Creative entrepreneurs told to tap local market
CEBU creative entrepreneurs are encouraged to take advantage of the strong buying power of the domestic market as the industry aims to boost its economic potential.
The Cebu Design Week (CDW), happening on Sept. 13 to 15, 2019, is gathering creative players to enable them to connect with local consumers and potentially collaborate with suppliers, said Laurie Boquiren, CDW marketing chairperson.
The three-day CDW trade fair, taking place at IC3 Pavilion in Cebu City, is staging the Makers’ Market, where creative entrepreneurs could showcase and sell their products.
“This is to show that our products are not just for export but for the domestic market as well,” Boquiren said in an interview Thursday, Sept. 12.
She said the organizers are making the event “more open” now to the local market, thus they are allowing visitors to buy the products displayed at the fair.
“We’re opening this up to the domestic market. Our good items are not just for export but also for our local buyers to enjoy,” Boquiren said.
She noted CDW is also engaging university students in Cebu to spark up the creativity culture among the young people.
The industry, she pointed out, is seeing a rising demand from the domestic market amid the economic expansion, driving up orders for furniture, decors and other creative-based items.
According to Boquiren, the supply chain is among the top challenges of creative business owners today.
The trade fair will help them build up their buyer and supplier database and learn about the market better.
Cebu’s creative sector currently accounts for US$550 million, making up about six percent of the city’s economy. Over 1,300 companies are engaged in the sector, employing roughly 50,000 workers.
To date, more than 57 professional associations and business support groups covering over 20 creative disciplines, have been identified and mapped in Cebu.
Unesco bid
The second staging of the CDW is among the industry’s various efforts to unite its players as it ambitiously aims to be recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) as a creative city of design.
Boquiren said the decision on the Unesco bid will be known by November this year.
Spearheaded by the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc., CDW aims to bridge the disparate creative fields and industries through events that will feature designs, arts and culture. It is also a good opportunity for local designers to gather and collaborate. (CSL
