The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) expects to surpass last year’s trade show revenue as it expands the scale and frequency of its exhibitions to drive demand for local enterprises.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said the agency is confident that higher visitor traffic and an increased number of exhibitors will lift sales figures beyond 2025 levels.

“Definitely, we can guarantee that,” said Trade Secretary Cristina Roque, when asked whether the DTI can surpass the total sales from trade shows last year.

Across 12 national trade fairs last year, over 1,700 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) generated a combined total of around ₱660 million in cash sales and confirmed orders.

It is estimated that over 190,000 visitors and buyers attended these events, further expanding the market reach of locally produced goods.

To sustain the momentum, Roque said they plan to hold at least 13 trade shows this year.

“That's the minimum we can do, but we're definitely going to do more,” she said.

Aside from holding more trade shows, Roque said they plan to hold these events in larger venues to accommodate more MSMEs than the usual 300 exhibitors.

In addition, she said they plan to include more product-specific offerings in trade shows to draw greater attention to goods with strong growth potential.

For one, Roque said this will cover popular local flavors such as mango and ube to further drive demand, potentially leading to more export opportunities.

Roque earlier cited the need to develop “new export winners” such as ube, as well as garments, footwear, and personal care products, to ramp up demand for Philippine exports.

For the year, the DTI is targeting exports of goods and services between $116 billion and $120 billion.

Last year, the country’s merchandise exports reached a record high of $84.41 billion, while service exports hit $66.08 billion in the nine months to September.

The DTI opened its first trade show of the year on Thursday, Feb. 19, with the five-day National Trade Fair, which brought together 300 exhibitors from across the country.

The event features a curated selection of food, fashion, tech, and creative products from across the country, primed for wider distribution and export to overseas markets.