouse pool for the entire summer. Aside from basic swimming lessons, you can also enrich your summer sports clinic to make a strong niche by teaching water survival skills such as rescuing and first aid resuscitation.  

7. Kids workshop

There could be a wide range of offerings for kids' summer workshop.  These may include singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments for performing arts; baking & cooking for home skills; and origami, decoupage, sketching, painting, etc. for arts and crafts. A whole lot of other interesting summer training camps for kids may be initiated.  You just have to assess your skills and draw from your self-inventory which one you'll enjoy the most teaching to young customer learners.    

Oooh summer! Nothing can sizzle as hot as the soaring temperature but beauties on parade. Yes, the country's most prestigious beauty pageant, the 2016 Bb. Pilipinas, was just concluded the other night, last April 17, with Maxine Medina winning the top Bb. Pilipinas-Universe title.  Once again, Pinoy beauty pageant fanatics huddled together while glued to the black tube to watch the show, even how late it took to announce the winners.  But behind all the beauty and glamour, beauty pageants have managed to bring out today one vibrant industry of enduring business players, perhaps ranging from independent freelancers to enterprising business owners. They are those who are responsible for putting up long-time running beauty pageants which have kept loyal Pinoy viewers mystified and entertained through all these years. If you're one with a penchant for beauty, it's worth taking note of some business hacks that thrive with the prolific and undying beauty pageant industry in the country.  

Philippine beauty pageant.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

• Pinoys' love for beauty pageants

Admittedly, the search for beauty is universal and dates as ancient as Greek mythology. In the country, there's just an air of charm and magic brought, not only by Bb. Pilipinas, but by beauty pageants in general, to Pinoy audiences. For one, the Bb. Pilipinas beauty pageant has been consistently wrapped up with so much excitement and anticipation every year, which helped sustain its existence for more than fifty years now since 1964, long enough to be reminiscent of anyone's childhood days. 

Beauty pageants are also held left and right everywhere in the country down even to the far-flung barrios while being made as local attractions during fiesta time.  Whereas before beauty contests were popularly timed with summer only, you can hear trickles of them held the whole-year round now. Manila Bulletin report showed that as of October 2014, the Philippines has a total of 43 beauty and modelling competitions.  Included here are the 4 major contests -- Ms. World Philippines, Ms. Philippines Earth, Mutya ng Pilipinas, and Bb. Pilipinas.  

• Early hits and misses 

But Pinoys' love affair with beauty pageants started even much earlier than today's much coveted Bb. Pilipinas seat.  A history of beauty pageants in the Philippines showed that as early as 1908, the country was crowning already its first Manila Carnival Queens.  Back then, untrained pageant contenders landed a title because of renowned beauty or descent from a well-bred family.  

It was in 1952 when the country was first represented in the Ms. Universe pageant in Long Beach, California.  However, it was only in 1964 when Gemma Cruz bagged the country's first major international title as Ms. International. Then other major awards ensued with winnings of Ms. Universe by Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margie Moran in 1973, and again, Ms. International by Aurora Pijuan in 1970. 

Melanie Marquez capped the early period of winning streak for the Philippines when she won as Ms. International in 1979. Thereafter in the 1980s and 1990s, the country's triumph for a major beauty crown remained elusive. Incidentally during this dry spell on victories, pageant contestants usually didn't go through formal training. Most were fresh graduates or plain students who just relied merely on pageant tips from fashion designers who also acted as mentors. 

• The hard road to the crown

In 2005, Precious Lara Quigaman managed to put back the country in the forefront again by scoring with the Ms. International title.  Then in 2013, Megan Young finished off a remarkable win as the first ever Ms. World for the Philippines. 

Pia Wurtzbach
Photo courtesy of Marktanoja78 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

For the Ms. Universe title, it was only again starting 2010 when the country began closing in to the crown with a winning streak that started from Venus Raj, Shamcey Supsup, Janine Tugonan and up to Ariella Arida, who all landed Top 5 positions in the prestigious pageant. And then finally, Pia Wurtzbach got the crown as Ms. Universe 2015, after being relinquished from 1st-place runner up. To date, this now brings a total of 3 Ms. Universe wins for the Philippines. 

With the latest pageant track record put up by the country's local beauty queens, competition has turned stiffer, which in turn also required more stringent preparations. Gone are the days when candidates were fielded into the pageant fresh and raw; getting formal training usually for at least half a year is more of the scheme now to stand out and win a pageant. Hence, there’s the emergence of beauty training camps nowadays, which summon skilled resource persons to teach make-up application, personal styling, fitness training, etc. 

• Now a flourishing industry 

With the Philippines now recognized as a major beauty power force in international contests, the country is also being tagged with new titles such as the Beauty Queen Training Capital of the World and even, The Venezuela of the Orient Seas.  But it’s most amazing how Pinoys’ love for beauty pageants has likewise spawned an intricate industry joined in by several players, who each have a hand in molding and training the next beauty titlist locally or internationally. 

Below are the possible businesses you may consider if you want to take part in the dynamic beauty pageant industry.  These are great for freelancers as a start, especially if you’re one pageant aficionado wanting a more active experience of the event. But nevertheless, these may also be turned into actual businesses with workers and staff of your own to cater to private customers later on.

1. Fashion designers.  From swimsuits, national costumes, and to long gowns, the skills and expertise of fashion designers are greatly called for in beauty pageants.  At the just concluded 2016 Bb. Pilipinas, local Pinoy fashion designers finally took center stage for wardrobe requirements of the candidates. 

2. Make-up artists. Beauty queen aspirants also need to learn from make-up artists application techniques for cosmetics and proper skin care and maintenance for a healthy glow. All these they have to master by themselves as they can't rely on assistance of others during actual pageant competition. 

3. Personal stylists. It's also necessary for beauty candidates to properly package themselves with the right individual look.  Here, personal stylists can guide them how to build a wardrobe ensemble which can be mixed and matched to convey a candidate's unique personality through her own fashion choice. 

4. Fitness gurus. Doing various exercises is essential for beauty contenders to stay fit and maintain their shapely figures. Candidates can consult with fitness trainers who can devise complete and tailor-fit exercise activities to trim one's physique from the head down to toes while considering one's health condition.

5. Public speaking experts. For proper self-projection, candidates can learn much from public speaking trainers, such as Dale Carnegie, which help provide training on areas of personality development, verbal expression, confidence boosting, global thinking, and human relations. Communication tools can also be taught to aid candidates articulate quicker and more intelligent answers.     

Undoubtedly while the beauty pageant industry prepares perennial feasts for the eyes, it also serves as a rewarding and fulfilling catch-basin for freelancers-turned-serious entrepreneurs who have the discerning eye for beauty and arts. 

Now that it's summer time, everyone just can't have enough of the outdoors to have fun and escape the sun's scorching heat.  But aside from heading to the beach and getting out on a road trip, the dry weather also offers the perfect time to hold outdoor events, especially scenic destination weddings. 

Beach-front destination wedding
Photo courtesy of Riviera Maya, Flickr Creative Commons

• Not your regular wedding type

Destination weddings are made clearly for the adventurous type of bride and groom who aren't saddled with issues on wedding budget.  It becomes an option when the couple chooses to hold their wedding in a place somewhere else from where they or their families live.  The site chosen by the couple is expected to be appealing to the both, which may be inside or outside of the country.  As this non-traditional type of wedding may take several days, the location ideally should be set off somewhere in an exotic place with several leisure items for the guests to enjoy so that the trip will be especially worthwhile, such as sight-seeing, water-fun activities, or even golf. For this reason, favourite wedding destination sites for American couples include California and Florida in the US, or Europe and the Caribbean Islands if abroad. And since destination weddings are expected to be more expensive than your regular weddings, invited guests are commonly only a chosen few who are extremely special to the couple.  The guests are also usually treated free in everything except for the transportation fare.
  

• An emergent wedding planning business trend 

In the last ten years, destination weddings have increasingly grown popular as alternative wedding celebrations not only in other countries, but also in the Philippines. If you haven't experienced one yet yourself, chances are high you'll be attending one in the near future for a family, relative, or friend who's bound to tie the knot soon.  In a deeply family-oriented country such as the Philippines where weddings are regarded as extra special family milestones, weddings are poured in with meticulous efforts and extensive resources during preparation time. But with the onset of destination weddings as an emergent trend, these weddings have become more complex to organize and manage since they also serve to showcase the wedding couple’s personal style and expression.

If you're a current wedding planner or a soon-to-be entrepreneur, you might consider offering this service, too, in your wedding planning packages menu. You’ll also have greater profit avenues due to additional fees on top of your regular wedding packages. Competition in destination wedding planning business hasn't also gone cut-throat heavy yet.  Not every player in the wedding planning industry has seemed to take seriously out-of-town events as regular staple in their services list. Best of all, you'll have the bonus of getting to see and travel to different beautiful places in the Philippines while attending to your business commitments.

• Philippines poised for destination weddings business

With exotic locations favoured for destination weddings, the Philippines is not far off from becoming one.  Several reasons stand to pack the country with great potential as one of the strong sites for destination weddings. 

1. Highly-Cooperative Spirit. The love for family prevalent in every Filipino's heart translates to a highly-cooperative working spirit for wedding celebrations.  Ultimately, this is manifested via impeccable service and hospitality that make destination wedding preparations easy to manage and pull-off.  

2. Wealth of Wedding Suppliers. There is undoubtedly a rich list of artistic and crafty suppliers who offer their goods and services at obviously lower costs versus those sourced from abroad.  From wedding gown designers and sewers, churches, reception venues, photographers, floral designers, event stylists, stationery printers, etc., you name it, you can find one here in the Philippines. 

3. Easy Access.  Available infrastructure like ports, bridges, and facilities, both from public and private initiatives, have also been put in place with the country's stress on tourism as one prime mover of economic growth.  These have greatly eased mobility and communication. 

4. Island Tourism.  Most of all, the country's island tourism efforts virtually turn every place in the country into one noteworthy tourist haven with numerous beautiful spots to hold the perfect destination wedding.  In the country's three major islands, you can find beaches, gardens, historical sites, etc. to cater to any of your client's choice for achieving their personalized wedding statement. Ideal sites for destination weddings in the country may include Boracay, Palawan, Cebu, Camiguin, Tagaytay, Batangas, Bohol, Intramuros, Benguet, and Baguio. 

5. Captive Market. Destination weddings won't also be too hard to market when searching out for clients. Aside from local couples, wedding couples from overseas such as the OFWs and their foreign friends stand as the best potential customers.  The two latter won't be too hard to convince with their wanting to experience the rich Pinoy wedding heritage and practices.  Based on Migrante International's article last July 2015, DOLE placed OFWs abroad at about 12M already.  Aside from their significant number, OFWs’ presence throughout the world ranging mainly from Europe, Middle East, Americas, and Asia, offers the ready availability of valuable word-of-mouth to serve as your best advertising tool. 

With all the above factors working together to make the Philippines an increasingly favoured location for destination weddings, destination weddings as a business isn't only a short-term trend, but is positively here to stay in the country for the long run. 

  

Once again, the deadline for filing Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) annual income tax returns (ITR) hovers with the month of April trudging in.  As the April 15 annual income tax deadline nears, businesses rummage through financial records to beat this date. 

Photo courtesy of www.efile.com via Flickr Creative Commons

While corporations and partnerships may just breeze through this task, single proprietorships are most commonly saddled with income tax return preparations due to the usual basic and grassroots nature of operations.  Especially if you're a start-up single proprietor entity, ranging from a freelancer, work–at-homer, or small business entrepreneur, you'll definitely be relieved from major headache when the tax season falls due with these simple tips in mind.

1. Take note of the schedules.

You'll face penalties with late filing of tax returns.  Hence, take seriously the schedules of income tax filings.  Oftentimes, some business applicants fail to attend the orientation seminar, which is usually set before the release of Certificates of Business Registration and Authority to Print (ATP) receipts. But it is during this time when the different tax filing schedules are specified for VAT and non-VAT taxpayers. Hence, others end up misguided and faced with huge penalties later on when they've already started with their businesses.

Aside from the April 15 annual income tax filing, non-VAT taxpayers are also required to file on these timings:

• Monthly: every 20th of the month
• Quarterly: April 15, Aug 15, Nov 15
• Annual Registration:  on or before Jan 31

Photo courtesy of kaboompics via Pixabay

2. Keep financial records organized.

Keep in place and in order your records of sales, expenses, investment costs, etc., with necessary back-up receipts and transaction documents to serve as reference attachments, if needed.  Maintaining your monthly income statements updated will also be most helpful to facilitate an easy and fast computation of annual income tax due at the end of the year.

3. Understand the computation process.

Filling up correctly the income tax return forms may not be achieved at one time only. You may need to do a draft first, especially if you're a first-time taxpayer, and finalize it later after reviewing it several times.  Not only do you need to understand the computational procedure, but you may likewise have to look up some terminologies, too.

4. Be time-conscious.  

Nothing beats an early bird so work in advance. Preparing records and doing computations at the last minute are everything you won't need.   These will only build up stress and costs, apart from the hassle of joining in the long lines at BIR offices and accredited banks.

Photo courtesy Public Domain Pictures via Pixabay

5. Seek professional assistance.

Lastly, if you think numbers and accounting stuffs are beyond your working realm, don’t hesitate to get professional help.  It's better to pay for some additional fees for the extra help, than not accomplishing the tax returns and being penalized later on.

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.