Blogapalooza: Yay or Nay?

Blogapalooza Horizons: Charting the Uncharted, marks my second year with the event. Dubbed as one of the biggest, if not the biggest Business to Blogger event in the country, it certainly does not disappoint. As commerce graduates, my sister and I have a thing for how businesses introduce themselves and sow their identity in the market. Blogapalooza was certainly an avenue to satiate that. Also, it was the perfect way to bond, get to know new friends, discover amazing brands and have crazy fun. But was Blogapalooza really a yay or a nay? Well, why don't you find out?

YAY ▬ This year, Blogapalooza was held at The Elements at Centris. All we had to do was go down the MRT Quezon Avenue station and voila! No sweat. How convenient right? Plus for someone like me who grew up in Cebu and had little knowledge about Manila traffic and routes, it was very easy to spot.

NAY ▬ Because going home wasn't as challenging as the previous year's, we stayed out from start to finish. Our legs were crying by the end of the day but we had loads of fun so hoorah!

YAY ▬ The speakers, add in the mentalists that entertained everyone, were phenomenal. Not only was the event a place to network but it was also an avenue to learn. Ginger Arboleda, Lloyd Cadena, Norman Agatep, Matec Villanueva, Mikael Daez, Erika Padilla, Grace Bondad-Nicolas and Miguel Olfindo graced the stage no less!

NAY ▬ I had a really hard time choosing between going around the booths or listening to what was happening on stage. For some reason, I wanted another me. (Hey Naruto, what was that technique you used?) I reckon it's a good thing though because it provides something for everyone. No dead air whatsoever.

YAY ▬ What I really appreciated from the brands this year was that they focused more on communicating what they had to offer by virtue of awesome booths, fun games and activities. Unlike last year, there was less pressure to like and follow social channels. This is a good thing in my perspective because likes and followers were achieved in a more organic means. Since people enjoyed, they took it upon themselves to sleuth around social media and follow without being told to do so. And since we won all (except one) of the games in the booths, it just makes this Blogapalooza more memorable!

NAY ▬ The organizers allowed us to bring two guests to the event and naturally I brought my sister and our cousin. Despite all six hands, we still failed to get all the photos we wanted because we were having way too much fun! 

YAY ▬ As mentioned, the brands were nothing short of sterling. There were so many activities provided for everyone. Several booths were also bedazzled in such a way that even pickiest aesthetic-hungry individuals will go ooh and aah! 

NAY ▬ What I noticed was that there were less participating brands this year; however, the numbers didn't seem to matter a lot considering that quality of the booths and activities were brought up a notch. Speaking of which, take a look at the following brands that really made a splash at Blogapalooza Horizons!

Cocio is a chocolate milk drink that originated in Denmark. Made of only three natural ingredients namely milk, cocoa and sugar, it's fat content is only at 1-2%. This brand definitely tops our list for many reasons. First, their tagline "Nothing but great taste" is no doubt catchy. In a market where consumers are promised with this and that, Cocio offers nothing but great taste. Second, the commercials they showcased had everyone at a laughing fit. I failed to find the first clip but did manage to find the second one. Third, their booth was phenomenal. They had a professional flatlay setup complete with props and a monitor as shown in the photos above. Lastly, Cocio tastes divine. Whether I prefer the classic or the dark variant is a story for another day. That's a tough one I kid you not.

Arla is the largest producer of dairy products in Scandinavia and has now found itself in the shores of the Philippines. Their booth has to be the prettiest with its dainty barn/farm feel. My photos do not even give it justice. Remember how we failed to snap all the photos we wanted to? That applies here. But what makes this brand earn a standing ovation was the fact that they fed everyone from sun up to sun down and I say that literally and not figuratively. Using their dairy products, they made all sorts of sandwiches, milkshakes and other little knickknacks for everyone to enjoy. Our tummies were having a feast! What I loved about their cheeses was that they weren't too sweet nor salty. The milk tasted fresh and not over the top saccharine. I even persuaded my mom to include some of their products in our regular grocery list.

Empire East is a real estate developer that builds landmark residential communities. What was initially striking about them was their booth concept. The team dressed themselves in yellow shirts, denim dungarees, over-sized goggles and hard hats. Ring a bell? Dubbing themselves as the "condo-minions" (how apt and pun-tastic?), they set up a mini living room area and entertained everyone with a game of Minesweeper! They had a board where players can jump from one tile to another making sure to avoid the hidden mines as they approach the finish line. I'm proud to say that all three of us won and were each awarded with McDonald's GCs which we used up for chicken and dessert later that day.

Speedy Cards PH is an online business card print shop that allows you to order 24/7 and can even deliver said cards to your doorstep. This sums up practicality and convenience especially for bloggers and professionals who don't want the extra hassle of having to drive to and from to order and pick up their business cards. At their booth, they laid out a massive over-sized puzzle for everyone to solve in a matter of a few minutes. Of course we had to give it a go and were awarded with a prize for accomplishing the feat! Speedy Cards PH was also generous enough to give participating bloggers 100 pcs of business cards each! (Santa is that you?) I'm still finishing up my design since I like to have the upper hand, (although you can have them do it for you). I'll share it here on the blog once they arrive.

It's no secret that the Philippines is a sizzling tropical country and summers here can get really warm. Fortunately, Vita Coco made sure to provide an unlimited supply of these refreshers. Growing up by the mountainside, we used to have fresh coconut water on the regular but that came with having to persuade someone to climb the tree and break the fruit apart. In the city, those trees are sadly hard to find but luckily the juice is still here to stay.

So was Blogapalooza Horizons a blast? Did we have fun? Are we counting the days till the next one? Which is it: a yay or a nay? Well...

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