Jonathan Chio: A drive fueled by passion

MANILA, Philippines - Jonathan Chio’s love affair with cars started way back when he was a kid collecting matchbox toys and playing with them every time. He spent his first paycheck modifying his dad’s car and has since then been setting aside a portion of his salary to buy something for his ride.

Today, Chio is in the driver’s seat for the longest-running car show and automotive lifestyle event in the country. As CEO of Ladder Events Production, he is responsible for staging Bumper to Bumper XI (B2B), the biggest production setup in any car show in Asia, to be held on Dec. 5 and 6 at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds.

Now on its 11th year, B2B promises to be the best one yet. The event has gone a long way and has established itself as the car show to watch for year in, year out.

“B2B was formed because of one goal: to unite all the car clubs. We were only six people at the time and we set up the first-ever Bumper to Bumper Car Show 10 years ago in one huge parking lot. The rest is history,” recalls Chio.

He continues, “Car shows at the time were very limited and only catered to a niche market. A car show to me was never about business. It was all about passion. Without passion, I would have not lasted this long. Without passion, I would have given up on B2B. The business side of this all was just a bonus and a blessing. That is the good thing about being passionate in what you do: sooner or later, people will see your effort, your character, your originality, and the quality of your work.”

This passion took Chio and his team on a tour across the Philippines to bring B2B to 11 key cities, including Baguio, Batangas, Cebu, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Laguna, La Union, Manila, Pampanga, and Pangasinan. Thanks to their dedication and hard work, smaller provinces get to experience this one-of-a-kind car show.

According to Chio, car shows are close to the hearts of Filipinos because we get inspired to dream of owning the same cars we see in shows. Also, the fact that B2B is not just purely about cars broadens its target audience, which is about 70,000 car enthusiasts and onlookers.

“You will see over 400 show cars of different types, variants, colors, and brands. There will be no dull moment as we have a full production show on day 1 that includes a dance showdown, concert with a girl band, a DJ party, a variety show, and fashion show. On day 2, we will be having a drive-in movie with free popcorn for the first 100 seated guests. And if you like shoes, we will also introduce Sneaker Fever Manila this year,” says Chio.

The hardworking man is most proud of the fact that since 2005, B2B has been the launching pad not just for car brands but most importantly for small and medium enterprises that do not have the budget for bigger shows, car show models, photographers, bloggers, and suppliers. “A lot of long-lasting friendships were born in our events. And these friendships do not end in the local scene – we have built relationships across the nation and the world,” he says.

Chio credits his success to teamwork and a learning attitude – maximising and appreciating everyone in the team and not ceasing to evolve and grow. He adds, “I’m also guided by my four P’s: passion, patience, persistence, and prayers.”

“Seeing so many people enjoying the event is my fulfilment. Organising car shows is stressful and very tiring. But if you see so many people having a good time at the show, it gives you that natural adrenalin to work harder and make everything better,” concludes Chio.