On Friday, March 6, the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship or more widely known as GoNegosyo is set to hold its biggest women empowerment program, its annual GoNegosyo Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit that welcomes thousands of participants from all walks of life – students who would like to complement their classroom learning on business and entrepreneurship, teachers wanting to have better inputs to their instruction, working moms and mompreneurs, other working professionals, and practicing entrepreneurs.
As an advocacy organization, GoNegosyo seeks to promote entrepreneurship to more Filipinos all over the country through its various programs and multimedia campaigns. Recognizing the role of the Filipina in cultivating families and communities and growing and starting a business, GoNegosyo continues to stage what could be one of the biggest, if not the largest, women empowerment events in the country.
In a 2006 Philippine survey on entrepreneurship led by the Global Economic Monitor, Filipinas own 45 percent of enterprises. Women are also more active in starting new businesses (69%) and running the business within the first 3.5 years (51%). Women own (34%) of established businesses.
Since 2009, the organization, led by Mr. Joey Concepcion and Mr. Ramon Lopez as the Founding Trustee and Executive Director respectively, holds the Summit in time with the International Celebration of the Women’s Month. The program aims to provide the attendees learning opportunities on entrepreneurship and other investment options and empower them as they juggle various roles of being a mom, a wife, an entrepreneur or a career woman.
The 7th offering of the Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit is set to happen at the World Trade Center Halls B & C in Pasay City, from 9 in the morning to about 6 in the evening.
If you are free but are still undecided if you are going or not, or if you have work but could file a leave, here are our 7 reasons why we think you should not miss the Summit:
7 Reasons Why You Should Not Miss the 7th GoNegosyo Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit 2015
Reason #7: Fully packed plenary programÂ
GoNegosyo’s usual format for its entrepreneurship summits is one big plenary fully packed with various inspirational speakers and forums consisting of successful women entrepreneurs, thought leaders and other women icons. There are five major plenary forums as follows:
Forum 1 – Keynote Forum: Women in Power;
Forum 2 – GoNegosyo Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneur Awardees and Key Intrapreneurs Forum;
Forum 3 – Forum on Home-based Businesses;
Forum 4 – The Complete Woman Forum – Forum on Women Areas of Concerns; and,
Forum 5 – Forum on Direct-Selling & Franchising.
There will also be one plenary talk by the founder of the Multiple Intelligence International School, Ms. Mary Joy Abaquin, who will speak about how it is to raise enterprising children. Ms. Abaquin authored GoNegosyo’s 8 Simple Secrets to Raising Entrepreneurs book.
Aside from the forums and the talk, this year’s batch of GoNegosyo Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneurs will also be recognized. Previous awardees include: Maria Ressa (Rappler), Vicky Belo (Belo Medical Group), Pacita Juan (Echostore), Susana Guerrero (Cravings Group), Sari Yap (Mega Publishing), Corazon Ong (CDO Foodsphere) Judy Wong Gueverra (Leslie’s Corporation), Natividad Cheng (Uratex), Marixi Prieto (Philippine Daily Inquirer), Socorro Ramos (National Bookstore) and Esther Vibal (Vibal Publishing).
Reason #6: Women in power
One of the highlights of the Summit is the keynote forum that will feature three of the most powerful Filipinas in the government and in the business sector. The keynote forum will be paneled by Sen. Cynthia Villar who is also a champion of entrepreneurship in the Senate; Cong.
Leni Robredo; and Ms. Tessie Sy-Coson who was one of the Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women from 2001 to 2010. Sen. Loren Legarda will also be joining as leader and facilitator for the Complete Women Forum while female leaders of big corporations such as Katrina Abelarde of PLDT SME Nation, Yati Abdullah of DHL Philippines, and Marife Agudo of Hyundai Philippines are also joining the other forum.
Reason # 5: NEGOSYO EXPO that the attendees can visit, shop or get business ideas from.
Some of the confirmed companies include: PLDT SME Nation, RFM Corporation, Meralco, Sta Elena Construction and Development Corporation, DHL, Calata Corporation, Wilcon Depot, Vibal Publishing, BPI KaNegosyo, Kettle Korn, Business World, Double Dragon Properties Inc, Condura, Potato Corner, Richwell Trading Inc., Tupperware Brands Philippines, Hyundai, BDO, PR Gaz, ChemWorld Fragrance Factory, Ace Water Spa, Mekeni Food Corporation, Philippine Franchise Association, Association of Filipino Franchisers Inc., Happy Haus Donuts, Chairman Cuapao, Michelle’s Putong Ube, Thrifty Philippines, Ka-Entrep and many more!
Reason #4: NEGOSYO PACKAGES AND SOME RAFFLE ITEMS
Lucky winners will take home a negosyo package or a raffle item. Some of the participants will bring home any of the following: Happy Haus Donuts Franchise, Kettle Korn Distributorship Packages, Vibal Dealership, Calata Corporation Giftpacks, All Day Supermarket Sari-Sari Store Showcase, Aficionado dealership, Tupperware Dealership and many more!
Reason #3: Free mentoring!
As part of the Negosyo Expo, GoNegosyo is offering free mentorship for aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs. All you have to do is to line up in the GoNegosyo booth and wait for your turn to be advised. Sitting as mentors are GoNegosyo Angelpreneurs Mon Abrea (Abrea Consulting Group on tax management), Armand Bengco (Colayco Foundation on personal finance), Jorge Wiekene (food entrepreneurship, marketing and product development), Victor Madlangbayan (agripreneurship, social enterprise, business planning), Carlo Calimon (Let’s Go Foundation/ Mobbkard on technopreneurship, marketing, entrepreneurship 101), Virgilio Nonoy Espeleta (family business), Marites Dimaculangan (DImaculangan, Dimaculangan on business finance and accounting), and Mylene Abiva (marketing and product development).
The Women Business Council of the Philippines is also setting up free mentoring sessions in their booth.
Reason #2: Celebrity moderators and panelists
For those who follow and love seeing and meeting celebrities, we will also have some of them during the Summit. Queen of all media, Ms. Kris Aquino, broadcast journalist Ms.
Karen Davila and beauty queen and TV personality Ms. Miriam Quiambao are confirmed as forum moderators while GoNegosyo TV show host Michael Angelo Lobrin, Ms. Alice Sotto and radio personalities Emmylou Gaite (aka Nicole Hyala) and Cheska Camille San Diego of GoNegosyo sa DZRH are joining as hosts. Aside from them, celebrity moms and celebrity entrepreneurs are also confirmed to share their stories. They are Cheska Garcia-Kramer, Ara Mina, Tin Tin Bersola Babao and Bettinna Carlos.
Reason #1: Registration is free for students and teachers
As an advocacy esp. for the youth and the aspiring entrepreneurs, the event is free for students and teachers. For the rest, the registration fee is P800.00 which will cover for a reserved seat in the plenary, a seminar kit, certificate of completion and lunch.
7th GoNegosyo Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit 2015
#FES7
www.gonegosyo.net
Article by John Paul Uminga, Programs Development Manager, Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship.
