14 Exciting Reasons to Visit the 2015 Philippine Toy Convention

SM Megamall -Megatrade Hall 1,2,3, Mandaluyong City , Philippines

Greetings to all avid readers and followers of pop culture, cosplay , anime , toy collectors from all corners of the country and even in the world. This is the exciting time of the year where people from all walks of life, genre , thematic collectors troop to the Philippine Toy Convention 2015 .

I went to the convention early to help  the members of the Coca Cola Collectors Club of the Philippines  affix the exhibit booth .Short exciting reasons to visit the convention.

14. Husband and Wife Entrepreneurship Tandem Ms. Lisa Lee is an artist, designer , entrepreneur and Mr. Luk Chee Chew were from Malaysia. They are selling interesting items from cute postcards, t-shirts and artisan ( one of a kind) toy. Liselle’s motto, “Dare to Dream, Dare to Shine” – All people are possible to build their dream if you believe and make it come true.  Postcards are being sold at Php 20 each item with 7 designs !

DWEEY

‘Liselle’, the feminine character of a fashion illustrator portrays an image and personality of confident, elegance and charismatic that fuels an intrinsic potency for feminine lovers that has dreams to build and being ambitious. DWEEY is an artisan toy , which people can customize and paint their own DWEEY set.

LISELLE : http://www.liselle.com.my/

DWEEY: http://www.dweey.com/

Mr. EJ Zara – GM and Head of Design ( Zara and Flowers )

13. Living Indoor Plants This is the first time that a local exhibitor had showcased several interesting indoor plants with toys as an added accent. This is the trend that is happening worldwide. An arrangement that is cute, fanciful and ideal giveaway during an event. 12. CUTE Pots with a Touch of Cartoon Characters This such a very creative move on the part of Zara and Flowers ,  pot designs which are painted to look batman and other comic characters with living indoor plants. 11. Dinosaurs and Live Succulents Mixing pre-historic creatures and living plants is another way to entice people into growing plants. They look more animated and fanciful. For thematic event, weddings and even children’s parties. They are sure  hit.  It is also an impromtu botany lesson 101.

For reservations and orders:

Office: (02) 957-7290 Mobile: (0915-721-9279)

Email: egzarajr@yahoo.com

Christmas theme miniature village with trains, houses , carrousel and miniature pine trees to complete the effect.

J Tree Miniature Tree Company

Ms. Joyce D. Garcia – Bani, Pangasinan

Contact : +63 -930-984-1252 / 0906-546-0330

10. Christmas themed village in June

Christmas season is still several months away, With almost everyone at the Coca-Cola Collectors’ Club of the Philippines is on their very festive atmosphere and mood.  This is a very good way to start an event.

officers and members of the club in a light mood

With red colored t-shirts and star studded induction of the officer led by Atty. Adel Tamano ( Vice President for Public Affairs and Communication Officer ) members of the organization together with Coca- Cola Philippines will be giving away FREE Coke, Coke Zero , Royal and Sprite in cans during the duration of the event. ( depending on the availability of the supplies) Coke is an international brand name and the Philippines is one of the first countries in Asia to have acquired its franchise to distribute and bottle the product. Popular items like die-cast cars, bottles, dolls, game cards, postcards, polar bear, miniature cartoon characters , t-shirts are some of the popular collectible items on display at the exhibit.

Toy Convention 2015 mugs and other official merchandise

9.One of a Kind Memorabilia Items for Sale Memorabilia collectors normally would buy these stuffs .  They are souvenir from their visit to the convention.

Mr. Vincent Trinidad and Ms. Zette Trinidad ( artists and proprietor )

8. Unique Business Names and Products

Poop Shop sound very catchy and unique , The husband and wife tandem are selling affordable clothes which they have designed . They also have interesting stickers and cards , Unfortunately no postcards were printed .

Their store is located at No.42 Anonas Road , Project 2 , Quezon City

Contact Numbers: 0916-5199790 /0917-306-3321 Landline : 531-7671 / 463-3948

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Popshopclothing2014

7. FREEBIES , Games and On the Spot Games This is one of the reason “why” some people troop to the convention. There are a lot of freebies and giveaways during the 3-day event. Coca-Cola Philippines give away  of coke products in cans , Oishi – ( Liwayway Marketing ) gave away free samples , Fullo, button pins and other stuffs.  There are also a lot of cool surprising games , pop culture trivia and quizzes.

Coca Cola Collectors’ Club of the Philippines officers and members

6. Meeting with Fellow Collectors I got a chance of meeting some collectors in different types of collecting fields , themes and their collection.  Attending any type of convention means reaching out to all those people with the same passion and building friendship.

Mr. Jose Antonio A. Jaime  ( Photographer and Graphic Artist)

Contact details: (632) 655-5865 / 0926-6291301

email: jose_jaime@yahoo.com

I also met some old time acquaintances from stall holder and fellow collector.  I met Mr. Jose Jaime a stamp, postcard, toy and a freelance photographer . This is his first time to participate in the annual toy convention.  He was with his friend who also designs quality t-shirt for sale at the convention.

5.Life-size Statues of favorite comic super heroes There are a whole lot of statues of your favorite comic heroes . A great way to have their photos taken.

Mr. Yexel Sebastian

4.Celebrity Power I have seen several celebrities that went to the toy convention. Some of them are avid supporters of the event and they even maintained toy collections.

Super Mario Brothers

vintage tin toys

bootleg

Pinoy Lug exhibit

Pinoy Lug exhibit is composed of a group of people who collects lego toys and assemble them .

3. Exhibits A visit to the annual toy convention is incomplete without a glimpse of their exhibits by toy collectors 2. Great Discounts Toy Collectors and bargain hunters will definitely hunt for great discounts and sale. This is also the best time to buy these items before the Christmas holidays comes. There were a lot of toys and other items on sale .

badges

These badges are being sold for 9 pieces at Php 300 or Php 33.33 pesos per item.

1. Experience the TOY Convention Mania !!! Just try to enjoy the bargain hunting, exhibits , chit chats with friends and hobbyists . Try to spend more time and get to know these people behind the toy convention and their passion over collectible items. I think based on what i have seen and the crowd response was truly remarkable and if all things are right, the organizers are planning to have a bigger venue next year! TOY CONVENTION 2016 !!!

* Note: Entrance fees is Php 150 for general public and Php 120 for senior citizens .

Advertisement

International Coastal Cleanup with Coke Philippines

Las Piñas and Parañaque Critical  Habitat  & Eco Tourism Area ( LPPCHEA ), Metro Manila -Philippines

Coca-Cola FEMSA- Philippines registration booth

For the last 18 years , Coca Cola executives , family, friends  had teamed -up with the Ocean Conservancy  annual intentional coastal clean-up . The Coca-cola  set up several registration sites within the LPPCHEA grounds and  tarpaulin posters for the tabulation of all the non-biodegradable wastes that the volunteers are collecting.

local government

Hundred of thousand of people , government agencies,  multinational companies, NGO’s , Schools,  individuals have pitched in to help clean up our beaches and waterways as part of the world’s largest  volunteer effort for the marine environment.

L-R Senator Cynthia Villar, Mr. Neric Acosta, Coca Cola Public Affairs and Communications Vice President  Atty. Adel Tamano and Coca-Cola Philippines Corporate Affairs Director Juan Dominquez

This year’s slogan ” Bayanihan Para sa Malinis na Karagatan” .  the slogan aims to create helping hands in all sectors of the society.

Atty. Adel Tamano

Atty. Tamano said ” We take our commitment to sustainability very seriously . We are working to embed sustainability into every aspect of our business and we are committed to making sure our system associates, stakeholders,customer and consumers are part of the process. Our presence today is a simple act of living up to our sustainability. “

During the 2012 International Coastal Cleanup, more than 550,000 volunteers picked up more than 10 million pounds of marine debris in 27 countries and location. Of those volunteers,  more than 24,000 were  volunteer of Coca-cola associates, friends and family who helped remove more than 550,000 pounds of litter and debris from over 1,300 miles of coastline.

US ambassador Harry K. Thomas

The United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has devoted almost $2 billion to this effort to support the conservation program. He also praised the Filipinos for their volunteerism making the Philippines second only to  US in terms of participants. Last year over 100,000 Filipinos participated in the cleaning of the coastline.

Coca-Cola FEMSA – Philippines Corporate Affairs Director Juan Dominquez

In the Philippines, one of the key locations for the clean-up was the Freedom Island within Barangay San Dionisio , Parañaque .  LPPCHEA is a 175-hectare protected area that consists of mangroves, lagoons and ponds located in the Manila Bay coastal area in the cities of Las Piñas and Parañaque. This mangrove forest and marine habitat also serves as a Bird Sanctuary for endemic and migratory birds.

United States embassy volunteers

 People’s Niche of Network for the Integrity of Coastal Habitats and Ecosystem
volunteers and members

Ms. Ces Quimpo ( light blue blouse ) and members of the organization

While at the venue, I was greeted by a fellow environmental  advocate and native plant  lover Ms. Ces Quimpo. She is the sister of Philippine Native Plants Conservation Society Incorporated-  Vice President Ms. Jo Quimpo.

Atty. Adel Tamano , Mr. Rey Aguinaldo and Mr. Caloy ( Coke ambassador of Happiness)

Senator Cynthia Villar being interviewed by media

According to Senator Cynthia Villar, The area is host to about 70 species of birds some of which are endemic to the Philippines. The island has been declared a part of the Wetland of the International Importance and serves as a sanctuary for avian, terrestrial and marine species.

bloggers also joined the clean-up

L-R Miss Philippines -Air 2013 Kimverlyn Suiza , Miss Philippines-Earth 2013 Angelee Claudett delos Reyes and Miss Philippines- Eco Tourism 2013 Bernadette Mae Aguirre

Organized by Ocean Conservancy, the Cleanup  inspires action to remove trash and debris from our waterways and helps change behaviors that allowed these items to reach the water in the first place.

Saint Paul College of Parañaque

The organization stresses the idea that what falls from human hands can be prevented by human hands — and recorded for the benefit of our planet.

Singapore International School  of Manila students and faculties

Philippine Christian University students

Cleanup volunteers serve as “citizen scientists” by recording  every item collected.

Maynilad Water

Maynilad Company set-up tents and gave FREE potable water to all the volunteers

Coca-Cola  Philippines employees picking trash at the beach front

group picture of Coca- Cola- Philippines

Other officials were present in the event. They included Presidential Adviser for Environmental Concerns Neric Acosta; Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio; DENR Director Dr. Maria Theresa Mundita- Lim; Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) Vice Admiral Danilo Cabalde, National Director and ICC Philippine Co-coordinator; PCGA Capt. Geronimo Reyes.

Note: I would like to personally ” Thank” Mr. Dust Gaudan , Ms. Bessie Adea Arciga , Atty. Adel Tamano ( Coca-Cola Philippines)  for the invitation and the privilege in joining this yearly coastal clean-up drive.