For the past years, the Philippines have emerged as one of
the fastest growing economies in the world, impressively rivaling the growth
rates of fellow Asian countries. From being referred to as the “sick man
of Asia” in headlines, it has turned around to being referred to now as the
“new breakout nation”.
Integral to the economic development and growth of the
Philippines are the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), as they largely
outnumber large enterprises in both quantity of establishments and share of the
labor force they employ. To provide industry market intelligence to boost
the business of SMEs, MEDIACOM Solution Inc. is staging the 2nd Philippine
Small & Medium Enterprise Business Expo 2014 (PhilSME) with the
tagline “Boost Your Business”. PhilSME 2014 is the largest trade
show dedicated to the ASEAN SME Community in the Philippines with 238
exhibiting businesses from 18 business sectors and 20,000 expected visitors.
This is set to be the focal point in the business community this year as it
happens in November 21-23, 2014 at the SMX Convention Center Manila, Pasay
City, Philippines.
“We aim to put together under one roof SME business
owners, senior level executives, professionals, government agencies, trade
associations from the Philippines and the ASEAN region to synergize their
efforts in order to boost their businesses and the Philippine economy at large.
The ASEAN economic community will become the 7th largest economy in the world
with a combined consumer market of over 600 million people,” said David
Abrenilla, Founder and Managing Director of PhilSME 2014 and CEO of MEDIACOM
Solutions, Inc.
Philippine Trade Undersecretary for Regional
Operations Group Zenaida C. Maglaya recognized the pivotal role SMEs play in
fuelling the economy as they account for 99.6 percent of total registered
enterprises, according to recent trade department data.
In response to this, Abrenilla added, “We would like to
provide the gateway for this new market brought about by the ASEAN integration.
The PhilSME 2014 will be their one-stop shop for all their business needs from
seeking advice from qualified experts to networking with key decision makers to
gathering market intelligence.”
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)
President Alfredo M. Yao, in his speech at a recent event listed factors
challenging the private sector’s readiness and competitiveness under the
economic integration in 2015 and cited the need for initiatives, such as
workshops, to prepare SMEs for the upcoming ASEAN integration.
Yao listed the challenges such as: high cost of power and
logistics, inadequate transport infrastructure and access of SMEs to financing
and technology.
With PhilSME 2014, the agenda is to help small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) to be competitive with large corporations, especially with
the rising global competition. It shall be the venue for small and medium sized
businesses from the Philippines and the ASEAN region to build new
relationships, help network with local and international decision makers,
business owners, senior level executives and do business amongst SMEs and its
supporters.
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