In order to drum up and hype our latest game, Bounty Hounds Online, the BHO team is conducting a series of Guild/Player assemblies nationwide. The goal is to share the game’s features to players, guildmasters and avid fans. Also, it’s not just a one way street, so to speak. Our team, led by the BHO Marketing Manager, our Community Manager, Game Masters and game testers are on hand to hear suggestions on how we can improve the game come OBT and beyond.

The first one was held last November 30, 2011 at El Pueblo Grill.

The First Bounty Hounds Philippines Guild Assembly

Of course, gracing the event is our official BHO girl, FHM girl and model, Apple Angeles! Thanks, Apple for your support!

Meanwhile, check out more photos from the event:

We’re going to Luzon, Visayas (Cebu) and Mindanao (Davao) pretty soon! If you want to get invited or want to know details of the event, head on over to the official BHO Facebook Page.

For more photos, check out the BHO FB Album!

Props to my BHO team led by Mr. Ryan Sacares! Great work guys!

Thanks!

GM T

Last weekend, Oct 21 to 23 (Friday to Sunday), I attended Startup Weekend Manila with a few officemates and friends.

Startup Weekend is an “intense 54 hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend. The weekend brings together people with different skillsets – primarily software developers, graphics designers and business people – to build applications and develop a commercial case around them.

It’s not a normal workshop where you listen to speakers and get knowledge. The main difference here is that you and your chosen group actually do hard work to get a startup business off the ground during the weekend.

The main premise goes like this; Friday night is when all attendees and the judges/mentors hear the “pitches”. Should you have a great idea, you are given 1 minute to convince the rest, present your great idea to everyone and tell them if you need developers, money, marketers or any other help. From that, the attendees will then vote for the best ideas. The top “startups” will be then announced and if you didn’t pitch, you could then find a group that you’ll join. You’re stuck for that group for the rest of the weekend.

There were 28 approved ideas for Startup Weekend Manila. Most them were very promising and had a lot of potential. My favorites included

• Twitmusic – music marketing platform for indie bands/artists for Twitter
• Tex – the old Pinoy game. Will make it a smartphone game. This one’s cool.
• HobbyMash – Social network for hobbyists grouped by collection
• MyShoephoria – Shoe collection and management site
• Emergency Button – One touch mobile app to contact emergency services for you

I ended up joining Emergency Button which I believed had a great goal: TO SAVE LIVES. The premise is simple; If you’re having a heart-attack (or any other emergency, God forbid) all you need to do is press one button which would immediately contact the emergency services and they’ll know your exact location via GPS. Help will be on its way in an instant.

I did their marketing plan and good friend Keith Morales also helped with the technical and feasibility. We threw in some other ideas, crunched numbers, figured out start up costs, ROI and other business needs. Then, we prepared the final presentation on Sunday. And I’m glad to tell you guys that we won! Our team made it to the Top 6. I hope that my newfound friends from Emergency Button do find an investor and realize their dreams. Wishing them the best of luck!

I also did some “rounds” and helped a couple of groups. It was great meeting Ann Jacobe of MyShoephoria. I hope that she can consider some of my feedback and ideas. I’m pretty sure that her business will succeed because I saw that she definitely LOVED what she was doing. Success will come naturally if you love what you’re doing.

All in all, the Startup Weekend is a great experience. If you need to learn a few skills, get ideas, ask questions, find a mentor, land a job, or find an angel investor, then Startup Weekend is a perfect way to do all that and more.

I’m glad that I was part of this event and, in the near future, if I see a successful app or site which came from Startup Weekend Manila, I’ll be proud to tell everyone that I was part of that.

Thanks and props to the wonderful organizers and sponsors (Hi again, Minette Navarrete, it was so nice to see you) . Great work!

And congrats to all the winners. May you realize your dreams the soonest. Wishing you the best of luck in your new app, site or platform.

Cheers!

More photos…

Halloween is turning out to be an extended vacation for most of us. Malacanang has announced that it has added November 7 as an official non-working holiday in observance of “Eidul Adha” (Muslim Feast of Sacrifice). Sweet!

Also, the Palace has already declared October 31 and November 1 as official Holidays! Woot!

With LIVE 2011 included in this mix, the calendar will look something like this:

• Oct 29 (Saturday) - NO WORK OR SCHOOL
• Oct 30 (Sunday)  - NO WORK OR SCHOOL
• Oct 31 (Monday) - NO WORK OR SCHOOL
• Nov 1 (Tuesday) - NO WORK OR SCHOOL
• Nov 2 (Wednesday) – Back to work/school
• Nov 3 (Thursday) – Back to work/school
• Nov 4 (Friday) – Back to work/school
• Nov 5 (Sat) - NO WORK OR SCHOOL (LIVE 2011)
• Nov 6 (Sun) - NO WORK OR SCHOOL
• Nov 7 (Monday) – NO WORK OR SCHOOL (Holiday)

Don’t forget to share!

Seeya all on November 5 at World Trade Center for LIVE 2011, ok?

SOURCE:

• Nov 7 official declaration
• List of PH Holidays from Malacanang

Combine a nice, simple “Fun Run”; put in some obstacle courses; and then… thrown in some ZOMBIES!

This makes for a great, exciting event! Happening in Maryland, USA in October…

RUN FOR YOUR LIVES

Here’s what their official website says;

Protect your brain and run for your life. This is one race where your legs giving out are the least of your problems. Run For Your Lives is a first-of-its-kind event, one part 5K, one part obstacle course, one part escaping the clutches of zombies — and all parts awesome.

Runners will navigate a series of 12 obstacles throughout a 5K course in an attempt to reach the finish line — all while avoiding zombies. At the end of this adventure race, you get to celebrate survival (or zombie transformation) with live entertainment and music, local celebrities, vendors, food, and of course, beer!

Check out their vid

Don’t forget to share!

More info at www.runforyourlives.com

I saw a nice status message in Facebook by my Marketing Services Manager, Dana Tan which read “Bebeng Out, Bieber In”.

This, of course, refers to the fact that Typhoon Bebeng is making its way out of the country at the same time as another “typhoon”, pop sensation, Justin Bieber, arrives in our country today for his concert later tonight at the MOA.

Alrighty then, if you aren’t going to see the concert, best piece of advice I can give you is to stay away from the SM MOA area due to the traffic.

It’s gonna be a bitch!

What’s constant is: there are Bieber-lovers (currently flooding twitter as of the moment) and Bieber-haters.

I’m not taking either side, folks. But am definitely NOT watching the concert.

Peace!

Yesterday, I went to the 2011 Manila International Auto Show at the World Trade Center (yeah, the same venue where we do Level Up LIVE)

The show was awesome! The cars were great and as a consumer you get to see, touch and get inside the cool automobiles. But as marketers, top car companies such as Hyundai, Ford, Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz rely on hot models to draw in the crowd.

Here’s a collection of the best babes of the show… enjoy…

The Girls of the Manila International Auto Show 2011 – By GmTristan.com

Want more babes? CLICK HERE

For instant updates when new babes come in, be my fan on Facebook. Thanks!

You can easily share this to your friends by clicking my Facebook Share Button below (you need to be logged in to Facebook for this).

I’d just like to take this opportunity to greet everyone, KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!

It’s the Chinese New Year today and it’s the Year of the Rabbit.

Let’s see what the Rabbit has in store for us this year, shall we?

2011 YEAR OF THE RABBIT

The Year of the Golden Rabbit begins today, February 3, 2011 and ends on January 22, 2012. Rabbits are introverted and private individuals.

This Chinese Astrological site tells us what to expect for this year

• The Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves.
• It is a time for negotiation.  Don’t try to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail.
• To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children.
• Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise.

For those born under this sign [(01/29/1903 to 02/15/1904 (Water), 02/14/1915 to 02/02/1916 (Wood), 02/02/1927 to 01/22/1928 (Fire),  02/19/1939 to 02/07/1940 (Earth),  02/06/1951 to 01/26/1952 (Metal),  01/25/1963 to 02/12/1964 (Water),  02/11/1975 to 01/30/1976 (Wood),  01/29/1987 to 02/16/1988 (Fire),  02/16/1999 to 02/04/2000 (Earth),  02/03/2011 to 01/22/2012 (Metal).]

Rabbits are “private individuals and a bit introverted.  People born in the Year of the Rabbit are reasonably friendly individuals who enjoy the company of a group of good friends.  They are good teachers, counselors and communicators, but also need their own space.”

Moreso, they are; “Keen, wise, fragile, tranquil, serene, considerate, fashionable, and kind.  Generally, they are quite calm, do not exhibit aggressive behavior, and will avoid confrontation at all costs.  When angry about something, they will approach it calmly and considerately, hardly ever raising their voice.  And they are quite keen and pay close attention to the situations developing around them.  They are intelligent and quick, and can talk themselves in or out of most situations with no problem”

Wishing you all luck and good health this year!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

How about a nice, cool pet this Holidays that gives you +5% more EXP! Cool, no?

Here are the details on how to get it.

Enjoy it, from the pRO Team. Rok On! Feel free to share. Thanks

I’m currently supporting the World AIDS Day on December 1, 2010. In this regard, am also helping some friends who are the organizers of an event slated also for that day.

The event is Make Your Move Street Dance Competition where dance groups can join and compete to win P175,000 in cash prizes. Details of the event right after the jump

Make Your Move Street Dancing Competition

In celebration of the World A.I.D.S. (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) Day on December 1, 2010, a special dance competition dubbed “Make Your Move” will kick off at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Music Hall at 10:00AM on the same day. College students and call center agents can participate in this one-day dance competition with over PHP 175,000 in cash prizes up for grabs.

To join, simply form a group with a minimum of eight (8) members up to a maximum of twelve (12) members to a dance group. Members may be all male, all female, or a combination of both. All dancers must be bona fide college students or currently employed as call center agents/officers. Groups may simply fill up the registration form, bring valid IDs for verification purposes and a video of the dance choreography.

The dance routine should not be more than 5 minutes and must incorporate “AIDS Awareness” as a theme. All requirements should be submitted to On Ground Activation, Co (see contact details below).

P100,000 awaits the champion while the first runner up gets P50,000 and the second runner up will take home P25,000. Plus, all non-winning dance groups will get a consolation prize of P5,000 each. The group with the most number of contingent/supporters will receive P20,000. Full mechanics are here

This special event is just one of the many advocates of Frenzy to promote awareness for AIDS. Frenzy believes that disseminating proper information about AIDS is just one of the many ways to stop the spread of this worldwide killer. This special dance competition/event is part of the company’s campaign towards that goal.

“We’re proud to showcase the best talents of the Filipino youth as we celebrate World AIDS Day. Filipinos are very talented and we want to be instrumental in spreading awareness about AIDS in a wholesome and fun way. Make Your Move is literally, a step in the right direction” says Norman Campoy, Brand Manager for Frenzy.

For more details, you may get in touch with Judy Perez at 895-2561/09063193537 or Eula Capidos at 0915987171 of On Ground Activation.

You may also find us at Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/makeyourmovedance

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Btw, I’ve also hosted a special Facebook Contest for this event where I’m sponsoring a cool laptop bag as a prize.

If you want to join, check out the mechanics here and I’ve also posted detailed photos of the bag in case you want to see it.

Help me spread the word by clicking my Facebook Share button below please.

Thanks!

Some of my friends and fellow bloggers have recently organized the upcoming  Visayas Blogging Summit 2010. As a blogger, I promised them that I’d help them spread the word. The annual event will be held (this time) at Iloilo on November 27 at the SM Cinema 8. The Visayas version of the Philippine Blog Awards would also be held on the night of the 27th.

To quote their website; “The goal of the Visayas Blogging Summit is to gather ideas from bloggers and explore the potential impact of blogging on society, business and politics in the Visayas and beyond. Considered as new media, blogging proved itself a strong marketing medium as well as a political channel that connects the company or person with their intended audience, something TV and radio do not provide.”

Prominent bloggers will be speakers at the event which include Janette Toral, Jayvee Fernandez, Aileen Apollo and Tonyo Cruz

Sponsors for the event include the following; Bourbon Street, Ted’s Lapaz Batchoy, Bluejay Coffee and Deli, Crave Burger, Tibiao Fish Spa, Nokia, and Sunsilk by Unilever Philippines. Yehey.com is the official online media partner. Days Hotel is the official hotel partner. Globe will be the official WiFi provider.

I wish the organizers all the best in this event. I wish I could join you guys and network with fellow bloggers (and visit the beautiful places in Visayas). I guess, maybe next year I can find time.

Should you wish more information about the event, please visit the official website at:

http://www.visayasbloggers.com/

Thanks!