By bringing together a mix of Cebu’s well established creatives as well as up-and-coming businessmen that shook different industries of the Queen City, this paved way for inspired learning and meaningful interactions. From the likes of Steve Benitez, founder and owner of Bo’s Coffee, to creatives like Cattski Espina of 22Tango Records, an afternoon filled with sparked conversations filled the Performing Arts Hall of UP Cebu last June 16, Saturday, for The Spark Project’s Sparkfest Cebu 2018.

Making a mark in various industries in Cebu, several successful handpicked speakers were present to share their insights on their journey towards a successful business venture. Ken Ngo, founder and CEO of Travelbee and Hammerland, urged the audience to “find their tribe” when knowing what type of business to put up. He shares that you should surround yourself with people who have the same goals and traits as you do, so that it may propel you forward.

The most talked about weekend market, Sugbo Mercado, is known to be a home of various food choices and stalls that is an ultimate go-to for foodies. Charm de Leon, Director at Sugbo Mercado, shares that the weekend market provides an avenue for small and medium-sized enterprises to live sell and interact with their customers. It allows start-ups to know their market and incubate the sellers for them to be able to expand through healthy competition within the confines of the Sugbo Mercado.

On enabling local entrepreneurship, DTI Provincial Director Nanette Arbon shares the importance of having to protect your business by protecting your brand. The government agency also provides the public various shared service facilities that enable them to materialize their products for their market.

Known for its “homegrown brew”, Bo’s Coffee is a local coffee shop brand which started in Cebu and is now with over a hundred stores nationwide. Steve Benitez, founder of the coffee shop brand, shares insights to start-ups and young entrepreneurs.

“The limit we have is the limit we put on ourselves,” shares Steve, on his journey as an entrepreneur with that entrepreneurial mindset.

Creatives in different fields– from the richness of the arts and crafts in the city, to its divergent and talented artists thriving in the world of music, film and theater–shares the importance of putting oneself out there to the world and actually making your audience love you. The value of the artists’ brand is emphasized in the different topics on these creatives, from starting movements that create good, on emergence of sustainable social enterprises, as well as using creativity and the power of innovation as a tool for entrepreneurship.

Patch Dulay, the founder of the Spark Project

Cattski Espina of 22Tango Records shares that the company was able to create a thriving community of not only music creators, but also a community of music consumers. With the movement of #GrowCebuMusic, it strives to achieve a sustainable highly creative local music industry in Cebu, which not only provides for various artists but gives pride to Cebuanos.

Jude Gitamondoc, more famously known for his work on VISPOP songwriting campaign and having produced the famous vispop song HAHAHAHasula, also took part in sharing his journey in building a community of musicians and making these musicians touch hearts and be hits.

In the creative scene, the common denominator is that one should make the audience love and adore the talents and pieces, as well as the overall brand being put out to the market. The power is in knowing what’s hip and trendy, as well as what’s going to last, in the contemporary world.

Creative businesses like these are also movements for social change. Anthill Fabric Gallery, represented by its Creative Operations Officer, Cham Lopez, is driven by this idea. It makes its mark in the local scene of clothing and garments as a social and cultural enterprise in the with the goal to preserve local weaves through contemporary and zero waste design to sustain livelihood.

Ceeli Martinez-Miranda, Co-Founder of Create Cebu

“The whole purpose of Sparkfest really is to create that “spark”, to get people excited about entrepreneurship, creativity and creating social good”, says Ceeli Martinez-Miranda, Co-Founder of Create Cebu, a team with a vision of “urban revitalisation and reclamation” with the help of collaboration through art. Being able to be present with different speakers who have made things happen in their respective fields would then be able to ignite and inspire business-minded and creative-minded people under one roof to allow them to collaborate and start their own businesses and movements.

Aside from the bustling field of business, Sparkfest brings to the spotlight the importance of creativity and the value it brings to each product and service. The marriage of a product/service and the marketing dilemmas that go with it show that there is an incorporation of creativity in businesses, and a way to make a business out of the creative ideas you put out to the world.