BACOLOD CITY — The first SMX Convention Center in the Visayas will open here in two weeks, becoming one of the highlights of the city’s 35th MassKara Festival.
This is the first SMX in the Visayas and the sixth property managed by SMX Convention Specialist Corp., a unit of the SM Hotels and Convention Corp.

John Bernard Ongsingco, SMX Bacolod branch manager, said the center will have a soft opening on Oct. 16 along with the grand opening of the SM City Bacolod mall expansion.

“The ground floor [of the expansion area] will be occupied by tenants of the mall, while the SMX Convention Center will occupy the third level,” he said.

Mr. Ongsingco said the center will host a MassKara event from Oct. 17 to 19. The 19-day festival kicked off on Oct. 1.

“It is more of an announcement that Bacolod City is now back into the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) business,” he said.

SMX Bacolod offers 8,218 square meters of event space, with a pre-function lobby, six meeting rooms, and three function rooms that can accommodate up to 4,500 people, a company statement said.

SM also operates SMX Manila at the Mall of Asia, SMX Taguig and SMX Davao as well as Megatrade Hall and Cebu Trade Hall.

May Castro, SM City Bacolod public relations manager, said the ground floor of the mall expansion will house global brands and big restaurants while the second floor will house the new food court and the new cyberzone as well as national and local brands.

The MassKara Festival, organized by the Kasadya Bacolod Foundation, Inc, started with a run-walk-bike-skate event on Oct. 1, converging in the city plaza from four departure points.

Eleven public elementary schools and 20 barangays will join the streetdance competition on Oct. 17 and 18, respectively, while 14 barangays will compete for the Electric MassKara on Oct. 19 after the Charter Day parade. — Chrysee G. Samillano