High-Fives and Salakots: A Heartfelt Thank You to MICECON

What an incredible experience being at MICECON24 held at locations throughout the
Clark Freeport Zone and the Clark Event Centre.

I will not attempt to personally thank all of the wonderful people who organized and coordinated the event. There are too many to honor individually.

I would like to point out that I, little ole me, was deemed apparently so high maintenance that they assigned not one, not two, but three, THREE Liaisons to watch over me. HA! Thank you, the triad of Ms. Rhea, Ms. Precy and Ms. Katherine, for taking great care of me and your kindness overall, I’m glad we shared time together. 

And I had fun with the audience and in the video you’ll see my giving Focusonthe40 stickers out in exchange for high-fives. I also tried, unsuccessfully, to charge $10 USD for photos with me and though I’m not sure what the conversion rate is exactly but the 10 pesos I was offered seemed a bit low ?

The Filipino word for the conical items pictured above my head in the photo is called a salakot and is a broad-brimmed woven headwear deeply rooted in Filipino culture and uniquely woven in different styles throughout the country. The salakot provides practical protection from the sun and rain and also represents status and cultural identity. I found this article to be a fascinating read on the history of the salakot. The country itself is home to over 7,641 islands and 180+ living languages which speaks to the many cultures within the country.

The hospitality of the Filipino people was remarkable. A few days afterwards two of the other speakers said they felt like Cinderella after the ball. And I agree, the magic had ended for now during a lovely, albeit short, trip I’ll remember for the rest of my life and I can’t wait to visit again.  

To sisi, to lechon, fermented rice, a dram of Don Papa and to the many great Filipino professionals involved in the MICE industry in the Philippines, thank you.