AT AGE 26, he may be too young to be at the helm of a major event, but Kenneth G. Dong is unfazed. He is determined to proceed no matter what the odds are.
Mr. Dong has launched the First International Agriculture and Tourism Expo (IATE), a three-day event set for June 30 to July 2, 2011 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. It will gather some 400 product exhibitors and 1,000 cooperatives and hopes to attract some 20,000 local visitors and 1,000 foreign visitors.
Participants and visitors to the Expo will be treated to a series of awareness campaigns, learning seminars, product exhibits and cultural performances that will stress the role of two major industries in the Philippines: agriculture, which contributes 20 percent to the domestic economy, and the growing tourism industry, which hopes to attract six million tourists a year.
For Mr. Dong, it’s a great challenge to make this event a success. He has gone a long way from his roots in Fujian, China, where he was born on August 28, 1984. He and his two sisters were taught by their parents early on that only through hard work can you earn success. It was hard life in China where the family struggled to sustain a toy manufacturing company.
Meeting with no success, Mr. Dong’s family gave up the toy business and migrated to the Philippines when he was 12. As a teenager, he devoted most of his time to their family business, this time a small general merchandise store in Divisoria, Manila. That is where he learned his ropes in business, studying in the morning and working in the afternoon and evening.
Having learned business at a very young age, Mr. Dong then moved to selling electronic digital weighing scales at the age of 18, together with his brother-in-law under the name 3 Kingdom Trading. From their first office in Malabon, they later expanded to the Visayas and Mindanao. Business expansion prompted Mr. Dong to change the business name to Asuki Weighing Systems. By then Mr. Dong became the exclusive distributor of the Asuki-brand electronic digital weighing scales in the Philippines, which now has eight branches throughout the country.
Soon Mr. Dong ventured into another line of business, which is events organizing. He set up in May 2010 the A-Linx Events International, Inc., which engages in organizing and conceptualizing events such as exhibits, social events, seminars, trainings and trade fairs.
A perceptive observer, Mr. Dong saw the amazing growth of the travel and tourism industry around the world as people increase their income. These travelers, with money to spend, are seeking new attractions and exciting adventures.
Mr. Dong thought that if you combine this with travel to rural farm areas for leisure, education and active involvement with agricultural activities, you have the concept of “agri-tourism.” He sees a big potential in the Philippines for agri-tourism with its abundant natural resources. “The Philippines has all the potential to be a world-class agri-tourism destination,” he says. He cited the hospitable and dynamic culture of Filipinos. Mr. Dong has no doubt that agri-tourism will become a major factor in strengthening the economy.
Mr. Dong said that this First International Agriculture and Tourism Expo is a product of his belief. “We have to push both agriculture and tourism through this kind of gathering,” he says. “It’s the trend of the future.”
“The first company I worked dealt with digital weighing scales, which almost all industries are using. Through this company, I built up my business network and government contacts. As I was conceptualizing this project, I consulted with my network of people and they all agreed to this concept of pushing agriculture and tourism, and they gave their full support,” Mr. Dong says.
From then on, there was no turning back on the project. The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Tourism gave their support. Then came the endorsement of several big organizations and businesses, among them the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (Phils.), Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association, Philippine Sugar Millers Association, Technology Resource Center, Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, the Department of Agriculture’s attached agencies, Local Government Units, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, Philippine Travel Agencies Association, the Universal Robina Corporation, Foremost Farms Inc., Pfizer, Philippine Planters Products and Univet Nutrition & Animal Healthcare Co.
Under the lead of their mother offices, attached agencies of the Department of Tourism and the Department of Agriculture are also lending their support. Among them are the Bureau of Agricultural Research, Philippine Agricultural Development & Commercial Corporation, Bureau of Animal Industry, Livestock Development Council, National Dairy Authority, Philippine Carabao Center, National Meat Inspection Service, Bureau of Plant Industry, Philippine Rice Research Institute, Philippine Center for Postharvest Development & Mechanizations, Philippine Agrarian Reform Foundation National Development, Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, Philippine Crop & Insurance Co. and the Bureau of Soils & Water Management.
Mr. Dong believes in volunteerism. He supports issues and people he believes in. That’s why he lent his support and volunteered to campaign for such political figures and candidates as Sen. Ralph Recto, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, Cesar Montano and Alex Lacson. He is thus thankful that when he himself needed help for his agri-tourism project, he got the endorsement people like Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, chairman of Agriculture Committee; Senator Manuel Lapid, chairman of Tourism Committee; Sen. Sen. Loren Legarda, chairman of Foreign Affairs; Sen. Edgardo Angara, chairman on Education Committee; and Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., chairman of Local Governments Committee.
Mr. Dong hopes that after this agri-tourism project there will be more projects to come that will be of benefit to the country. “Aside from being an entrepreneur, I aspire to become a public servant in the future to be of help to push the country’s aspirations,” he says.
