The Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc. (AFFI) announced that the first “BUYanihan Resellers’ Expo,” originally scheduled November 28-30, 2020, has been moved to December 5-7, 2020.
The expo was organized by the BUYanihan Movement, a multi- sectoral, non-stock, non-profit trade organization, which is led by AFFI, together with various trade organizations. Expected to attend this exclusive event are over 200 resellers and franchisees nationwide.
Since face-to-face events are still not allowed under existing safety and health protocols issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), the 3-day BUYanihan Resellers’ Expo will be held virtually using PLDT Ka-Asenso as the official online platform.
The platform allows aspiring Micro, Small and Medium-size Entrepreneurs (MSMEs) to sell their goods in order to help them bounce back and recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez underscores the importance of helping the MSMEs recover from the COVID-19 pandemic because they were severely affected. He continues to urge the public to help rebuild the economy by patronizing locally made products and services produced by the MSMEs.
The importance of MSMEs cannot be understated, he said, considering that they account for more than 99 percent of the total number of business establishments in the country. This includes the fact that MSMEs provide about 62.4 percent of total employment, a must need for many unemployed or underemployed Filipinos during this pandemic.
“MSMEs continue to serve as the country’s economic backbone, even when they were also the most affected by the economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
“As we slowly reopen the economy, let us create a ‘Better Normal’ this Christmas season by rebuilding our country one purchase at a time,” the trade chief added.
“It will be an unprecedented event where for the first time, it will be a virtual exhibit venue for all participating resellers and franchisees to showcase their products and find potential expansion for their businesses,” says AFFI President Jorge Noel Wieneke III.
The holding of the expo is one way also for AFFI to reassure its members that the association will continue to find and are doing ways to support them and sort of “weather the storm,” according to Wieneke.
Aside from the virtual showcase booth, the expo will also feature business organization leaders who will share their knowledge and other insightful trends, tools and strategies.
For its part, the DTI will inform and assist in areas and issues such as compliance to business registration policies and procedures that aim to formalize and professionalize the resellers’ trade.
The exhibit is spearheaded by AFFI, PLDT Ka-Asenso, Philippine Star, the Women’s Business Council Philippines, Philippine Marketing Association, the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship/Go Negosyo, JCI Makati, Bounce Back PH, Sarap PH, and in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
To register, please click https://www.virtualtradeexpoph.com/expo/buyanihan-resellers-virtual-trade-expo and fill up the forms in order to reserve a slot.
Deadline for registration is on November 26, 2020. For information and for other queries and concerns, contact Ms. Jen Concepcion at 09179482930 or email [email protected]. Visit also https://affi.com.ph or AFFI’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/affiempoweringentrepreneurs/.