Too many trade fairs a bad thing?

CEBU, Philippines - Trade fairs are all over the city. Some put up by the city government, some by private groups. But this worries some participating vendors due to the competition in sales.

However trade fair organizers are confident that the vendors and traders will still have good businesses especially with the numerous events coming up.

Anelita Tamasan, 51, a barbecue vendor and a participant in the Kasadya sa Downtown, said she is worried because there are too many trade fairs in the city for the Christmas and New Year festivities.

She pointed out that there are vendors near the Cebu City Sports Center, IT Park, Fuente Osmeña and more will be coming for the upcoming Kasadya sa South Road Properties.

While Tamasan said a lot of people are buying in Colon for now she is worried this might die down if the other trade fairs gain popularity.

Another vendor, Lilia Cruz, said that her employer still rents a stall near CCSC despite the competition every year and they can see the difference in sales due to the number of vendors in other parts of the city.

However, Downtown revitalization project president Geoge Chu said that they are not worried because many people still go to Colon.

Also, there are a huge number of offices in the area, said Chu, which means employees buy their needs in the place close to their location.

Chu said that the concerns were expected already but so far, there has been good sales feedback from the vendors.

He added that they are also very lenient on the payment for the rent of the stalls. He explained the rent ranges from P3,000 to P5,000 depending on the location, payable anytime within the duration of the Kasadya sa Downtown.

As for the stalls near the CCSC which are under the Sinulog Foundation Inc., the competition of sales is already expected, but this does not affect the number of vendors that apply for a location every year.

SFI executive director Ricky Ballesteros said that every year the vendors in their stalls have the same concerns regarding competition from other trade fairs.

But he said that at the end of the selling duration, they still get very good feedback from the vendors and traders.

The Sinulog fair near CCSC opened last December 1 and will run for two months, until January 31.

Ballesteros said that this is proven by the same applicants, different traders from all over the country, who come to sell here year after year.

As of now, around 70 percent of the 64 stalls have been taken, Ballesteros said.

A P30,000 registration fee is paid for the whole two months and that includes the tent, electricity and a security guard to man the area. — (FREEMAN)