The Philippines, through the Board of Investments (BOI), will be participating at CeBIT, the Global Event For Digital Business, in Hannover, Germany on 14-18 March 2016. This trade fair is an annual event organized by Deutsche Messe.

For its country participation in CeBIT, the BOI will be focusing on the following target sectors for promotion:

• Knowledge Process Outsourcing (data analytics)
• Global in House Center (Finance & Accounting, HR, IT / IT support)
• Software Development
• Healthcare Information Management
• Game Development and Animation
• Voice-based service
• Electronics Manufacturing Service

The Philippine participation will be through a country pavilion that aims to showcase the Philippine CAPABILITIES to host aforesaid activities, either through “outsourced” work or establishment of business operations in the Philippines.  The Philippine booth is located in Hall 3 Stand B05 of the Hannover Exhibition Grounds.

The Philippine delegation to CeBIT will be comprised of 1) Investments Promotions Agencies, 2) ITBPM players in target sub sectors; and 3) support services i.e. telecommunications, real estate, human resources.

For more information, please contact the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Berlin (berlin@dti.gov.ph).

Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), a Philippine
delegation composed of 18 companies will showcase high-quality, sought-after home, fashion, and gift
products in Ambiente on 12-16 February 2016 at Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.

A much-awaited return to the German trade show, this participation positions the Philippines as a
sophisticated and viable source of design-forward home and fashion items. Featuring over 4,700 exhibitors from 89 countries and attended by 144,000 trade visitors from 161 countries, Ambiente promises great opportunities for trade in Germany and the rest of Europe, which the country should maximize in light of the EU GSP+ implementation.

In 2013, Germany was the seventh largest market of the Philippines’ export products and the 10th
primary source of its import goods. With its 81 million population, making it Europe’s largest consumer
market, and its strategic location at the heart of the European Union, Germany is an excellent entry point to the European market; hence the presence of some of the world’s largest trade events such as Anuga and Ambiente.

For the 2016 edition of Ambiente, CITEM brings together under the Lifestyle Philippines brand export
companies that use rare materials such as shagreen, bone, buffalo horn, ebony, and natural fibers and
indigenous materials like tikog grass, capiz shells, and nacre or mother of pearl, to craft unique jewelry and bags, home and holiday décor, boudoir furniture, and lamps and lighting.

Lifestyle Philippines is a curated exhibition of creative enterprises reinterpreting the Philippines’ rich
heritage and artisanal soul for modern living. Its thrust is to position the country as a sourcing destination for finely crafted lifestyle products for the world market.

German product consultant and designer Detlef Klatt, along with rising design talent Rachelle
Dagñalan, will curate the Philippine exhibit in Ambiente to emphasize the distinctive character of locally-
made crafts while creating a function for access and easy flow of international buyers, the press, and business
negotiations. The Philippine exhibit is composed of two pavilions: “Giving”, located at Hall 10.0, showcases fashion merchandise, handicrafts, and gifts by Alice Blue Candle Inc., Avatar Accessories, Inc., Cyprea International, Inc., Klassy Collections & Designs Co., Larone Crafts, Inc., Oricon Corp., and, under the Philippine International Trading Corporation, Delza’s Native Products, Eva Marie Arts And Crafts, and Lolo Bobby Handicraft. The “Living” pavilion at Hall 10.2 features exclusive home décor and accessories by Arden Classic, Inc., Celestial Arts, Inc., Chanalli, Finali Furniture & Home Accessories Co., Firma Objects Of Art, Inc., Peter And Paul Inc., Prado Filipino Artisans, Inc., Tadeco, Inc., and Venzon Lighting Manufacturing.

“We are looking forward to a productive meeting with trade visitors and buyers at Ambiente. The
Philippine participation has much to offer the international market. With a diverse and unique array of crafts by the leading exporters of the country, we can expect a great outcome from this project,” said CITEM Executive Director Rosvi C. Gaetos.

The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is the export promotions arm
of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). CITEM is committed to developing, nurturing, and promoting globally-competitive small and medium enterprises (SMEs), exporters, designers, and manufacturers by implementing an Integrated Approach to Export Marketing in partnership with other government and private entities.

CITEM is the owner and organizer of Manila FAME: The Design & Lifestyle Event and The International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines.

Visit www.citem.gov.ph for more information.

The Philippines mounted its biggest participation yet in Anuga, the “World Food Market,” from 10-14 October 2015 in Cologne (Koeln), Germany, with 35 homegrown companies jointly flying the FoodPhilippines banner and generating US$66 million worth of sales according to preliminary figures from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Two other Filipino companies participated in the fair with booths of their own.

Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture and author of various legislation on food safety, security, and sustainability, attended the exhibition together with officials of the DTI, the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Philippine Embassy in Berlin.

Traditional exports such as frozen and canned tuna, dried mangoes, banana chips, virgin coconut oil, and other fruit and fish products dominated the Philippine showcase, while Malagos chocolate from Davao, organic muscovado sugar from Negros, and heirloom rice from the Cordilleras were some of the artisanal  specialties represented from the different regions.

Conceptualized by the DTI’s Center for International Trade, Expositions and. Missions (CITEM), the Philippine pavilion occupied a prime location in the center of Hall 1 of the Koelnmesse, which featured fine food products from Asia. It included a cooking demonstration area, where two chefs from the Vikings Buffet Restaurant chain in Manila prepared various dishes using ingredients from the exhibiting companies.

On 11 October, the DTI organized a Philippine Business Forum on the EU-GSP+ scheme, where Senator Villar, DTI Undersecretary Ponciano Manalo, DA Undersecretary Emerson Palad, and DTI Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) Director Senen Perlada delivered speeches and presentations highlighting the opportunities offered by the Philippines EU-GSP+ status to expand Philippines-EU trade, including in the food sector.

With more than 7,000 exhibitors from 108 countries, the 33rd Anuga was reportedly the biggest installment of the world’s leading food fair for the retail trade and the food service and catering market, which is held every two years. It included ten specialized trade fairs, such as the Anuga Fine Food, Anuga Frozen Food, and Anuga Organic.

Germany’s Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture Christian Schmidt opened the event, and welcomed Minister of Agricultural Development Evangelos Apostolou from Greece, which was Anuga’s partner country for 2015. END.