I am back! I've been quiet for quite sometime, I know...My apologies dear readers...But now I am back and I want to share with you bits and pieces about this activity called "Designers' Monday".

So what’s the Designers’ Monday all about? This is actually an activity being conducted by the Product Development and Design Center of the Philippines every Monday and it is a dedicated to free one hour Design Consultation and one hour Trends Briefing on the latest design ideas, information and other related product activities for manufacturers of furniture, home and personal accessories. Hence, the name “Designers’ Monday”…And yes, it is FREE. The only requirement is that interested participants must make a reservation at least one week in advance because slots are very limited. For those of you who are interested to take part in this activity, please take note of the following schedules:

•  First Monday – Gifts and house wares
• Second Monday – Furniture and home accessories
• Third Monday – Holiday décor
• Fourth Monday – Fashion accessories

Please note further that the Trends Briefing is open to all manufacturers, exporters, students, hobbyists and the general public; the Design Consultation, on the other hand, is open only to Philippine manufacturers and they require that your business must be registered. For those manufacturers who wish to attend the Design Consultation, here are the requirements:

• Photocopy of business registration
• Product samples and/or product photos in the case in the case of furniture or bulky furnishings as these will be the basis for discussion.

During the Consultation, handouts will be given to manufacturers free of charge; however, manufacturers are advised to come 15 minutes ahead of schedule to have enough time to fill up the Product Clinic Form. Please remember that the following schedule shall be strictly followed:

•  Trends Briefing – 9:00am to 10:00am / 1:00pm to 2:00pm
• Consultation Hours – 10:00am to 12:00pm/ 2:00pm to 4:00pm

If you want to be scheduled for an appointment or if you have other queries, here are the numbers to call: 833-7881/832-1112 to 18 local 126 and 110.