Blogapalooza is widely recognized as the ultimate gathering of bloggers and businesses in the Philippines. It's a big event that brings together bloggers from various niches and local enterprises that are seeking to partner with these bloggers for their promotional requirements. 

At the Cebu Pacific booth

3 Awesome Things to Expect at Blogapalooza

What is Blogapalooza?

Blogapalooza is a business-to-blogger event that aims to connect Businesses and Bloggers directly. In doing so, the event helps optimize costs for both businesses and bloggers.

Registration area

The first event was held in 2011 that ran for a day. It was by invitation only that businesses and bloggers can join.  Businesses would present their products or services and build relationships with the bloggers, while bloggers get to see what’s new as well as network with businesses to make deals happen.

Blogapalooza is more of a combination of a trade show, entertainment event, forum, and networking opportunity. Of course, there are a lot of games and freebies to make the event even livelier.

My experience at Blogapalooza

When I expressed my intent to attend, I was not really sure whether the organizers would accept me. For one, I was not really an active and prolific blogger. More than anything, I blog as a hobby, not as a business. 

Event sponsors

Thus, when I was accepted to join, I was more than excited because it was an opportunity to learn something new, have fun, and, possibly, meet fellow bloggers. The gathering was held at One Esplanade, a well-known event venue inside the Mall of Asia complex. It was held on a Sunday, which was good because the traffic was not heavy.

The event was already starting when we got there. We already pre-registered so check-in was a breeze.

What to expect at Blogapalooza

Once inside One Esplanade, we were greeted by a multitude of booths offering products, accommodations, and services. We had no idea what to do or where to begin so we just went around and talked to some of the exhibitors and participants about the products they offer, and tried some of their samples and free services.

Event entrance

We were surprised because many of the exhibitors were familiar brands in the airline, hospitality, health and wellness, and food industries. It's that diverse which made the event even more exciting and worth looking forward to.

Here are some of the things that bloggers can expect at Blogapalooza:

1. A lot of freebies and giveaways

It was a very busy and lively event, with many things going on all at the same time, but it was still a pleasant experience on the whole.

Outbreak Manila

Some of the things to look forward to at Blogapalooza are the free items, sample products, giveaways, and loot bags. There are also games where prizes can range from small items to hotel staycations. It's really like one big fun event and far from being bland and boring.

Not only that, for bloggers, Blogapalooza may be the venue to score that dream collaboration or a long-term relationship with a brand that you aspire to work with.  

2. Networking with businesses and fellow bloggers

Again, the brand partnership opportunity that you are looking for might be here at Blogapalooza. But that's not all because this event is highly attended by bloggers from different niches, this may be the perfect event to meet your favorite blogger or to network with them. 

Giveaways and free items

As well all know, it pays to have a good network of bloggers because they can refer you to events and brand collaborations. Some big bloggers will also commission smaller bloggers to attend big events and product launches on their behalf. 

3. Knowledge-sharing

What is good about Blogapalooza is that it's not just all fun and socializing. It is also full of substance because discussions covering topics relevant to blogging and marketing are held throughout the duration of the event. 

Event forum

During the Blogapalooza event that I attended, the panelists were Vince Golangco, founder of When In Manila; columnist-host RJ Ledesma, columnist, and lifestyle blogger Atty. Paulyne Lazaro-Fermin, and digital marketing expert Mannix Pabalan. It was being moderated by TV personality, host, and DJ Sam Oh.

The guests were tackling about bloggers being considered media people, as such, it is their responsibility to uphold truthful journalism when they write. It was a good discussion and very relevant to participants because they will surely learn a lot from seasoned journalists, bloggers, and other media personalities.

Epilogue

Overall, Blogapalooza is a business to a blogger event that is worth attending. If you are a newbie blogger, you have to experience attending Blogapalooza at least once in your life. If you are a veteran blogger, the knowledge and new partnerships that you may be able to gain from this event are worth your time.

On a lighter note, I definitely enjoyed attending Blogapalooza. There was a lot of music, fun, activities, and freebies. Furthermore, it was just amazing to talk to businesses and to learn from them, especially the startups who have recently just taken the path to entrepreneurship. It was certainly a day well spent at Blogpalooza.