Yes, I Was Once a Festival Director.

A little throwback to the Tuna Festival, the MICE life, and a chapter I wish I had documented better.

I found an old ID while cleaning my workplace. An old, slightly worn-out ID that I almost forgot I had tucked away.And just like that, I was transported back to a time in my life that feels both so long ago and, somehow, just yesterday.

Yes. I was once a Festival Director.

Not just any festival, either.

I had the privilege of serving as Festival Director of the Tuna Festival in General Santos City ---one of the biggest and most anticipated celebrations in our city.

And looking at that old ID brought back a flood of memories.

Tuna Festival 2019: Experience New Flavor

The 2019 Tuna Festival was particularly special.

During our time, we wanted to do more than simply put together another city celebration. We wanted to help position the Tuna Festival as the biggest industry development-based festival in General Santos City. A celebration that would not only entertain, but also highlight the very industry that helped shape the identity of our city.

And so we bannered the festival with a theme that captured exactly what we wanted people to feel:

“Experience New Flavor.”

It was an invitation to experience Gensan differently. To celebrate our tuna industry. To discover new experiences. To bring together business, tourism, culture, entertainment and community.

Looking back, I realize just how ambitious that vision was. And I am proud that I got to be part of bringing it to life.

More Than a Festival

People see festivals from the outside.

The lights.
The colors.
The parades.
The concerts.
The activities.
The crowds.
The smiles.

But behind every successful festival is a mountain of work that most people never see.

There are meetings upon meetings. Endless coordination. Timelines. Budgets. Permits. Suppliers. Artists. Production teams. Security. Traffic. Logistics. Protocols. Last-minute changes. And then, of course, there are the things that happen that no project plan could ever prepare you for.

 That was my world as Festival Director.

It was exciting. It was exhausting. It was challenging. Sometimes it was downright crazy. But it was also one of the most wonderfully amazing chapters of my life as an event specialist.

The sparring duo that was MTB: Manay and I. Festival Director and Brands and Partnership Care Manager slash Live Hosts and everything in between!

 And I wish I had written it all down.

That is probably one of my biggest regrets.

I wish I had kept a proper journal of those years.

I wish I had written about the long meetings and longer days. The crazy deadlines. The things that went wrong and somehow turned out right. The people who made everything possible. The friendships forged in the middle of chaos.

I wish I had documented the little victories that nobody else noticed.

The “Okay, we're good!” moments after hours of panic.

The “Let's make this work” conversations.

The countless people who quietly did their part to make a huge celebration happen.

Because now, years later, I realize that those weren't just work experiences.

Those were stories.

And I didn't write them.

And Then There Was the Music

One of the things I remember fondly from Tuna Festival 2019 was our decision to launch a re-imagined version of the “Whoa Gensan Tuna Festival” theme song.

It was another attempt to give the festival a fresh flavor (quite literally bringing new energy to something that was already part of our city's festival identity.) "Gensan Tuna Festival ! Taas noo, mga Heneral! Gensan Tuna Festival, ating ikinararangaaaal!"

And it became even more special because it was made possible by someone who was not just a talented musician and creative collaborator, but a dear friend,  the late Champ Biala.

I will always be grateful that we got to re-create that song , together with Kuerdas. Today, whenever I think about that song and that festival, there is an added layer of nostalgia because Champ is no longer with us.

Some people become part of our professional journeys.

Some become part of our personal stories.

And some leave behind something that allows us to remember them long after they're gone.

"Te Chix, what do you think?", "Te Chix, okay na ba ang lyrics?", "Te Chix..."

Champoy did that.

And I will forever treasure that chapter.

The Wind Beneath My Wings

But if there is one thing I want to emphasize about my time as Festival Director, it is this:

I could never have done it alone.

Behind every Festival Director is a team.

And behind me was the Tuna Festival Coordinating Committee (TFCC).

They were, quite literally, the wind beneath my wings.

They challenged me.

They supported me.

They helped turn ideas into reality.

They stood with me through the pressure, the deadlines, the changes and the inevitable chaos that comes with producing something of that magnitude.

There were probably days when they thought I was crazy.

There were probably days when I thought I was crazy. 😂

But somehow, together, we made it work.

And when I look back now, I don't remember just the things we accomplished.

I remember the people: Prexy Marife "Ping" Quiam and Team Philexport ( Tito Rommel, Mommy Carol) , Manay Michael Andrew Carbon (para sa hakot-sponsor award!), Michael Torrijos (for takbo dito-takbo doon award !) my better-half Poppy (dabes logistics manager ever!) Chari Pascua ( for her " walang magugutom sa familiang eto"  motto!) Sheena and Sarah Girl ( for making sure na lalabas ang budget! Waaaa! hahahah) Francis "Isko" Butulan ( for our dated artcards and social media eme) Lance Estocapio, Kuya Harvee, Koya Beeeeen, Kenneth "Tsoo" Chua (for being the best all around support system) and Atty. Leonard Flores (for best supporting actor award!)

The camaraderie.

The laughter in between the stressful moments.

The shared exhaustion.

The “kaya pa!” attitude.

And that wonderful feeling when you finally see everything come together.

To the TFCC , daghang salamat uyyy!

Thank you for believing in the vision. 

Thank you for carrying the load.

Thank you for believing in things that I can do and for the things that you do.

Thank you for allowing me to lead.

And most of all, thank you for being the wind beneath my wings.

The TFCC: First time in the history of Tunafest (if my memory serves me right)  na pinaakyat onstage ang working team to be recognized

My MICE Life Before I Even Called It My MICE Life

Long before I started looking at my career through the lens of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) I was already living it.

Events taught me things that no classroom could. It taught me how to work with people. How to negotiate. How to manage personalities. How to solve problems when there is no time to panic. How to make decisions with incomplete information. How to remain calm when everyone else is looking at you for answers.

And perhaps most importantly, it taught me that an event is never really about the event.

It is about the people behind it. The people who plan it. The people who build it. The people who perform in it. The people who attend it. And the community that comes together because of it.

Being a Festival Director allowed me to experience all of that on a much bigger scale.

And General Santos City gave me one heck of a playground. 😍

And Then There's Tina

One of the things that made me smile when I found that old ID was remembering Tina, our beloved Tuna Festival character. And seeing Tina still being used in the city's promotional materials makes me incredibly happy. Because that is the thing about events. You may eventually move on to another project. Another job. Another chapter. But sometimes, little pieces of what you helped create remain.

A logo.

A character.

A concept.

A song.

A tradition.

A memory.

And somehow, years later, you see it again and think:

“Hey. I was part of that.”

And that's a pretty wonderful feeling.

The Stories I Never Wrote

Perhaps this is why finding that old ID hit differently.

It reminded me that I have spent so much of my life creating experiences for other people that I usually forgot to document my own. Eme. I have worked on events, conferences, conventions, festivals, meetings, community programs and countless other projects. I have been behind the scenes, on stage, backstage, in meeting rooms, on production floors and everywhere in between. I have watched ideas turn into programs. Programs turn into experiences. And experiences turn into memories. But somewhere along the way, I forgot to preserve my own memories.

So maybe this is me finally starting.

Maybe this is the beginning of telling some of those stories.

Not because I think every story was perfect. Definitely not.

But because every crazy, exhausting, challenging and wonderfully fulfilling experience helped shape the person and professional I am today. Char!

One story at a time.
One memory at a time.

With a little hindsight, a lot of gratitude…

…and, of course, a cup of coffee. ☕️

Because yes,

I was once a Festival Director.

And I am still incredibly proud that, for one unforgettable chapter of my life, I got to help tell the story of General Santos City through the Tuna Festival.

And now that Tuna Festival season is here again, perhaps this old ID was reminding me:

Some stories are worth  telling.💋

 

Life. Work. Purpose. Coffee. With a Little Chix.

#ChixAndTell #TunaFestival2019 #GeneralSantosCity   #ExperienceNewFlavor