BABY & FAMILY EXPO PHILIPPINES 2013 LAUNCHED

Miss Nadj Villaver of MediaCom Solutions Inc. sent me an invite about the Blogger's Conference in line with the launching of Baby and Family Expo Philippines 2013. Well, due to my motherly duties and conflict in schedule since it was a weekday, I regret to say that I wasn't able to attend. I had to stay at home because I had no one to tap to look after my son while I was away. Sayang talaga that I missed this fun-filled event. I just started blogging last year and this could be the chance also for me to meet both new and seasoned mommy bloggers. 

It was an honor to be invited to witness the launching of Baby & Family Expo Philippines 2013.  

I asked Miss Nadj to send me the details about what transpired during the launch and promised to share it to you, my dear readers.

Here are the details...


The BABY & FAMILY EXPO PHILIPPINES 2013 – “Welcoming Life, Love and Care”, the country’s biggest family expo for all maternity, baby, early childhood and parenting needs was officially launched last October 24, 2013 at Fun Ranch, located at Frontera Verde, Pasig City. 

Colorful and child-friendly atmosphere filled Fun Ranch during the media launch.

Delicious cupcakes from expo supporter and exhibitor The House of Cuppy Keyks

MediaCom CEO and Baby & Family Expo 2013 managing director David Abrenilla welcomes the press people and bloggers.

The media launch was hosted by Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2000 winner and celebrity mom, Nina Ricci Alagao-Flores and was attended by personalities like ANC’s “On the Money” host and The Master’s Academy President, Edric Mendoza, Medela Moms’ co-founder, Maricel Cua,  and the wife of Azkals Coach, Yoshiko Weiss.

Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2000 winner and celebrity mom Nina Ricci Alagao-Flores, together with Dr. Regina Carmela Y. Santiago-Aquias, MD of The Medical City, David Abrenilla of MediaCom Solutions Inc., Huiying Tan of Cordlife Philippines and Maricel Cua of Medela Moms Philippines

Also present during the conference were representatives from The Medical City, Cordlife Philippines, who was set to have a talk on pregnancy preparation, cord blood banking, childbirth and staying sexy while pregnant. Association partners like World Vision, Right Start, Grace to be Born and the Philippine Ambulatory Pediatric Association were also there to support the event. 

Baby & Family Expo Philippines team together with family advocates

Across the three-day expo, the whole family can also enjoy and participate in exciting activities like the Family Olympics, Family Fashion Weekend, and much awaited Baby & Family Awards featuring the Golden Family Awards, ParentPreneur Awards and the crowning of the Bibong Baby of the Year.

“Our vision was to come up with a fun and meaningful event where families can bond and learn together.  With our tagline –Welcoming Life, Love and Care , we want to give a message that having a new baby in the family is not just the mom’s responsibility but the entire family’s – no one is left out. We encourage Filipino families to come to the expo because we have invited industry experts. From there, they can get the latest information about maternity, babies, early childhood, parenting and everything they need to know when planning and having a family. Together with our partners and sponsors we want to nurture family development and raise the awareness on responsible child care." says David Abrenilla, MediaCom Solutions, Inc. president and Baby & Family Expo Philippines 2013 organizer.

Baby and Family Expo 2013 speakers - Dr. Regina Carmela Y. Santiago-Aquias, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology Consultant of The Medical City; Edric Mendoza, ANC's "On The Money" host and President of The Masters Academy;  David Abrenilla, organizer of Baby and Family Expo 2013; Huiying Tan, director of Cordlife Philippines and Maricel Cua, co-founder of Medela Moms Philippines (left to right)

Dr. Regina Carmela Y. Santiago-Aquias, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology Consultant of The Medical City discussed some points for their talk on pregnancy and childbirth.

World Vision Philippines Resource Development Manager Billie Abata raises questions during panel discussion.

Nina Ricci Alagao-Flores added, “This is a one of a kind baby and family expo and we should be there to learn the latest trends on parenthood and family life.”

Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2000 winner and celebrity mom Nina Ricci Alagao-Flores hosted the Baby & Family Expo Philippines 2013 Media Launch.

“I speak in behalf of the entire Medela Moms team when I say that we’re absolutely amazed at the growing interest in breastfeeding, homeschooling, parenting and healthy eating.” says Medela Moms co-founder, Maricel Cua.

Maricel Cua, co-founder of Medela Moms Philippines shared their advocacies.

Edric Mendoza, who is set to have a talk about Homeschooling emphasized the importance of the family as the fundamental unit of society. “If we are to see the world change, it has to start in the house, and I believe that homeschooling helps allow that to become a reality.”

Edric Mendoza, ANC's "On The Money" host and President of The Masters Academy gave a preview on his talk "Homeschooling."

The expo’s co-presenter, Cordlife Philippines’ director, Huiying Tan was also present during the conference to give an overview about Cord Blood Banking. “In the region, many families have actually made use of their baby’s cord blood to either treat their baby of the baby’s sibling of various diseases.”

Huiying Tan, director of Cordlife Philippines, shared information on cord banking.

Organized by MediaCom Solutions, Inc., Philippines preferred stakeholders’ advocacy communications and events enterprise and co-presented by Cordlife Philippines, the BABY & FAMILY EXPO PHILIPPINES 2013 will be held on December 6 to 8, 2013 at the SMX Convention Center Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. It covers the stages of family growth from pregnancy to early childhood with educational seminars by Medela Moms, The Medical City, Mercato founder RJ Ledesma, ANC host Edric Mendoza, MTRCB Chairman Atty. Eugenio Villareal, Azkals Coach, Michael Weiss, DigitalFilipino.com founder Janette Toral, Beauty Queen Nina Ricci Alagao-Flores and actress/entrepreneur RegineTolentino, actress Jade Lopez and many more. 

The Baby & Family Expo Media Launch was supported by FM Group Fragrance Philippines, Evian, Attipas, Unimom, Bebebocas, Jeweltone, Urban Ashram Manila, Absolute Distilled Drinking Water, Consumer Care Products Inc. (Guard Insect Repellent), Ever Bilena, De La Salle University Medical Center, Perfetti Van Melle, The House of Cuppy Keyks, Fernando’s Bakery, Metro Deal, Sharpie, Mongol, AMSPEC, Island Rose and Cordlife Philippines. 

Baby & Family Expo 2013 proud supporters FM Group Fragrance Philippines, Evian, The Medical City, CKMJ Greenovation (Attipas, Unimom, Bebebocas, Jeweltone), Absolute Distilled Drinking Water, Consumer Care Products Inc. (Guard Insect Repellent), Ever Bilena, De La Salle University Medical Center, The House of Cuppy Keyks, Sharpie, Mongol,and AMSPEC.

You may also click THIS to watch the video about Baby & Family Expo Philippines 2013 Media Launch.

Be a part of this fun-filled family event of the year. Register for FREE at http://babyexpo.ph/registration.php, join the community at http://www.facebook.com/babyexpoph. For inquiries, call +632.843.2174 or e-mail info@babyexpo.ph.

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FRESH FROM THE PRESS! LAZADA Introduces Premier Fashion Items to Southeast Asian Customers

LAZADA is on its way to becoming Southeast Asia’s number one fashion shopping destination!

·         Almost 10,000 fashion items already available

·         Features 700 well-known local and international 
fashion brands online (among them Nike, Celine, Marc Jacobs, RayBan, etc.)

·    Supports local designers and smaller brands through LAZADA’s unique fashion marketplace model

Lazada, the leading online shopping in the Philippines, today announces the launch of its brand-new fashion marketplace in Lazada ID, Lazada MY, Lazada PH, Lazada TH and Lazada VN.

Lazada, which initially offered categories ranging from consumer electronics to household goods, toys and sports equipment, now adds to their extensive category range almost 10,000 fashion accessories like watches, bags and shoes and apparel. The fashion assortment consists of more than 700 local and international brands including Nike, Celine, Crocs, RayBan, Linea Italia, Dupe, Pepe Jeans, Casio, Mendrez, Marc Jacobs and Mossimo.

Lazada also supports local designers and upcoming brands by offering the unique opportunity to create their own online shop-in-shop. Through this marketplace model, brands can leverage on Lazada’s popularity and operational expertise, as well as reach customers beyond the traditional offline infrastructure. Smaller retailers benefit from Lazada’s traffic through Lazada’s strong customer base as well as from specific campaigns like the Lazada fashion week where local designers are able to present their products to a broad online audience.

“We are very proud to announce the launch of our new fashion marketplace today. This marks a huge step forward on our way to become Southeast Asia’s shopping destination with the broadest assortment available on one platform. We saw a growing demand for fashion items and responded to this need right away. This is a logical step that follows our customer-centric approach: We want to serve our customer’s needs in all areas of their lives”, says Maximilian Bittner, CEO of the LAZADA group.

Boarding new brands like Z’Ng by Jonathan Wong from Malaysia, Co-founder and Fashion Category Manager Martell Hardenberg said, “We are proud of being able to both enhance the range for our customers and to contribute to the online ecosystem in Southeast Asia through our unique marketplace model. This is a great achievement as it is very important for us to give young designers and local entrepreneurs a platform which helps them to access the broad market.”

Due to existing infrastructure, LAZADA is able to grow the assortment very quickly. Many more items, new sub-categories and new shops are added every day to ensure customers will find all fashion items they look for on LAZADA.

You may visit this LINK to check them out!
 

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About LAZADA

LAZADA (www.lazada.com.ph) is Southeast Asia’s fastest growing online shopping mall, with operations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

LAZADA is pioneering e-commerce across some of the fastest growing countries in the world by offering a fast, secure and convenient online shopping experience with a broad product offering in categories ranging from fashion, consumer electronics to household goods, toys and sports equipment.

LAZADA is always striving to offer its customers the best possible offerings – including multiple payment options (cash on delivery and all major credit cards), free returns and extensive customer service and warranty commitments. On-the-go shoppers can conveniently shop from the LAZADA Android app. 

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October 19, 2013- Happiness Overload at MOM AND ME FUN CIRCUIT

Last October 18, I received an invite from Miss MJ of MARS Ideas Inc. stating that I would have a chance to experience MOM AND ME FUN CIRCUIT on the October 19. I didn't hesitate to accept the invitation because I knew that my eldest son would surely enjoy it so much! 

After confirming, I was sent another e-mail stating that I should fill-up and submit the form. After doing so, I received another e-mail acknowledging my confirmation which included four attachments for printing: the flyer of the event on October 19, the map of the pick-up point, waiver for signing, event guidelines , and of course the e-ticket!

All the things that I needed to know and what to prepare were already there! No need to ask questions. Wow, the team members were very organized! I had a nice first impression on them!
 

I told Ross to sleep early. I decided not to squeal our Saturdate. He would not sleep the whole night due to too much excitement.  

The next day, I told him to dress up and briefed him about what would transpire during our trip while we were on our way to the pick-up point! 

As I did the briefing, I could see the glow and excitement in his eyes! He was so enthusiastic and he couldn't wait to start the adventure. 

Let me give you the details of our mom and son date at MOM AND ME FUN CIRCUIT...

PICK-UP  POINT

As I mentioned earlier, the map of the pick-up point was sent as an attachment to the confirmation e-mail. It was clear and easy to follow. Locating the bus was hassle-free too! Well, going to the location earlier helped. We didn't want to panic nor be in a hurry. We arrived at the location at exactly 11:30 AM, just right on time as stated in the event guidelines.

 

By the way, PICK UP POINT IS AT BANK DRIVE, ORTIGAS CENTER PASIG CITY BEHIND SM MEGAMALL A! 

WAITING TIME AT THE BUS

I was impressed with the bus. It was new, comfortable,  smelled nice, and WIFI ready too! The temperature was just right---not too cold nor hot. We were warmly welcomed by the staff with friendly smiles on their faces. Miss Ann, one of the organizers, gave us free copies of Smart Parenting and Travelife Magazines plus flyers from sponsors after receiving and checking our e-ticket. 

When there were three pairs of moms and kids already, the television was immediately turned on so that the kids could watch Ice Age while moms read the magazines and filled-up the stubs for the raffle. It gave us things to do while waiting for others to arrive. At exactly 12:10 PM, the bus headed off to our first stop! Miss Ann did the briefing and made sure that all of us were okay.

1ST STOP: The Picture Company- Rockwell

We were asked to bring our valuables and lined up as we moved to our first stop. As we entered The Picture Company, I observed that all moms and kids were very, very excited! We were asked to stay in one of the rooms were Miss MJ led the getting to know portion. She asked the kids to introduce themselves and their moms/dads. Then Miss Nikki, the branch manager, gave a short briefing about the logistics of the pictorial including how and when we could get free hard copies of our chosen photo. Parents were encouraged to choose among the nice props and costumes so that the kids could look their best during the pictorial.

There was no dull moment with the kids. It was an opportunity for them to get to know one another. While waiting for their pictorial, they chat and played together while we, parents, were very busy choosing costumes and props, and dolling-up or looking after our kids.

 
 

The pictorial was fun! It went well. The best pair (the most photogenic mom and kid) was chosen--- Miss Che and her adorable daughter, Chelsea. They won a prize from The Picture Company! Isn't it cool?

 

Then we were asked to return to the bus and get ready for our 2nd stop! We were given free Del Monte Juice to quench our thirst! The staff was helpful enough to collect our trash after our snack time. 

 

2ND STOP: Mabuhay Restop

Mabuhay Restop was near the Jose Rizal Monument in Luneta. There was no traffic and we arrived on time as expected. We watched "Halo Halo Win"  stage play, written by Nestor U. Torre with Music Composed by Ryan Cayabyab. Both adults and kids enjoyed the play---in short it was well-written and well-performed that we didn't realize it was time for us to go to our 3rd stop! It was indeed an awesome performance! Many lessons could be learned from the play like loving your siblings, honesty, fairness, bravery, reliance, integrity, empathy, and much, much more!

 
Before we left the place, the kids had their trick-or-treat too! Oh! The smiles and joy on the kids' faces were priceless!

3RD STOP: CCA Manila

It was a long trip from Luneta to CCA Manila in Katipunan but the staff made sure to sustain our growing excitement.  They facilitated a raffle and gave fabulous prizes from the sponsors. 

 

 

They asked Zoe and Chelsea to sing for us and both of them were given Center for Pop Music Philippines Gift Certificates to hone their talent in singing! New best buddies Zack and Tobby also won gift certificates from Coach and Kids Taekwondo! They were so excited to attend their Taekwondo class together!

 

If kids could sing very well, mommies too! We would not let our kids beat us! Mommies Rose and Ada sang their hearts out as we approached CCA Manila. :)

Loot bags were distributed as we went down the bus. We already brought all our belongings with us because this was our last stop/ DROP OFF POINT. We didn't have to ride the bus after our cookie decorating session.

Kids couldn't hide their delight when they entered CCA Manila. They couldn't wait to start! The place was sophisticated and comfortable. Even from afar, we could see and hear the demo by the pastry chefs clearly through the big television in front. Each of us was given a set of apron, toque, and hand towel. We all looked like professional pastry chefs. 

 

The cooking room on the third floor was clean and tidy. We were asked to be in groups of three. All our materials were prepared and we all had  ample spaces to work to. We followed what the chefs taught us! It was so cool!

 

 

We did cleaning up as we went. Miss MJ had a wrapping-up of what transpired during the day and we had a group picture taking afterwards. 

We all went home with happy thoughts.  This was indeed an event to remember. It was all worth it! 

We were still euphoric at dinner time. When I asked Ross about what his most favorite part of the trip, he said "EVERYTHING!!!!" with gusto.

Imagine in just Php 750 parents had a chance to have a special one-of a-kind bonding moment with their kids at the same time meet new friends, get fabulous prizes and freebies, and new good memories to keep. 

Kudos to the creative and dynamic MARS Ideas Inc. Team for creating this unique, unforgettable, and fun event! 

I encourage all parents out there to let your kids experience MOM AND ME FUN CIRCUIT! You may also invite your family friends to join you to make it more enjoyable!

 

Click THIS to know more details about MOM AND ME FUN CIRCUIT's upcoming events this October, how to join, how to avail free tickets, and links to MARS Ideas Inc.'s Social Media Sites for latest posts and updates regarding  new events this November.

 Click THIS to see more photos! 

Photo Credits: MARS Ideas Inc./ MOM and ME

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