Last September 24, Saturday, I attended the first BlogEx Manila 2016, which was held in SMX Convention Center, SM Aura, Taguig City.
It is a joint project between Tag Media Public Relations and Brand Philosophy Inc. This event is the first-ever recognition, conference, and expo where influencers/bloggers and business owners/brands can interact and meet. In addition, attendees learn from the experts, with different speakers talking about the importance of blogging, social media, and marketing.
I had a great time attending the event with my blogger friends, Janis Narvas of Untouristing and Peng Desuyo of Read My Lips.
This is my third time to attend a blog convention, but I still learned many things that I can use in making my blog grow. Below are my top highlights of #BlogEx 2016.
Talks
Of all the blog conventions that I attended, this is the only one where I listened to most of the talks. We finished looking at the exhibitors and brands in less than an hour, so Janis, Peng, and I spent most of the event listening to the talks.
What attracted me to do this is that the conference floor was comfortable. I think the organizers really thought about the convenience of the attendees because they placed tables and chairs, so it was easy for us to take notes. Other blog conventions only had chairs. In my opinion, that’s a big plus.
Chef Dino Guingona of Larawanbychefd
The short yet meaningful talk of Chef Dino Guingona is one of my favorites. His blog, Larawanbychefd, posts photos because Chef Dino believes that images tell more stories.
One takeaway that I got from him is we bloggers should “try to keep our blog positive”. As much as possible, your audience should keep reading and the best way to do that is to post positive topics. I agree with this and I try to make my blog as positive as I can.
My last takeaway from this talk is that we should blog with absolute passion. This actually stuck to me because, while I love my blog, I know I still lack the passion for it. After this talk, I promised myself to make improve and grow my blog more.
Cyberbullying Forum/Panel Discussion
The cyberbullying panel discussion included Chef Dino, Eva Rachion from Zoomanity group, and Professor Xiao Chua as the speakers, while Dr. Marc Celis was the moderator. Below are my takeaways on this discussion that are really applicable for bloggers and online influencers:
1. “Once you post online, it is there forever.”
2. “Think before you click.”
3. You must not escalate an issue, as well as think first if what you say will give a big effect on a person.
4. You must command responsibility. Online influencers should also teach the young people what to do and to respect everyone on the internet.
5. Whatever you share online is a reflection of your personality.
6. You must keep everything simple, focused, and positive. There should be no negative vibes online. Do no rant and do not show your dark side.
7. Stay focused on your audience.
Importance of Social Media Talk
This is one of the most informative talks in the event because they told us how important social media is for everyone. Social media today is a reflection of what the world is out there. Online influencers should utilize it in blogging and marketing, so they can keep people more informed.
Going Around and Checking the Brands
Hahaha silly me, I didn’t take pictures of the brands because we were busy going around. We played games, got to know the brands, and interacted with them. After going around, there were brands that stuck to me and, hopefully, I can try them soon. Some of those that were present in the event include:
The Mind Museum
Pay Maya
FWD Insurance / Orange World
Tree Top Adventure
Zoomanity Group
i-Aicon
Creativisions Photo Services
TAG Media and Public Relations
The Manor Hotel
Biyahe Ko Travel and Beyond
Pangalan.com
Galleon.ph
Harana.ph
Brand Philosophy
And here are my hauls from the event:
BlogEx Manila Awards also held raffles for the attendees and I won concert tickets, woohoo! :D
Meeting Fellow Bloggers
One of the things that I look forward in blog conventions is meeting fellow bloggers. I was already with Janis when we arrived and then I introduced her to Peng. Since then, we looked at brands, listened to the talks, and watched the awards together. J
I also finally saw Kuya Jon of Jon to the World after so many years.
Kuya Jon was my colleague in GMA Network, Inc. When he and I resigned, we didn’t communicate much even if we remained Facebook friends. However, when I found out he started blogging about travel, I PM’d him and we started communicating about blogging. It was great to know that we’re finally doing what we want, which we couldn’t do when we were in GMA.
It was great to catch up with Kuya Jon to talk about our days in GMA and about our present lives. We weren’t able to talk long, but I do hope we can in the next blog events.
Oh, and by the way, I nominated Jon to the World and it was a finalist in the travel category of the BlogEx Manila Awards.
BlogEx Manila Awards
After the talks and some performances, the main event finally came. The BlogEx Manila Awards is actually one of the great things in the event because the organizers recognized bloggers and online influencers for their innovative opinions and content. Apart from the judges, the winners were also picked via online voting.
I liked this part because, finally, bloggers and online influencers are being seen for what they do. I do hope this serves as a way for others to see how very important online people are and how they can help in keeping people informed.
Below are photos of the BlogEx Manila Awards:
Final Say
Overall, I can say that BlogEx Manila 2016 is one of the best blogger events that I have attended recently. Not only were we able to get many takeaways from the talks, but great online influencers were also recognized. BlogEx 2016 had a small participant turnout, but I think that was a great idea because the whole event was more focused .
Indeed, the organizers really gave online influencers, bloggers, and brands the opportunity to get exposed and to interact with each other. I look forward to the next BlogEx Manila.
~ Hainrhi
