Upcoming ad congress to unveil many firsts

MANILA, Philippines - This year’s 22nd Philippine Advertising Congress (PAC), scheduled from Nov. 16-19 at the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC), promises to unveil many firsts, not only for the congress, but for the country and the world as well.

During last Wednesday’s launch at the soon-to-open exclusive Genting Club at Resorts World Manila, PAC chairperson Sandy Prieto-Romualdez noted that with the industry going through a lot of changes, this year’s theme – “Change The Game” – serves as a catch-all phrase for what is needed to survive and compete. This will be the first time that someone from the print media group will head the PAC.

The fun-filled launch, emceed by Tessa Prieto-Valdez and Rovilson Fernandez, was hosted by the United Print Media Group (UPMG), The Philippine STAR, Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Business Mirror and Business World.

“This year’s ad congress is really something to look forward to. Especially now that CamSur is the venue, it’s one congress that no one should miss. There’s going to be a lot of fun and surprises,” STAR president and 22nd PAC PR and publicity committee chairman Miguel Belmonte said.

The theme also aims to encourage the advertising industry to take charge of its future by breaking through old habits and creating opportunities out of the unprecedented challenges confronting the industry today.

Romualdez, president of Inquirer, said it is interesting how the AdCon brings people together. “We see competing newspapers such as the Inquirer, ThePhilippine STAR, and Manila Bulletin working together to make this Congress happen. After all, there are some aspects where we have to come together and where there is no competition, such as policies and advocacies. When we bring down our egos and sense of competitiveness to create leverage for change, that is gamechanging,” she pointed out.

She revealed that this year’s congress will have as keynote speaker the most game-changing Filipino – President Aquino. “The 22nd PAC will also not only be the most wired, but also the most active,” she said.

Because CWC is the only resort in the country housing a convention site within its complex, the learning and sporting activities of the PAC would have better balance.

One of the biggest organized activities in the PAC is the Amazing Quest which will test participant’s strength, dexterity and wit. Delegates will also get the chance to experience water sports like wake boarding, dragonboat racing, water obstacles, and beach volleyball among others.

“I want the AdCon to be able to inspire people to think of ways to get out or break barriers,” Romualdez stressed.

She added that the digital space offers both opportunities and challenges for media, particularly the newspaper industry. “For media, we have to leapfrog. People have been used to getting access for free. For advertisers, this means determining the reach of new media. The advertising sector has to be current with the times, otherwise it becomes irrelevant. This congress will give us the opportunity to work together to achieve all these,” Romualdez said.

AdBoard chairman Andre Kahn emphasized that this year’s AdCon promises to change forever the perception of what a congress should be.

In choosing CamSur to be the venue for this congress, Kahn quoted Romualdez when she said that while most of the past congresses were held in big cities, this time, they chose a place which will give the advertising industry an opportunity to create jobs and to put the province on the map. “After this congress, CamSur will no longer be just for sports. Businesses can have serious conventions there, and that we believe is a lasting contribution,” he added.

For his part, Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymond “LRay” Villafuerte Jr. stressed that he does not hold it against the advertising industry if the province was never chosen in the past to be the venue for the AdCon. “CamSur now is so different. It is an unbelievable success story. From being the 39th poorest, it is now the 10th richest provinces in the country. And we have been ranked by the Department of Tourism as the top tourism destination in the Philippines. And how did we achieve this? By getting out of the traditional and typical government mindset and it helped that I came from a business background. And of course, by using viral marketing as a tool (Facebook, blogs, word-of-mouth) for CamSur to be known. We were determined to change the game plan and CamSur’s destiny. And tourism became the most unlikely solution. We build CWC and developed Caramoan Peninsula (one of the locations for the Survivor reality TV series). I want this congress to be the best ever,” he said. CamSur was also the venue for the 2008 and 2009 World Wakeboard Championship.

Villafuerte said CamSur’s hotels can easily accommodate the expected 3,000 delegates to this year’s AdCon.

Leo Burnett chief digital officer Pao Pena explained that for the first time, the AdCon is going digital. This would include the ability to register online and for accomodations, using Twitter and Facebook to get updates on the event. And after 42 years, the congress now has its own portal (www.adcongress.com.ph).

“We are saying goodbye to microsites, to long and robotic URLs. There is only a one-stop URL to remember. The new Ad Congress portal pushes art direction to the edge but also keeps in mind usability,” he said.

For Facebook, the account name is Philippine Ad Congress, while for Twitter (@Adcon PH/), the official hashtag is AdCon 22. For Four Square, it is http://foursquare.com/adconPH.

This year’s AdCon is also unveiling a mobile application idea, which will consolidate all schedules, add schedules of activities to one’s calendar, view details of speakers, activities, and post them on one’s wall. “You can even ask and post questions for the speakers which is another first,” Peña added.

It will be the first-ever opportunity for the chairmen of the country’s top three broadcasting network – Manuel Pangilinan of TV 5, Eugenio Lopez III of ABS-CBN, and Felipe Gozon of GMA Network to be on the same stage. The three will discuss the future of media.

“These three networks epitomize what the consumers are all about as reflected in their programming. It is also in this industry that it is most competitive. We hope they will share with us their game-changing scenarios,” Kahn said.

Another gamechanging forum will be during the plenary, which will have as speakers Charlene Li, author of the best-selling book Groundswell and founder of Altimeter which is a consultancy group specializing on new media; and Charles Cadell, regional managing director for Southeast Asia and Australia of McCann Worldgroup.

Laura Wendt, vice president and managing director of Walt Disney Television International (Southeast Asia) and John Miller, Nestle Philippines CEO will also show how established brands can change the game.