EDITORIAL – Dream coming true

DABAWENYOS are heartened that their dream of Davao becoming an acknowledged convention city is nearing reality in the New Year.
This has become a possibility with the opening during the third quarter of year 2012 of the huge SMX convention center in Lanang, some three kilometers from the poblacion, the seat of the city government. SMX, which can house some 5,000 sitting conventionists with enough space to spare for dining and entertainment viewing, is located inside the cavernous SM Lanang Premier and a few steps away from the luxurious Park Inn by Radisson. No wonder, several national gatherings and summits were held there in succession soon after the ideally-located center was inaugurated.
The national convention of the Integrated Bar of the Phililippines (IBP) to be attended by close to 2,000 of the country’s practising lawyers is scheduled on January 17 as the first big gathering this year.
The most awaited gathering is of course the Philippines Advertising Congress with some 5,000 of the industry players from the advertising sector, commercial media and big business in attendance. The ad congress is the mother of all gatherings of its nature.
The country’s major cities salivate at hosting the congress because it is an occasion for the local government and partner sectors to showcase their place’s best attributes as an ideal destination for investment and tourism.
As we write this, Davao City already has ample space to accommodate ad congress participants – more than 5,000 hotel rooms available for them.
The expense involved in hosting the Congress will, of course, be huge, too. For the uninitiated this is scary. Protecting the participants will also be a security nightmare.
In reality, however, hosting the activities can be farmed out to various moneyed sponsors, big business corporations which have huge advertising budgets and media companies themselves who will benefit from unlimited exposure to the public. This kind of sponsorship valued millions is customarily in past congresses.
Fortunately for Davao, the city is not a stranger to the challenges of big conventions. Davao did the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) in 2006 and came out of it with flying colors. Until today, foreigners who joined it are still marvelling at how the city pulled it off with a lasting good impression. It was done with the city having a lot less capabilities. However, it was done with the city under the same leader, Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, who would be hizzoner again when the congress unfolds sometime in November. Note that Inday Sara D. Carpio, the incumbent mayor, is gungho over the multi-sectoral effort to win the right to host the iconic gathering, extending all assistance and influence her office can possibly give.
There is no doubt that the same level of support will be extended by incoming mayor Rody when he assumes office in July.
Still, the all-out cooperation of the local private sector is sine qua non to a successful hosting. The lure of Davao City to conventionists, given its more superior amenities and points of interest, is undoubtedly stronger than that of the others who lost to us in the competition for the right to host, namely Boracay, Subic, Baguio and Cebu. But it is no reason to be complacent, considering that a bigger dream is at stake here – Davao’s being established as a MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibition) City which will elevate us to the level of Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Macau and Bangkok.