PRA promotes Philippine retirement life in Tampa
The last time I made quick trips to the USA was when I was still running the Northwest Airlines GSA here in the country. I remember that I would get depressed every time my secretary would tell me that I had to go on one, simply because those trips made me feel like a zombie by the time I returned to Manila.
I barely had time to recover from jet lag after flying eastward across the Pacific, then I had to fly back home and get jet-lagged some more. It used to take me a week to recover my “normal” body clock once again. Now that I am much older, I’m sure the jet lag will last longer.
But the call of duty made me fly to Tampa, Florida, last week and return to Manila four days later. Now that I’m back, I can already see myself looking “stoned” during meetings or yawning uncontrollably at midday, the worst time of the day when one is jetlagged. Since I no longer drink coffee, upon my doctor’s advice after my angioplasty, I keep myself awake with something to chew on.
The very important US event I had to participate in was the Senior Living Executive Conference and Expo at the Tampa Convention Center. This venue is a mid-sized convention center (per US standards, but very large per Philippine standards) and is located along the breezy Hillsborough River, which cuts across the city’s downtown area.
The 35-year-old MICE complex has views of Tampa Bay and the city’s skyline and hosts over 100 events per year. It covers an area of 56,000 square meters, with a 19,000-square-meter exhibit hall, 36 meeting rooms, and a ballroom that can accommodate 2,000 guests.
Since we, at the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA), now focus on international events that cater to the senior community, we deemed it necessary to participate in this 12-year-old annual Senior Living Expo.
This year, it had 439 booths and attracted more than 2,000 attendees. The booths featured facilities and services needed by seniors, like walking aids, health insurance, anti-aging vitamins, vision and hearing enhancers, beauty essentials, and many other geriatric necessities.
I even saw a booth selling a specially designed Mercedes Benz van for wheelchair-bound individuals. But what got me really amused was a booth selling percussion instruments for seniors who may want to spend their idle time making some music. Each instrument had a sound enhancer and visual guide, in case the owner is hearing or visually impaired.
During the executive sessions that preceded the expo opening, I had the opportunity to give a talk in a large hall packed with seniors about our country’s retirement industry and its benefits. I made it clear that retiring in the Philippines gives them easy access to the bounty and beauty of nature, the low cost of living, our world-class healthcare facilities, the welcoming attitude of our people, our interesting and uniquely attractive culture, and our English communication skills, which make it easy for them to be integrated into the community they choose.
I also showed them several videos of real-life foreign retirees, happily settled in various parts of our country, giving their respective testimonials on how much their lives have changed to something beautiful and memorable ever since they moved here.
It was gratifying to get the loudest cheers and applause after my presentation, so much so that the speaker after me, who was selling medical insurance, quipped when she got to the podium, “That was a tough act to follow!”
After my talk, our PRA booth attracted a lot of curious seniors because we were the only foreign-based exhibitor in the entire hall and also because they wanted to know more about the benefits that I mentioned during my presentation. My PRA team of three manning our booth barely had time to take a break, as a continuous stream of Expo attendees kept us busy the whole day.
For all the gains that our country’s retirement industry garnered at this Tampa Senior Living Conference, I don’t mind being a “zombie” again for the next few weeks. After all, when I took over this agency, I swore to ensure that its gains rank high, over and above my own personal comfort. Besides, this is what makes life exciting!
Now, when is the next quick trip to another international event for seniors? I’ll be ready for it!
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YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE:
My ex-wife still misses me, but her aim is starting to improve!
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For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com
