Hybrid CBM 2022 slowly transitions to face-to-face

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu Business Month (CBM 2022) celebration is taking a step further in a fight to open the economy, by holding 70-80 percent of the year-long series of events through face-to face.

CBM 2022 chairperson Brigitte Carmel Lim announced that this year’s events will kick off the return of face-to-face events, albeit combined with virtual access for participants.

Although the threat of COVID-19 is not over yet, Lim said “we can’t keep living in fear.”

In the last two years since the onset of the virus outbreak, CBM events were conducted/held via online, as majority of events were. This year, on the other hand, the clamor is to hold events in face-to-face fashion, which still makes CBM-2022 a hybrid celebration.

Now on its 26th year, CBM-2022 a flagship annual event of Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) is bannering the theme “Go Cebu” with tagline “Realign, Reinforce, Rebuild,” as it aims to inspire beneficial results despite challenging times.

The celebration’s events which focused on four sectors—tourism, ICT/BPM [Information Communication Technology/Business Process Outsourcing), Entrepreneurship and Creative Industry, are scheduled from May to November this year.

These events include; Travel and Tour Exhibit (June 10-12), Go Tech Cebu; A round table discussion (June 17); Founders (StartUp)  Hour on June 17; followed by Cebu Food and Wine Festival on the 18th of June.

In July, Go Invest Cebu: Meet Your Negosyante Icons will be held on the 7th. Go Invest Cebu; An Entrepreneurs’ Summit and Go Invest Cebu; CEO Networking Night are both scheduled on July 8. The month will be capped with the Go Race Cebu; The Safari Experience on the 30th.

The month of August will focus only for tourism, of which the Go Explore Cebu; A tourism Summit is scheduled on the 11th.

September will highlight the Creative Industry initiatives, through the “Go Ignite Cebu: Creative Entertainment Week (CEW). The entire month, events will be held every Friday and Saturday in fields of animation, video games, films and original content.

On October 18, Cebu’s Creative Hub will be inaugurated. Investors’ Primer is set on the 20th, and Go Cebu Grand Expo and Exhibit (October 20-22).

The year-long celebration business in Cebu will culminate in November 2022 with its traditional Thanksgiving Party.

CCCI president Charles Kenneth Co hopes that everyone gets (vaccine) booster shots, so the economy recovers faster and business will go back to its normal course.