MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Shangri-La Plaza’s 2024 Thanksgiving Night for its retailer partners at Shangri-La The Fort was packed with insightful discussions, some truly valuable advice on applying Feng Shui to drive business success, good food, good music by way of the great Mr. Martin Nievera, and even better company.
Aside from the event staging a comeback after a five-year absence, it was also the first time that Shangri-La Plaza hosted a session that brought together a dynamic roster representing the new guards of business and retail.
Starting off with a keynote from The Belo Group Managing Director Cristalle Belo-Pitt who shared that the “secret sauce” to staying relevant is as simple as “going back to your ‘why.’” She pointed out that when Dr. Vicky Belo started the business, her goal was to make the Philippines the most beautiful country in the world, one person at a time. “And we did that and continue to do it by bringing in the best technologies from around the world to our country.”
Another thing that Cristalle considers key is working with the best partners. The value of getting the right location, spaces that put attention to details, and the care and support that Shangri-La Plaza consistently extends to The Belo Group is worth all the effort. “I really attribute our success here to the support that we get from the management. We feel heard whenever we tell them about our goals for the year,” she explained.
Following Cristalle’s impactful presentation, broadcast journalist Karmina Constantino moderated a panel discussion on the experiences of some of the leading brands’ new generation of business leaders. Cristalle was joined by Vohne Yao, Managing Director of the hip eyewear brand Owndays Philippines and a director for luxury watch purveyor Lucerne Group; Toby Claudio, President of the leading multi-brand sports and fitness retailer Toby’s Sports; Rajiv Mirani, President of Vogue Concepts that brought international brands like Ever New, Parfois, Levi’s and Yves Rocher to the Philippines; and Vania Romoff, a renowned fashion designer and the creative genius behind her eponymous RTW brand that offers pieces that celebrate the modern Filipina.
Venus Wang, Chinese Feng Shui and Astrology expert from Singapore, built on the insights from the panel to deliver an engaging and helpful guide for Shangri-La Plaza’s retail partners. Her talk provided practical advice centered on leveraging the Chinese Zodiac forecast and attributes of the business owners themselves as well as their teams and applying these in their business operations. Venus also offered certain adjustments that retail partners can execute in their spaces, relationships, and investments to prepare for any challenges and further enhance their businesses for the auspicious year of the wood dragon.
With Nicole Andersson hosting and some of the biggest names in business in attendance, the Retail Partners Thanksgiving was a wonderful opportunity for Shangri-La Plaza to celebrate its continued commitment to innovation in support of its valued retail partners, and to have an exciting and fun time doing so.
As Joy R. Polloso, Executive Vice President for Commercial and Retail of Shang Properties, Inc., said in her closing remarks, “Shangri-La Plaza is honored to host a gathering that strengthens our partnerships with the new guard – the next generation of retail leaders – while coming up with ways to help nurture the businesses of all our retail partners.”
She further shared, “We are boldly moving forward in 2024 with new developments that allow us to build for better and continue to be Inspired by Shang. All these moves are centered around Shangri-La Plaza working hard to be a good partner with all of you.”
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