While trade fairs around the globe have yet to be conducted physically, for Manila FAME—the Philippines’s premier design and lifestyle promotion event—the show must go on.
In lieu of the onsite show, fans of the annual event can now look forward to FAME+, a new digital trade platform for the home, fashion, and lifestyle industries. Led by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), FAME+ provides a new avenue for exhibitors to showcase their products and creative streak to the world.
Citem formally launched FAME+ with a virtual event held on October 22, 2020, at 10 a.m. over Zoom and streamed live on the Manila FAME Facebook page. Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez was the event’s keynote speaker along with DTI Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman opening the program.
Also speaking at the FAME+ launch were Rep. Christopher de Venecia, who gave a speech about the value of the creative industry and how FAME+’s community of creatives is part of this thriving movement to elevate the profile of Filipino creatives; and Venus Navalta, chief executive officer of IPG Mediabrands, who spoke about the importance of exporters adapting to digital.
Citem partnered with IPG Mediabrands to create the FAME+ platform. IPG Mediabrands is a global company with offices in the Philippines that specializes in creating automated and digital innovation solutions through its network of media agencies. For FAME+, IPG built the web site from the ground up, including the product catalogues and digital storefront for exhibitors, and will be providing technical support to Citem.
“Manila FAME’s venture to digital is the new direction of Philippine design,” said Citem Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan.
“If Manila FAME were to grow and attract more buyers and more prestigious trade exhibitions abroad, we need to invest in and strengthen its digital presence. FAME+ is the realization of the government and private sector’s collective effort to become more competitive with the rest of the world.”
Bringing Manila FAME highlights online
The FAME+ launch event also carried one of Manila FAME’s show highlights, Design Commune, to its new online home. The digital Design Commune is envisioned to be a pilot program that reimagines the process of product development through 3D rendering and virtual exhibitions. Design Commune featured designs and products developed for the Ambiente trade show and the Maison&Objet and More Digital Fair.
Festivities continued in the afternoon with Intimate Conversations with Creative Minds, a forum and digital exhibit highlighting “ITIM: Material Manipulations in Black” at 1:00 PM. ITIM displays in physical and digital spaces the designer pieces that were meant to be showcased in the canceled Fuorisalone fair in Italy. Reconceptualized for the domestic audience, Intimate Conversations featured second- and third-generation artisans along with ITIM designers Rita Nazareno, Gabby Lichauco, Tisha de Borja-Samson, and Vito Selma.
The PH x Tokyo 2020-2021 Program was also launched on the same afternoon. This new initiative from CITEM is an offshoot of the partnership with the Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC). PH x Tokyo is an incubation program that aims to help young and emerging Filipino designers introduce their brands to Japan’s thriving fashion market.
Present during the launch were fashion consultants Tetta Ortiz-Matera, Jason Lee Coates, and Hirohito Suzuki, who featured in a forum discussion with several young designers.
Building a global digital community for PHL design
With FAME+ now up and running, CITEM now looks to build its community by onboarding exhibitors, getting buyers to register, and sharing stories and content through its online magazine Touchpoint. FAME+ will also host digital events focusing on information, creativity, and entertainment for its registered members, making sure that using the website will be an engaging experience.
Benefits in joining FAME+ include 24/7 year-round promotion of products in a virtual showroom, a digital storefront for each exhibitor, complimentary digital content production and curation for 100 exhibitors, one-on-one consultations with product development specialists, and access to forecasts and industry insights to keep stakeholders updated on the latest trends.
The website also has messaging and conferencing features to connect exhibitors with buyers and other brands and manufacturers. CITEM will allow exporters to build their online presence and enjoy these benefits at no initial cost until October 2021.
FAME+ fulfills the digitization initiative that CITEM introduced to its stakeholders last year, which banks on innovation and maximizing the internet’s potential for discoverability and networking. In launching the platform, CITEM is also staying in step with the global movement of the exhibition industry to go digital, where trade shows are building websites to complement their onsite shows.