DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/27 June) — The National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Summit here on August 20-21 will help promote the city as a tourism and venue for big meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE), organizers said.
With the theme “Philippine MSMEs: Beating Challenges… Accelerating Innovations,” the summit will take place at the SMX Convention Center and expects to draw at least 500 participants.
Mary Ann M. Montemayor, National MSME Development Council vice chairperson and chair of the summit organizing committee, said the event will be “an affirmation of our claim as the thriving MICE destination of the Philippines.”
“Davao as host and venue of the MSME summit stands to gain as a show window of the various products and services that we offer, as a vibrant tourism destination and haven for new investments,” she told MindaNews.
In her presentation during the launching Thursday, Montemayor said the national event aimed to provide a venue to present the updated national MSME development plan for 2014-2016.
She added it will be the venue to apprise the MSMEs and MSME Development Councils on vital development concerns or challenges.
These include value chain upgrading and competitiveness, innovation, disaster preparedness and resiliency, green business or economy in light of Asean Economic Community 2015 and climate change phenomena, among others.
Opportunities or programs and projects that will support MSMEs in four areas of concerns, namely business environment, access to finance, access to market, and, productivity and efficiency will be presented in the summit.
There will also be a presentation of the best practices and success stories of MSMEs.
Emmanuel Sta. Cruz, owner of the Davao-based South Shore Divers, which offers scuba diving courses and fun dives, said he considered joining the summit. He said it will help promote tourism in the Davao Region.
“It is an opportunity to introduce scuba diving in the Davao Gulf that is a part of the pride of Mindanao,” he told MindaNews.
Montemayor also presented the proposal to put up the Mindanao Crafts and Cultural Village on August 20-24 at the summit venue in time for the Kadayawan Festival. She said the proposed cultural village will be set up at the mall atrium using indigenous materials and other decors.
Crafts, weavings and living traditions of indigenous peoples of Mindanao such as the Ata Manobo of Paquibato, Matigsalug of Marilog, Mandaya of Davao Oriental, and Bagobo of Davao del Sur will be featured in the cultural village.
Aside from MSMEs, the target audience of the summit also includes policy and regulatory agencies, financial institutions and banks, corporate leaders and investors, technology providers and innovators, industry clusters, academe, policy makers, development agencies, and non-government associations. (Lorie Ann Cascaro/MindaNews)
