Of the many expos I attend every year, I look forward to when WOFEX is back on my social calendar. There’s always so much to see and taste and it takes up your whole weekend. Just like last year, this year’s WOFEX which opened its doors on July 31st and ended on August 3 was split between two venues, the SMX Convention Center in Pasay and The World Trade Center.
The one thing you need to know about WOFEX is that you need to put on your walking shoes. There’s a lot of walking and standing around and you’ll be on your feet for a good few hours. There are places you can sit at for a quick bite or rest whether inside the venue or just outside its doors, but they are usually packed with people so there’s no guarantee that there will be an open seat when you are ready for a break.
At the SMX Convention Center the event took up the ground floor and second floor. You’ll want to start at the second floor since that is where the registration is. For WOFEX you can pre-register online before the event starts. They take online payment so you’ll be able to quickly register yourself by just using your phone. You’ll get a confirmation email which you then show and you’ll get your pass in only a couple of minutes. I highly suggest to pre-register. The lines can get long for walk-ins especially during the weekend.
On the second floor of the SMX just outside the main door there was the Korean Pavilion which was a section of Korean brands and products. That was just a taste of what more was to be seen inside the main halls. Once inside you’ll instantly be hit with the smell of coffee. There were many coffee and coffee related products on the second floor. From coffee machines, beans, milk, syrups, tools, equipment, as well as coffee and cafe pop ups and stands, the coffee enthusiasts would be well taken care of.
Aside from coffee booths, there was a whole host of products and brands from franchising to ingredients and even machines. This is the time to explore and ask all your questions about sourcing, product, and packaging if you are looking to start your own food or beverage business. Whether you are thinking about opening a restaurant, pop up stand, cafe, or to franchise you should definitely look into attending this expo.
While the second floor had a stage and audience area for cooking demos, the ground floor had an area that was for the cooking competitions. You could watch The 2024 Philippine Culinary Cup from the sidelines as the young chefs got to work under a timer. There were students from different parts of the country who came together to put their best plate forward. It was nice to see some of the crowd cheering on their friends and classmates as the timer was coming to it’s final countdown. There were also chefs and students from other countries who participated and showcased their skills and creativity.
In the competition section there’s an area where the cake creations were on display. You could get quite close and really see how intricate the creations were. There were different themed cakes, from wedding and romantic, to famous characters, to some more culturally inspired designs. It was all very impressive to see. Cakes weren’t the only things to be made, there were other categories and challenges such as sous vide, seafood, pasta, creative breakfast, plant based desserts, Filipino cuisine, and more.
Some of the sponsors of the competition were Elle & Vire, Bakersfield, U.S. Meat Export Federation, Petron Gasul, Carmencita, Divella, Top Chef Enterprise, and a few more. The panel of judges were chefs from various places. There were some from the Philippines but also from Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Germany, and Switzerland.
Aside from watching the competition and taking in all the displays and booths, there are also talks, seminars, and workshops you can attend. Some of the topics and workshops were Local Sausage Making Workshop, Crafting Coffee Cocktails, How To Create Signature Cocktails, Whisky Tasting, Social Media Marketing With Artificial Intelligence Integration, How To Open Your Dream Cafe/Restaurant, Creating Menu Planning, Navigating Dynamic Shifts In The Philippines Food And Beverage Industry and so much more. Every day there’s something different to learn so getting an all weekend pass for both venues is very much worth it.
At the World Trade Center is where you will find all the industrial and larger behind the scenes items. There were mixers, blenders, packaging machines and everything in between. It was interesting to see the different kind of equipment that are needed to keep a food and beverage business going. There were whisks and spatulas that were about two feet tall as well as displays of ceramics and dinnerware. If you are looking for more of the business essentials, materials, and machines, The World Trade Center is where you should head to first.
Just like at the SMX there are also a few food and drink stands where you can get a quick bite before you continue on. There aren’t many places to sit and rest so just keep that in mind as well. The parking is also a little inconvenient at The World Trade Center since the parking area on the premise is mostly for the suppliers and companies, there’s only a small section for the attendees to park at. There is a larger parking area across the street which you can park at, but it also tends to fill up pretty quickly since it is also for other establishments and not just convention guests. It’s definitely easier to park around the SMX since you can always park at the Mall of Asia or at IKEA and just use the walkways that connect up to the convention building.
If you haven’t experienced WOFEX yet, I highly suggest you add it to your calendar next year. The entrance fee is minimal and there’s a lot to see. Even if you aren’t looking to open your own business or to source products, it's still worth going to. You can learn about new products and even buy products at a cheaper price than usual. There are many special discounts that are only available during the convention so remember to seize the moment!
