Angel Ramos Bognot, an expert on MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), is one who exudes authority the minute she enters a room.
But instead of feeling intimidated by her presence, those in the tourism industry flock to her due to the nuggets of wisdom—business advice based on her many years of experience—she cheerfully offers.
“I actually wanted to become lawyer in the beginning,” reveals the Network of Independent Travel Agencies vice president, who in college took up Political Science and Foreign Service.
She backed out from that dream when Senator Benigno Aquino was assassinated in 1983. “The socio-political climate was so turbulent when I graduated, so I was scared of becoming lawyer. Because I wasn’t sure about where to go, my uncle, who was a travel executive back then, suggested that I try working with him in Afro Asian World Events.”
At first, Bognot hesitated, as she didn’t have the ideal background for the job. But once she finished her training at the Department of Tourism, she fell in love with the concept of MICE and saw what tourism could do for the Philippines. There was no turning back. “After my training, the rest is history!” she said.
Bognot is a confessed big dreamer, and she partners this with the courage to take on ambitious yet rewarding projects. For instance, she pursued the Middle East market in the mid-2000s, with the mission of reviving medical tourism in the Philippines. In line with that, in 2009 she became the ground handler for the World Health Tourism Congress, which the country hosted.
In the same year, she revived the Philippines’ participation at the Arabian Travel Mart after almost a decade of absence. After all her years of pursuing that market, she’s now attending to an escalated variety of tourists from the Middle East.
“Now, more and more young professionals from the Middle East are coming here. Families too, and my favorite of all, the royal family,” Bognot shared. “I just didn’t like the idea there are so many Filipino OFWs in the Middle East, and here we are not getting any visitors from them. I really wanted to do something about that. Now, I want to attract MICE Arabia!”
Asked how the Philippines is faring in MICE, she said progress is slow because the government “seems to be apathetic. MICE for them is more of a side trip or a side program. In other countries, it’s under the Office of the President.”
Bognot, who’s also president and managing director of Afro Asian World Events, refuses to be discouraged by the lack of government support though.
She has come up with her own ways to showcase MICE Philippines, such as the two-day Travel Business Exchange Pilipinas, where sellers and buyers from the tourism and travel industries gather to increase movement in their businesses and to learn more about the pressing issues of their field.
Now on its 10th year, TBEX 2018, which will be held on Nov. 8 and 9 in Clark, has “Creating a Responsible Travel Business Line” as its theme. The event will discuss sustainable tourism, which is more complex than what people perceive it to be.
“It is not only about Mother Nature,” points out Bognot. “It’s not only about the naturality of the destination. It’s about our culture, our food, our heritage, our ancestors. There’s much to be considered really, and they’ll learn it there.”
What makes TBEX 2018 different from other gatherings designed for the travel and tourism industry practitioners? “Participants can’t just leave when they want; we have assigned marshals,” Bognot said. “We want everyone’s mindset to be about work, but in a way that they’re also entertained [by the special activities organizers have prepared for them] and enjoy what they’re doing.”
With all the uncontrollable factors in the travel and tourism industry, Bognot said it’s crucial practitioners take their job seriously by being knowledgeable and updated and helping each another grow. The talks and networking activities in TBEX Pilipinas 2018 would be a good place to begin.
“It’s been very effective,” says Bognot of previous TBEXeditions. “It’s been fulfilling to see our [NITAS] members improve and see them more productive.”