MANILA, JANUARY 18, 2013 – With 3,500 to 5,000 delegates expected to join the 23rd Advertising Congress this year, the battle for the destination bid is on.
The largest gathering of advertising stakeholders in the country is expected to break out of the mold with reports saying that the contract has already been awarded to Davao City, which will be a first in the Ad Congress’ history.
During the Advertising Board’s (AdBoard) general membership meeting on January 15, chairman Frederick “Ricky” Alegre announced that the destination has not yet been finalized. But Davao City, one of the bidders, has been claiming victory since December last year, with reports saying that AdCon executive committee co-chair Egay Navalta has notified Department of Tourism (DoT) regional director Arturo Boncato Jr. of the win.
Among the competing local government units (LGUs) and event complexes that bided for the same hosting contract include Baguio City, Boracay, Subic and Camarines Sur. However, Camarines Sur, the 22nd AdCon destination, backed out of the bid during the final presentation.
Boncato, in an interview with SunStar Davao, said that one of the factors that made the AdBoard award the hosting contract to Davao is its serious appeal to help and build the Mindanao brand, especially after the peace treaty has already been signed between the MILF and the government late last year.
This is the city’s fourth bid attempt to host Ad Congress 2013, but it has always failed in terms of capacity to host such a big convention, venue-wise. If the AdBoard does award the contract to Davao City, this will be the first time the Ad Congress will be held in Mindanao.
Although Davao City has already been rumoured as the official host city among industry insiders, Alegre said that the final announcement for the destination will be released during the first week of February.
Unity and camaraderie between agencies are a priority in Alegre’s vision for the Philippines’ advertising industry and the Ad Congress has always been the time when advertising stakeholders in the country can get together and forge stronger ties. In order to maintain tight connections with different member agencies, the AdBoard Games was released last year, a non-Ad Congress year.
The three-day congress will be held in November 2013.
The Ad Congress is a biennial event of the AdBoard. It is the industry’s biggest advertising/marketing communications gathering in the country involving the advertisers, advertising agencies, suppliers, media, research organizations, billboard operators and other stakeholders. Local and foreign speakers are invited to update business and marketing practitioners on the latest or current trends in advertising and marketing communications.
The 23rd Ad Congress will be jointly spearheaded by the Marketing & Opinion Research Society of the Philippines (MORES) and the Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines (ASAP).
