Written by: Ana Alcantara, Jesam Jimenez, and Denise Samson
The 13th Asian Bird Fair (ABF) was held on November 21-22, 2024, at The Tent in Las Piñas City. This marked the second time the Philippines, through the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP), hosted the event with the inaugural ABF taking place in September 2010 in Davao City.
This year’s fair attracted an impressive 2,500 attendees, including 118 foreign delegates, 40 WBCP volunteers, 56 local schools, and various representatives from travel and conservation organizations. Participants from 21 countries engaged in forums, lectures, and nature journaling activities.
For this eBON article, the three of us share our experiences as volunteers at the 13th Asian Bird Fair.
Our friendship began to take root during the first day of the event, built on interactions from earlier encounters. Jesam and Ana first met during a club trip to the Tanza Mudflats in December 2023, while Denise and Jesam became acquainted in June 2023 during an ocular visit to the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction.
On November 20 (Day 0), all three of us led the fair registration at Brittany Hotel Global South. This involved distributing IDs, souvenir kits, and ABF t-shirts to both foreign delegates and local participants. After welcoming hundreds of people, some familiar and most new, and managing logistics while overcoming language barriers, it’s no surprise that we quickly formed a strong camaraderie after working together for the first time.
Then, as it turned out, all three of us were roommates! It was the perfect opportunity to bond even further, which we did during the mornings, evenings, and in between— taking the time to debrief after each busy yet productive day. Connecting with people from diverse backgrounds made us realize that each person had their own reasons for attending the Asian Bird Fair. While we participated in the same event, our takeaways and perspectives were unique.
In the next section, we share our experiences and reflections from the 13th Asian Bird Fair.
Why did you volunteer for the Asian Bird Fair?
Ana: This is my first-ever bird fair event! I only got to join guided bird trips and I recently got a glimpse of what a bird-centric event looked like last June 2024 at the Fraser’s Hill Bird Race in Malaysia. I was very happy (and lowkey overwhelmed) at the amount of bird-related activities and booths at the fair; it felt like an eat-all-you-can-buffet except it’s about wildlife, eco-tourism, and conservation. Really an opportunity I couldn’t miss out on!
Denise: I’m very much interested in organizing or supporting events that amplify relevant causes, which, in this case, is biodiversity conservation through education and partnerships. ABF is a great way to promote destination stewardship by engaging non-birders (and potentially turning them into birders) through the showcasing of the importance of our wild birds and the ecosystems they rely on for survival. I also wanted to get more involved in the club, and I thought volunteering for the Asian Bird Fair would be an excellent opportunity to contribute, especially since I haven’t had the chance to participate much in the club trips yet.
Jesam: Personally, I enjoy organizing and coordinating events so I was pretty stoked when applications for volunteers for the 13th Asian Bird Fair were opened! It felt like a rare opportunity to be a part of such an important occasion not just for the bird club but for our country as well and I wouldn’t want to miss out on it. Also, as someone who isn’t working in fields related to sustainability or environmental conservation, I wanted to be more involved in these fields through the ABF.
What were the roles you played during the fair?
Ana: I was part of the Technical Committee and was tasked to receive and compile introductory clips from the delegates and participants of the fair. These clips were around 30 seconds short and introduced the person’s name and affiliation and invited people to join the ABF. These clips were used as promotional material on the ABF Facebook page and were also played during the downtimes at the event.
I assisted with the distribution of IDs and acted as a welcome committee of sorts. I also acted as a substitute for Anna Rose (also a roommate! Really, what were the chances) from the Katala Foundation since someone had to watch over her booth when she took breaks and presented at the ABF lectures.
Denise: I assisted with preparing delegate IDs and kits and facilitating the event registration, supported logistics (slash Maia), and occasionally manned the WBCP booth to engage with fairgoers. However, my favorite contribution was the unexpected one – creating a post-event video with the random snippets I took on my phone. It was something I hadn’t initially planned to do, but I’m glad I did, as it perfectly captures the spirit of ABF as both an event and a community!
Jesam: Prior to the event, as part of the Delegates Committee, I was tasked to update the database for the international delegates’ flights going to and from Manila. I was also tasked to coordinate with some of the delegates via email a week before the event, sending them reminders and final announcements. During this time, seeing that the delegates were coming from literally every corner of the world really hyped me up for the fair.
On Day 0 of the fair, I was part of the group of volunteers who officially welcomed the delegates to the fair during registration. We made sure every delegate received their kit which had their IDs, ABF program, ABF t-shirt, and lots of merchandise and other goodies. Aside from that, I took on other tasks as well such as designing the final exhibit layout and handling all the printing needs of the fair. I was even dubbed the “Printer Princess” during the fair!
Name your top three favorite parts of the event?
Ana:
- I have spent two days surveying all 70 booths at the bird fair and I can definitely say that interacting with fellow bird enthusiasts is the highlight of this event. Because of my task at the Technical Committee, I recognized the foreign delegates from the ABF clips they sent. Likewise, some delegates recognized my face and name because of our back-and-forth emails and it made for a good conversation starter. This was the largest event I had the opportunity to talk to like-minded individuals from different backgrounds.
- My favorite purchase at the fair was from the Haring Ibon booth where I bought a deck of playing cards featuring Philippine endemic birds. It was a culmination of everything I like: games, digital art, and Philippine birds! Another notable item I received was from Ate Carmel of the Asian Centre for Biodiversity. She gave me a Sarus crane (Antigone antigone) pin and I got to learn the species’ history as a large non-migratory bird which was once found but now extinct in the Philippines. Through these items, I realized how selling merchandise is really a great way to increase the interest, awareness, and reach of conservation efforts to citizens.
- To help out our fellow roommate, Anna Rose, I volunteered to watch over her booth so she could rest and do her presentation. The booth had two activities: coloring of Philippine birds and a memory game. I saw kids be competitive over their colorings of Philippine birds, which had better shadings, had a more accurate color palette and whatnot. I saw how adults get baffled that the Philippines has its own porcupine and that there are differences between deer and mouse deer. It was heartwarming for me to witness citizens be interested in Philippine birds and wildlife. I took for granted my biology background and realized that awareness is the first step to conservation and loving our avifauna. They left with awe in their eyes and I’m glad to be one of the people to introduce them to the wonders of Philippine wildlife.
Denise:
- Seeing familiar faces from last year’s fair in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, and making new friends (Ana, Patcha, Mijon, Bernard, and Vinz) this time around has been my favorite part of the event! The sense of community it brought reminded me exactly why I made sure to block off my schedule for ABF this year.
- I reconnected with last year’s delegates, met my colleague Hannah, who brought her daughter along, and ran into Denise (who shares my name), whom I met during my time as a Sustainability Officer at Lagen Island Resort. Seeing her wearing a Palawan Hornbill shirt reminded me that all those hours spent talking about the birds found on the island to anyone willing to listen are far from wasted.
- The Nine Pittas t-shirt I bought from the Oriental Bird Club just because I love Pittas! Stocks were running low, and I was one of the lucky few who managed to snag one. I wore it so proudly that I couldn’t help but let everyone know. Hahahaha!
Jesam:
- The spirit of volunteerism is alive! What still amazes me to this day was how the fair was run by an entire team of volunteers. Every single volunteer had something to offer and really pulled their weight to make the event a success. And despite how chaotic things get sometimes in running a huge event like this, everyone was contributing cheerfully which made for a stress free environment. It was my first time volunteering for events such as this and being surrounded by people who work tirelessly for a cause that they were passionate about only inspired me to continue volunteering in the future.
- Going around the booths from local and international exhibitors was really eye opening for me as a newbie birder. I got to know a whole lot about the conservation status of wild birds such as the Katala, or the Red Vented Cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), in Palawan through the Katala Foundation’s booth as well as the situation on the illegal trade of wildlife in the Philippines through Traffic’s booth. I also got a glimpse of the different birds that can be seen in other countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, India, Japan and many more through the booths of birding societies from other countries. Getting to see the global birding community in this event sparked my interest and enthusiasm for bird watching even more.
- As I mentioned earlier, I volunteered for the 13th Asian Bird Fair because I love organizing events. I expected to be really busy and focused on the work for the four days I volunteered. Surprisingly, it turned out to be four days of starting new friendships with fellow advocates and sharing experiences and insights with delegates. I came home from the 13th ABF with new connections I would treasure
If, like us, you found this year’s event fulfilling or want to be part of the action in 2025, don’t miss the 14th Asian Bird Fair. Taking place from October 31 to November 3, 2025, at Seosan Birdland in South Korea, the fair will explore the theme “Coexistence of Humans and Nature.”
Seosan Cheonsuman Bay, a key global wintering stopover for migratory birds, welcomes over 300,000 birds each year and hosts more than 220 bird species. With its museum, indoor and outdoor viewing areas, theater, and wildlife treatment center, Seosan Birdland offers the perfect setting for creating equally inspiring and immersive experiences for us all.
The 13th Asian Bird Fair was an unforgettable experience that highlighted the power of community, conservation, and volunteerism. The event brought together passionate bird enthusiasts and conservationists from across the globe, fostering valuable exchanges and deepening our collective commitment to biodiversity conservation.
Between coordinating logistics, chatting with delegates, and immersing ourselves in the experience, it became clear that these kinds of events aren’t just about the birds; they’re about the people too. It was a great opportunity to form lasting friendships and witness the positive impact of shared enthusiasm. As we look forward to similar events in the global birdwatching community, we’ll carry with us the memories of how a shared love for nature can propel new and authentic connections. In the end, the real highlights of the event were the friendships we made and how that collective spirit further inspires us to make a difference for our feathered friends and beyond.