Written by: Ruth L. Navarra
Money booths, crane machines, and memory games sound like attractions you will find in an arcade rather than an expo focused on health. But the inaugural Watsons Health Expo encouraged visitors to take a proactive approach in staying healthy.
Health, fitness, and well-being took center stage at the four-day event at the Megatrade Hall of SM Megamall. Over 50 brands gathered on Feb. 1-4 to promote their products by giving away samples and discounts.
“We wanted to have the biggest health and wellness expo. It had to be at the center of things, which is why Megamall was perfect,” said Jared de Guzman, customer director of Watsons Philippines.
“Fun” and “engaging” were the keywords that De Guzman used to describe the activities at the venue. Members of the Watsons Club had exclusive access to activities of some of the booths. Some signed up on the spot by downloading the Watsons app to their devices. The money booth at the Watsons Club was one of the most popular ones. Each visitor had 20 seconds inside the booth to collect as many coupons as they can to win prizes.
Crane machines were found in the Parenteam and Sanofi booths. Trust Condoms had a memory game waiting for visitors to win extra prizes.
Trying new things
It was the perfect time to try new things. Berocca introduced its Mango and Orange Flavor in the event. Salonpas quickly rose as best friend to concert-goers no matter their age—and the brand offered a buy one, get one promo during the expo.
Unilab had the biggest setup with multiple products on display. They had samplers for their adult nutritional powdered chocolate drink Glucobest. Medicine cabinet staples like Allerkid were offered for half the price.
Andrew Donn Manuel, Unilab’s AVP for Sales, said that since this is the first Watsons Health Expo, they supported the event with freebies, promotions and surprises. The surprises included bringing their ambassadors to the venue to perform. Unilab brought Anne Curtis on the first day. The actress and host performed Frozen’s “Let It Go” to an enthralled audience. Other artists who came were Jessy Mendiola, Kristine Hermosa, Kuya Kim, Francine Diaz and Gabby Concepcion.
“Watsons and Unilab have always been in a very strong and collaborative partnership through the years. We believe that all Filipinos have the right to have quality health care and for them to enable themselves to do what they want,” said Manuel.
De Guzman said that the Watsons Health Expo was received well. The festive mood was encouraging for attendees and there were meaningful activities and talks given by industry experts to kick start guests’ health journey.
Jo Villablanca of Get Fit talked about the importance of finding balance for a better life. There were also “Dance Fitness” with Coaches Roco and Martin, “Starting Your Fitness Journey” with Pinoy Fitness, “Find your Flow” by Rope Flow PH, “Strength and Movement for Women” by Wandergym, “Running 101” with WeKenRun, “Getting into Outdoor Sports” by PhilTRA, “Spartan Challenge” by Spartan Ravens, and “Jumping for Fitness” with Jump Manila.
Other popular stops were the free consultations. There were doctors at the venue to check on the health of patients. There were areas where attendees could get their nerve endings, bone density, and blood pressure checked. But those were just some of the free tests conducted at the venue. There was even one stand dedicated to ear health. The convenience of having everything under one event motivated a lot of people to get checked. Perhaps learning something new about their bodies would lead them to take better care of their health.
De Guzman said that the success of their first event will determine if they could replicate it in other regions. Every Filipino ought to experience all the freebies, discounts, deals, free consultations and classes found at the Watsons Health Expo.
ADVT.