Go Negosyo Tourism Summit 2024: Summary, Highlights and Honest Opinions

 

Go Negosyo Tourism Summit 2024 Highlights and Thoughts

Notable Guests/Personalities:

• First Lady Louise "Liza" Araneta-Marcos
• DOT Sec. Christina Garcia Frasco
• Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion
• DTI USEC. Cristina Roque
• Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee

The event kicked off with a speech by the founder of Go Negosyo, followed by the delivery of a message from His Excellency, President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., by the DOT Secretary. The event then proceeded with an awarding ceremony for travel content creators and entrepreneurs, led by First Lady Marcos, Department Of Tourism Secretary, and Go Negosyo's founder. The audience applauded loudly for each winner in their respective category.

Throughout the event, there was a diverse mix of personalities, travel content creators, and entrepreneurs. Some shared their business concepts or journeys, while others participated in panel discussions. For me, the real draw of the event was to listen to the insights and experiences of those who are already experts in the field.

Go Negosyo 2024 Highlights:

1. A cultural/interpretative dance performance by an art theater group showcased a mixture of festival dances from the Philippines, including singkil, tinikling, ati-atihan, maskara, and a rendition of "Piliin Mo Ang Pilipinas." Despite the diversity of the festivals represented, they synchronized their performance gracefully. Their impressive costumes added to the spectacle.

2. Multiple business booths/Expo were set up, which may not be a highlight for everyone, but it was for me as a first-time attendee. Unfortunately, "I couldn't explore each booth thoroughly as I arrived at the venue around 10:35. Nevertheless, the booths were great; I saw people holding branded circle pamaypay, some offering free samples, and others signing up for programs, updates, or providing further contact information for those interested in their product/service after the event." However, I wish the booths were arranged in a wider space as it was quite crowded when I revisited them later. PS: Some brands distributed their products/flyers during the event – thanks, Kettle Corn.

3. Overwhelming Prizes! Congratulations to the winners (with a hint of jest LOL). Go Negosyo and their partners offered superb prizes, ranging from negosyo packages to hotel accommodations and flights. While these prizes serve as a marketing strategy to attract attendees, they also reflect Go Negosyo's excellent management and engagement with their partners and sponsors. I couldn't help but wonder how they managed to secure partnerships with three well-known airlines for one event. Go Negosyo must be the best in negotiation!

4. Last but not least is Kakai Bautista's performance. She absolutely nailed it, bringing energy to the crowd and delivering an outstanding vocal performance. After listening to multiple guest speakers, which actually drained our minds with too much information, Kakai Bautista came to the rescue, making the tired crowd lively again.

It's a great strategy by Go Negosyo because most events just end with speeches.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience. I love listening to experienced people. However, I wish (in my opinion) that there were more discussions about failures/struggles in business and content creation, especially regarding their impact on mental health. Only two speakers touched upon mental health and offered advice during their presentations. Additionally, I wish there were a discipline committee or some staff group to monitor the noise level of the audience inside the event area. I actually just wanted to listen to the panelists/speakers, but some people were talking and laughing too loudly, which was distracting. To those who plan to attend such events, please keep your voices down; there are parts of the event where you can shout and laugh as loudly as you want – just wait for it. Anyway, a big kudos to Go Negosyo for the perfect flow of the event from registration to prize distribution at the end. Also, the sound system and stage lights were perfect – not too overwhelming, just right for the event. There were no technical issues, and more importantly, the staff were not "Karag" hahaha; they were calm. These factors prove how well they planned the event.

Congratulations for a successful event!

On the other hand, it was a privilege to hear the stories, backgrounds, and concepts of people who have paved their way in the tourism and business industries. Attend these events not just to be inspired and encouraged, but to feel the safe space where others have walked through similar phases of life and managed to thrive and succeed. As Wil Dasovich said, "We are just kids trying to make it." As long as the child within us continues to love and applaud our endeavors, we should persist and never give up.