It will be fiesta once again in Naga!

Bicol Mail

ADCONGRESS 22 IN NOVEMBER

It will be a grand fiesta celebration once again when the 22nd Advertising Congress opens here and in the capital town of Camarines Sur.

The Congress, held every two years, will see the gathering of the country’s top corporate executive officers and marketing managers from November 16 to 19, this year. Top honchos in the television industry and their bevy of starts and celebrities will be in town for the biggest and most glamorous convergence of players in the advertising, marketing and mass communication industry.

While the event is being hosted by the provincial government of Camarines Sur where at its capitol complex and the world-famous Watersports Complex will be held most of the plenary sessions, conferences and other major events, most of the delegates, now estimated to reach as much as 6,000 (from earlier estimates of 3,000), will be staying in hotels in this city and doing gimmicks, shopping, and simply wandering around during their spare time, making the city practically a co-host of the 4-day event.

“This is the best time for Naga to showcase its cuisine, crafts, hospitality, and cool ambiance, as we seek to be recognized as one of the country’s best places to hold conventions and conferences,” said Mayor John Bongat in his media interviews.

As such, separate events have been prepared to be held in this city, particularly along Magsaysay Avenue, known as the city’s food and entertainment strip, Plaza Quezon and the adjacent Plaza Rizal, including the vacant grounds at LCC Mall in Felix Plazo.

Magsaysay Avenue, especially at sun down, will be the venue for mardi gras and parades, bar wars, and all-night street parties. The sheltered spots will be the Avenue Plaza Square, Cereza food plaza, and West Park, while both sides of the street will be lined with booths, food galore, souvenir items and colorful merchandise of various shapes and sizes to mesmerize guests, delegates and tourists.

Plaza Quezon, on the other hand, will be rocked with song and band concerts for the duration of the AdCongress.

Meeting with the members of the AdCongress Inter-Agency Task Force and the Joint Operations Center at city hall last Tuesday, Mayor Bongat said police visibility and quick response should be of utmost concern to make the guests’ stay truly memorable. He reminded the police that any untoward incident, no matter how slight, will be marked against the city’s capability to host big events like the AdCongress.

Bongat said Naga is in fact, hosting one national or regional conference each week since the onset of the month of October, like the national conferences of medical technicians, gastroenterologists, midwives, actuaries, and labor councils. “These will be capped by the AdCongress in November and the “Batang Pinoy Athletic Championships in December,” the mayor said.

He added that all hotels in the city are booked for the AdCongress and that these same hotels will soon be replacing their linens when the delegates for the Batang Pinoy come for the games.