PHILIPPINES, APRIL 25, 2011 – In the lead-up to the official launch of the 22nd Philippine Advertising Congress in the third week of May, current Ad Congress chair Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, president and CEO of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, opens up about the Ad Congress to be held in Camsur on November 16 to 19, 2011.
In little over six months’ time, an expected 3000 delegates will be attending the biennial Ad Congress in a venue not known for events of this kind.
Not a few were surprised when the open call for local government units to bid for this year’s Ad Congress venue was announced. Twelve bids were submitted, of which three met the requirements. After long deliberations by the organizers, Camsur was announced as the winner.
There is no doubt that Camarines Sur (Camsur) in the Bicol region is changing the game. It has transformed itself from one of the country’s poorest provinces to one of the richest, driven primarily by sports tourism at Camsur Governor Luis “LRay” Villafuerte’s pet project, Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC). Housed in the provincial capitol complex in Pili, a short drive from Naga City, CWC has hosted local and international sporting events. In addition, the province has benefitted from the interest in the Caramoan group of islands following its use as the location for the French edition of the reality TV series Survivor. Camsur is now one of the Philippines’ top tourist destinations.
The timing of the Ad Congress could not be better, as Gov. Villafuerte had planned to expand Camsur’s market from sports tourism to conference tourism this year. Additional structures will be built in time for the Ad Congress, which the CWC can still use after the event.
Ad Congress chair Prieto-Romualdez describes the governor as very hands-on, discussing plans and providing updates on a weekly basis. Gov. Villafuerte, who will also host the opening cocktails, has committed all accommodations within 30 minutes of CWC to the Ad Congress. This means that no other tourists will be able to avail of rooms during the congress dates, ensuring that all delegates will find accommodation. Rooms can only be booked online through a new system and will not be possible to book directly with the hotels.
"Just like in any other province, there are range of accommodations," says Prieto-Romualdez. She suggests those who wish to book five-star accommodation to book early as there are limited rooms in this class, but those who are satisfied with mid-range accommodation have nothing to worry about, as there are enough places for all delegates. Within CWC alone, there are villas, log cabins, trailers, tiki huts, among a variety of room types. Nearby Naga City also offers different classes of accommodation.
Spearheading this year’s Ad Congress are combined forces of the United Print Media Group (UPMG), the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP) and the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP).
The Ad Congress chairperson is herself a game changer. Under Sandy Prieto-Romualdez’s leadership, the Inquirer has maintained its status as one of the most trusted broadsheets and has become available on new platforms and formats in keeping with the changing times: on AM radio with Radyo Inquirer, and electronic versions of the paper for the Kindle and the iPad.
Knowing what a a big challenge heading the Ad Congress is, Prieto-Romualdez is still puzzled why she accepted the top post, having served as a committee member and committee head in previous congresses. “I’m still asking myself why," she shares. "I think I had a lapse of reality. Every year I always swear I’m never going to work in the Ad Cong again. But it’s really for the industry. It’s the first time that people from Star, Inquirer, Bulletin–who you would consider competitors–worked together. It’s high time to give back.”
Prieto-Romualdez has been busy with the preparations for the Ad Congress since the start of the year and works with several dedicated committee heads. "I think of it as much as I think of my own work," she says. "I’m so lucky that I’ve had such a great team that works just as hard as I do. In other industry conferences, they appoint a chair and then, ‘Ok, ciao, adios! See you in the conference.’ I think only the Ad Congress involves so many people in the industry."
Unlike most conferences where participants simply listen to a line-up of speakers, the Ad Congress is a full advertising festival, with opportunities for the industry to enjoy entertainment from sponsors, view the exhibit and get together as an industry, aside from the seminars. Prieto-Romualdez promises a very active Ad Congress this year, with a variety of sports activities including running, beach volleyball and even a dragonboat race.
Aside from helping build local tourism, the Ad Congress marries several other objectives. It is a fundraiser for the Advertising Board of the Philippines (AdBoard) and its member associations, hence the need to make it cost efficient. Another objective is to work with AdBoard chairman Andrei Kahn to come out with a resolution, possibly every day of the Ad Congress, announcing breakthrough policies in line with the AdBoard’s re-engineering.
For Prieto-Romualdez, the ideal Ad Congress is equal parts inspiration, learning and fun–all the usual ingredients of the Ad Congress. As this year is a fresh start for organizing team, the result is expected to be no less than game-changing.
