SM: A Place Where They Got It All For You

Bacolod City, my hometown in the Philippines, has been cited as one of the retiree-friendly places in the country, if not in the whole world. True enough, more and more foreigners are finding their way to my city. Recently, I also had friends coming to Bacolod to attend meetings, trainings, seminars, conferences, or other business matters. Other friends even arrived to Bacolod for personal reasons, such as to attend a birthday or to facilitate documents in preparation for a wedding. I also know of two or three people who has settled or is contemplating of moving to Bacolod.

More so this coming October, when it’s Masskara Festival time once again. All roads will lead to Bacolod as tourists will flock to witness the revelry, with a touch of the friendly Bacolod hospitality. Well, Bacolod is not known as the City of Smiles for nothing. I know of friends from the capital, that is, Metro Manila, who will be coming over to experience this grand, fun-filled and colorful celebration.

If you are new to the city, or have been here for a few instances, or had been absent for long and has just returned (like me!), there’s a place where you can go to that will provide you with most of your basic needs. Even when you are a long-time resident or a homegrown, you will still need a one-stop shop, with all its convenience, so you can get on with your other priorities in life.

Such is the beauty of SM City Bacolod, where they strive to live up to its line of “we got it all for you!”

Bills and Important Documents

You need to pay your bills – credit card, electricity, water, telephone, cable network, internet connection, or what have you – and you don’t have all the time in the world to go to each office and queue so you can process everything you need to do. Or, you have to get some important documents from government offices, like your certificate from the National Statistics Office (NSO), or your license renewal at the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC), or papers from the Ombudsman; and you cannot travel to Iloilo, where regional offices are located, or in Manila, to process these papers. Now, SM City Bacolod offers bills payment where you can do all these, including school enrollment!

They also have currency exchange where you can change your US dollars, UK Pound, Euro, and other foreign currencies into peso.  So why waste precious time lining up in different offices when you can settle everything in a breeze and all in one place?

Gift Registry

You are going to have a party for a birthday, baptism, wedding or anniversary, debut or whatever occasion you want to celebrate. You have visitors from other places coming in or you are a guest yourself. Isn’t it less of a worry if you have a place where guests can easily buy the perfect gift because the celebrant himself or herself has already listed down the items he or she wants to receive and are readily available? This is the convenience that SM City Bacolod’s Gift Registry provides.

When you are having a special gathering, you can fill out a Gift Registry form at SM on items you prefer to receive, as a guide to your guests. It becomes a win-win situation, you get what you really need and like, while the guests do not have to think hard looking and shopping for the perfect gift. Plus, they will deliver it to your place or venue at the date indicated in the form, free of charge, whether there is only a gift or two that was actually bought from the registry.

Another privilege to enjoy, the registrant can even earn bonus points for his or her SM Advantage Card (SMAC)or Prestige Card. Or, if you don’t have one yourself, you don’t have to enroll because you can still list the card number of a loved one or family member where you want the points to be credited.

Advantages and Prestigious Privileges

Speaking of SMAC and Prestige Card, SM really has a lot in store for its cardholders. Especially for the Prestige Card which allows members to have access in its Prestige Lounge. You have exclusive toilets, free coffee or drink, soft and comfortable sofas where you can read a newspaper or magazine.

We visited the Prestige Lounge at the 3rd level and enjoyed its comfort and amenities during our lull time while waiting for the next event to attend.

A venue for all

Let me go back to parties and celebrations. If you are looking for a venue to hold important milestones in your life, or maybe a corporate gathering or big events, you can count on SMX Convention Center to have a venue ready for you. SMX Convention Center is located at the third floor of the SM North Wing where there are three function halls and six meeting rooms to choose from that can accommodate from a dozen people to over four thousand.

You can have your event scheduled anytime you want, as long as the venue you prefer is available. So, if your party ends at the wee hours of the morning, say 2:00am, you can definitely do so. SMX operates like a hotel, minus the guest rooms, where service is provided round the clock, if it has been scheduled in advance.

Catering to your gastronomic needs

SMX has four accredited caterers that were strictly screened to ensure that they are able to provide high-quality food and service. These four are L’Fisher, Business Inn, Casa Noble, and Imay’s. The first three gave us a sampling of their cocktail menu that they provide for some of the events in SMX. The food tasted good, something that will make your guests happy and satisfied in whatever activity or event you host.

Masskara City

Something to look forward to at SMX at the height of the festival is its Masskara City, the 2nd Bacolod Trade and Tourism Expo and Conferences. It will be held at the SMX Convention Center from October 16 to 18, 2015.

The expo will be highlighting businesses from the tourism industry, food business, information and communication technology, retail and even micro-enterprises. Various products and services will be on display. The exhibition will also have small activities held in its main activity area inside the SMX Convention halls.

Simultaneous to that are the Masskara City 2015 Conferences: October 16 will be the Tourism Conference; October 17 will be the ICT Conference; and October 18 will be the Food and Design Conference.

It will be a lot of fun checking the various booths and learning from the different experts. So, if you are one who will be heading to Bacolod this Masskara or anytime soon, no need to worry because SM will have tons of excitement, surprises, great products, good services, and a whole lot of convenience ready for you.