Wednesday, October 28, 2015

My Very First Blogapalooza 2015 Experience

For days I was contemplating whether I should go to the event because leaving home would mean leaving my 2 kids behind with my husband who also needs much rest and also spending some bucks just to go to the event. But my curiosity and will to go to meet potential clients  is stronger  and it's also my first time to go so I thought it could be worth a shot. 

Blogapalooza 2015


The event starts at 10AM up to 9PM at One Esplanade. Coming from Paranaque, I arrived at the venue at 11 AM because of heavy traffic in Pasay which I did not anticipate because it was a Sunday. I also made a mistake of going to Mall of Asia and decided to walk because I thought it was near. Well... it was not, but I walked anyway. While walking, I found a building that has Telstra's name on it. Not sure if it's their building, but this company is causing a big stir in social media nowadays because it is said that they will be opening business soon; offering people a VERY fast internet connection at an affordable price that will put the two local telecommunication giants into their knees. Well,that's another story, so let's continue to my Blogapalooza experience. 



After 15 minutes of walking, I finally reached One Esplanade, but what caught my eye is the sight of Manila Bay just behind it. So I went to One Esplanade's parking lot and took pictures of the bay... with a sunken boat! I mean this is the first time I saw a sunken boat first hand.


After taking enough pics, I went to the event. While I was registering, a lot of bloggers went out to ask the front desk for the WIFI password. After hearing this, I was like, "Oh, no. Don't tell me WIFI is an issue here." Well, I practically ignored it thinking that I wouldn't need WIFI that much so I simply went inside to see what's in store for a simple blogger like me. 



1. Chips Delight. The very first booth that I went to is Chips Delight! My family really love their cookies so I really got excited when I checked out their booth. Their staff were really accommodating and their booth really looked festive! Plus, they're very near the entrance so I bet no one can miss their booth. 

Chips Delight at Blogapalooza 2015
What I hold in my left hand is one of  Chips Delight's newest flavor: The Chocolate Chip Brittle BrownieI will write a separate post about it soon. I was just so happy that they gave me a pack to take home thinking, "Yes! May pasalubong na ako!" :)

2. UNICEF.  Long, long time ago when I was young, I already kept seeing Unicef envelopes sent to our home addressed to my dad. Eventually, I learned that they were asking for donations. Not much is different from what the Unicef booth was asking. So after they have oriented me of what their booth was all about, I told them nicely that I do not have a credit card, which is true. I do want to help out, but they were targeting credit card holders. 

So I interacted with them a little more. I also asked them where do the funds specifically go like do they have a specific orphanage or specific location that they help out. Basically, they explained to me that the contributions are sent to the local government units or LGU and then the LGUs decide where the funds are needed the most such as typhoon victims. But most of the time, they target the poorest areas in Mindanao where a high percentage of malnourished children are located. 

For more information about UNICEF, you may simply go to their site at http://unicef.ph



3. Lactium. In a nutshell, Lactium is a food supplement that help prevent stress, so I got curious about what their booth has to offer.  They made me pop the balloon that stresses me out the most, so I popped the balloon that said something like "Unbalanced work and family time." After that, I got a ball pen as my prize. 



They also made me answer a 30-item quiz to determine my stress levels. After answering, this is the result: Very High. Well, I'm not surprised. I may look calm on the outside, but most of the time I'm struggling inside due to  work schedule, taking care of the kids, chores, lack of sleep, and a whole lot more.  I really think a lot of moms can relate. 

So their solution was for me to take 2 of these Lactium capsules a day. No need to have a heavy stomach before taking it. Lactium is a new and unique food supplement made of milk protein hydrolysate that reduces stress. They claim that they are very different from the leading brand that also fights stress because Lactium stimultes the brain to release an amino acid called "Gamma - Amino Butyric Acid (GABA)," which reduces the release of "stress hormones": Adrenalin and Cortisol. 

Lactium Blogapalooza 2015

They gave me plenty of samples of Lactium capsules because my stress levels were very high. I've tried one last night at home and so far  I didn't experience any side effects. I actually felt I had a bit of energy in me and I don't get irritated as easily. Looks like I'll be buying these when my stocks ran out. Lactium is available in Mercury Drug and Generika.  For more info, you can visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lactium 


4. Sosro Fruit Tea. At this point, I was starting to feel thirsty and a bit tired for conversing with people. Thank goodness for Sosro Fruit tea that gave me a full 500 ml bottle of their delicious fruit tea. I wanted to choose the Guava flavor because I haven't tasted any guava-flavored iced tea yet, but my thirst was quenching for apple which I didn't regret. It was really refreshing to drink it and I finished the whole bottle within 10 minutes. Too bad I wasn't able to ask how much it costs in the stores. Sosro Fruit Tea flavors are Guava, Apple, Freeze, and Strawberry. 


5. Dr. Kong. Now, this is the booth that I believe I spent 20+ minutes with. I was really interested in what they had to say because I myself am experiencing foot pain especially during the mornings, I have tried different shoes even rubber shoes for walking, but the pain just doesn't disappear. So I think I may have found gold in this event - a solution to my foot problem through Dr. Kong shoes. :) They actually had a  foot scanner and scanned my feet for analysis. I believe this booth deserves a separate blog post which I will post in a while so I can share my experience.  



6. V Office Philippines.  They are offering affordable office spaces in Makati and Taguig for rent bundled with complete amenities including highly trained staff, meeting room, secretarial support, courier service, and the like.  This is really perfect for those starting up a business or for those who plan on conducting a business temporarily in Manila. Well, the picture below pretty much says what V Office has to offer in a nutshell.  They also gave me free coffee :) 

For more information, you may contact them at +63 2 224 2000 or email them at cs@voffice.com.ph


They also offer VRush,  a same day pick up and delivery service for Makati, Taguig, Mandaluyong, Pasay and Ortigas only. This is a good idea especially on big companies who needs to deliver a parcel immediately. Oh, I know because I used to work in a real estate company. Anyways, you can see their rates on the flyer below. I do hope they could offer their service in Paranaque soon. Check out their website at www.vrush.ph for more info. 

You may click on the image to see the bigger version of the flyer

7. Regroe. This is a brand I'm quite familiar because we see their commercial on TV. Regroe specializes in hair regrowth to men and women with hair loss problems. After talking to Regroe's representative, she really emphasized that the user should religiously continue to use their product for 3 months to see better results. She also said no side effects will happen like scalp itchiness, dandruff, etc. They gave me a flyer and a very small tester bottle of Regroe which saddened me because I was hoping to try it for my husband to see if it works Well, a tester bottle obviously wouldn't last for 3 months of use. 



8. Amada's Leche Flan. Straight from Bicol, Amada's leche flan showcased their thick and creamy leche flan to bloggers in the event. When I tasted their sample, it was indeed quite yummy. What caught my eye from their booth is their display of leche flan in cute little jars because they make awesome giveaways during Christmas time for office mates, relatives, and the like. 




9. Food Panda. I believe this is every promonatic's favorite food delivery service because they often have promotions or discounts to their followers. I remember one time they offered 50% off in Greenwich orders through their website. Unfortunately, there were no Greenwich stores available in our area in Paranaque so I really felt sad about it. 

Anyway, one thing I noticed from their both was their people were a bit tired from the time I went there. If I didn't ask what the items displayed were for, they would remain quiet and just ignore me. Well, I guess I couldn't blame them because they're only human and it's already 2PM when I got to their booth. Anyways, after explaining to me that I need to have the Food Panda app on my phone, I downloaded the app on the spot using mobile data and I named 15 restaurants that they have in their list just to get a freebie (I chose the t-shirt). Yes, I used mobile data because the free WIFI was almost non-existent. Well, despite of it all, I still love Food Panda because I have ordered through their website before and their service is impeccable. I can really rely on them to deliver my food on time plus they almost always have discount codes available, so you better be an email subscriber of Food Panda if you want to be updated on their promos and discounts.

For more info, please visit foodpanda.ph.

I got a bit excited when I saw the panda. :) 
10. Ace Hotel and Suites. According to the flyers they've given me, they offer spacious rooms for relaxation to their customers.Their hotel is located in Pasig. They are also well-known for their water spa, the Ace Water Spa, that has pools that give a thorough hydrotherapy massage.

To get a loot bag from them, one of their requirements was to take a picture at their booth and then upload it on Facebook. Since WIFI is so slow, I really struggled in uploading it just to get a loot bag with mug, hotel discount voucher, VIP card, flyers and booklets. But in the end, I was able to upload it and got one.   




11. The Diff. From afar, I actually thought it says, "The Duff" like Duff beer in the popular cartoon series, The Simpsons :P My bad. The Diff offers customized designs for your smart phones. You can see more of their beautiful and eccentric designs at their website at http://thediff.com.ph/  



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By this time, I was already getting tired and irritated due to the slow connection, and all the noise  happening so I didn't get to talk to each booth very much. I guess younger people are best suited for this kind of event  because they're more energetic than I am. 

Here are random pictures from other booths that I've encountered.

Hotel Quickly
This is one of my favorite hotel mobile applications.  For last minute hotel bookings (with discounts), you can easily use their app and check in to your desired hotel. Once you register, you will be given a referral code that you can share with your friends.  
Some of mine have already booked a hotel for free because they have earned enough points just by sharing their referral code.. Once their friends use their code, they get additional credits.
www.hotelquickly.com 

Microtel by Wyndham.
This is actually one of the booths I was eager to get in touch with because I've always wanted to stay in one of their hotels located near Mall of Asia. They told me that if I liked their Facebook page, I get a prize and so I did. They gave me a 50% discount card to any of their hotels. ^_^ Well, the discount is based on published rates, but that's okay; a discount is still a discount :) 

SMDC
SM Development Corporation is a real estate giant that's behind popular condos like Sea Residences near Mall of Asia, Jazz Residences in Makati, and a whole lot more.

 I got one of their tote bags as a giveway. I could get the cool black bag on the table if I were to write a blog post about them instantly. Since I really wanted the bag, I used mobile data and  I was able to write a very short blog post about it. In return, they gave me the bag. ^_^ 


Cebu Pacific, one of the country's popular airline carriers.
 I didn't get any tokens here, but that's okay. 

Flawless - a very popular beauty clinic in the Philippines that specializes in solving skin problems.
I didn't win in their mini-golf game so I didn't get a freebie. All  I got was a 500-peso discount voucher from them with min. purchase of 2,000 pesos worth of services. 
Lloop
"lloopp delivers new generation end-to-end business solutions, applying expertise in Deep Machine Learning to help transform businesses into Intelligent Enterprises."
Lloopp has analyzed my Facebook page and this is the textual visualization of my social network personality .  Hmm...as long movie/TV buff is there, that says pretty much about me :)
 
Zaxy.
No one was in this booth so the shoes are probably there just for display. 

Cashflow 101.
There were selling books for P200 and how I wish I bought one. Unfortunately, all I had with me was P150 - just enough for food and to commute going home. :( 

Curves.
A gym membership for women. 

Decisive Moments

Prestiz
Since it's Halloween, I'm going to let this one slide :) I really hate zombies, but if you do, then go to outbreakmanila.com and go register to their scary events. It's best if you bring your friends along or probably your most hated boss and then let him be eaten by zombies :D Haha just kidding. :P 

Other booths that I failed to take a picture were Aqua Best (thank you for the free bottled water!), Bitdefender, Uprise, Eagle's Wings, Breville, Fragrance Factory, and some more. I guess the experience was indeed overwhelming especially for first timers like me.

At 3:30 PM, I had to go home because my kids were already waiting for me and I'm sure my husband was tired already. I felt bad because I didn't get to taste the lechon and I didn't make it to the raffle.  I got home at 6:30PM already because of traffic.

Here are the freebies  I got from the event.



This is another picture of the freebies I got without the flyers and such:



Blogapalooza 2015 was an overwhelming, tiring, irritating, fun, and enlightening experience all rolled into one. They just simply need to fix their WIFI and set up to a more convenient location on their next event and everything will go well. What I did like about it is that I got to know certain brands like Chips Delight, Microtel, Dr. Kong, Lactium, Uprise, and the like that I think I would benefit from, which I believe is the true purpose of Blogapalooza.  


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