By Miel Feria, SERDEF Media Bureau
After the hectic holiday season comes to a close, another season begins earnestly, the season of the hearts. Although not an official holiday, majority of Filipinos celebrate Valentine’s Day as though it were one. And with the Christmas tiangge season coming to a close, Valentine’s Day is heaven-sent for most entrepreneurs.
Every year entrepreneurs find way to make the most of Valentine’s Day since it is pretty much celebrated like Christmas – with good food, gifts and out-of-town trips. Besides time-tested ways of celebrating this day of love, there are novel ways that will surely catch the fancy of lovers out there.
Romantic dinners
Putting a spin on the old-time favorite is imperative. Given the number of restaurants in the country, a little imagination is required to stand out and attract the attention of Romeos looking for a way to woo their Juliets.
The most common offer would be special set dinners offered during Valentine’s Day, but restaurant owners could go further with meals that could be personalized or made to fit the needs and wants of their customers with not just your run-of-the-mill dinners but specially- prepared menus that would include all the favorite food of the guest.
While this would be enough for some, there are others who want more than just good food. They also like to take in the outside view as they wine and dine. Restaurants in Tagaytay offer a view of Taal while serving sumptuous delicacies. Padi’s Point in Antipolo boasts of a spectacular view of Metro Manila by night, flooded in lights.
For a different kind of thrill, Sun Cruises offer a romantic dinner cruise around the Manila Bay for those who would rather go the scenic route.
But for a totally different dining experience, catering companies could offer packages for two so you can set up that special dinner in your special places for a more private and exclusive celebration far from the crowded streets and restaurant. This kind of celebration may be pricier but would definitely be more memorable.
Special gifts
No Valentine’s Day celebration would be complete without the requisite chocolates, gifts and/or flowers. While there isn’t really anything you can do with flowers but to arrange them and flower shops enjoy brisk business during this season, specialty shops for chocolates and other gifts must be relatively original to catch the attention of prospective buyers.
Through the years, the trend has been towards personalized gifts – from personalized t-shirts, personalized mugs, to personalized jewelries. Some even offer personalized chocolate bars. Chocklit Talk, an online company that offers personalized chocolates, even allows you to include your personalized message in your chocolate.
Going one step further, an online American company offers another brilliant gift idea for the romantics out there – starring in your very own novel. What better way to immortalize your love story but through a novel that stars you and your loved one? Although this is not yet available locally, you can access www.yournovel.com, choose your own story, order its publication and allow for a waiting time for the book shipment to come through.
Love and money
Love is big business. Especially in this season when love is in the air, lovers would not hesitate to splurge to indulge the object of their affection and show their feelings in the most extraordinary ways. It is up to the perceptive businessman to turn this predisposition into good business and even earn the psychic reward of being instrumental in the flourishing of this crazy thing called love.
