Pilmico, the food subsidiary of the Aboitiz Group, will hold the Pilmico Congress on September 20 to 21, 2019 at Quest Hotel in Pampanga. The Pilmico Congress, formerly known as the Pilmico Jr. Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture Congress, is a gathering of top students from various universities in the Philippines taking up agriculture, animal science, veterinary medicine, and engineering to connect with industry leaders and learn the best practices in the field. The Congress is packed with activities and keynote talks that put the focus into sparking innovation and creativity among the attendees in the context of the agricultural industry.
For its fifth year, the Pilmico Congress has repositioned itself not only as a learning and development opportunity for scholars, but a celebration of the coming together of brilliant minds at work with its theme, Thrivefest.
The Thrivefest breathes new meaning into the word THRIVE by aligning the whole program to tackle the following aspects: Transformation, Health, Relationship, Innovation, Values, and Experience; all of which have been carefully represented in the five-part program.
The program begins with Thriving in the Real World that discusses life after school and tips on how to make the most out of it. This is followed by Growing our Grains which introduces Pilmico’s flour business and how Pilmico does its part in making sure to provide quality food products to their customers. Crossing Borders is part three of the Thrivefest which recognizes the importance of the value of innovation in everything Pilmico does. Building Bigger Islands encourages the participants to think bigger by creating and fostering transformative relationships. Lastly, the Thrivefest will conclude with Hunting ‘The Wild’, a pitching challenge where the participants innovation skills are put to the test.
Pilmico advances businesses and communities through events like the Pilmico Congress by sharing their expert knowledge in the industry to budding highly-skilled scholars as their Partner for Growth in their careers and in life.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Pilmico Congress fit within Pilmico’s broader Partner for Growth commitment?
The Pilmico Congress is an explicit expression of Pilmico’s role as a Partner for Growth extended to future industry leaders. Rather than limiting its partnership model to existing customers and farmers, Pilmico invests in the educational development of students who will become veterinarians, agri-entrepreneurs, and food scientists. Connecting these students with Pilmico’s industry leaders and best practices during their formative years creates a long-term pipeline of professionals who understand both the industry and Pilmico’s role in it.
What is the Pilmico Congress and how has it evolved since its original format?
The Pilmico Congress began as the Pilmico Jr. Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture Congress — a gathering focused on veterinary medicine and agriculture students. By 2019, now in its fifth year, it had been repositioned as a broader multi-disciplinary congress under the theme Thrivefest, welcoming top students from Philippine universities studying agriculture, animal science, veterinary medicine, and engineering. This evolution reflects a shift from a narrowly vocational event to a full student development and innovation platform.
What does the Thrivefest theme represent, and how is it structured into the program?
The word THRIVE is used as an acronym organizing the entire congress program into five thematic parts: Transformation, Health, Relationship, Innovation, Values, and Experience. Each part corresponds to a session segment — from Thriving in the Real World (post-graduation realities) to Growing our Grains (Pilmico’s flour business), Crossing Borders (innovation), Building Bigger Islands (relationships and partnerships), and Hunting the Wild (a pitching challenge for participants to showcase their ideas in a competitive format).
Who attends the Pilmico Congress and how are attendees selected?
The Congress gathers top students from multiple Philippine universities in the fields of agriculture, animal science, veterinary medicine, and engineering. The competitive, multi-discipline composition reflects Pilmico’s view that the future of Philippine agriculture requires not just farmers and vets but also engineers, innovators, and communicators working across boundaries. Participation is designed to be selective — bringing high-performing scholars into direct contact with industry leaders.
What is the Hunting the Wild pitching challenge and what does it test?
Hunting the Wild is the fifth and final segment of the Thrivefest program — a live pitching competition where participants put their innovative thinking to the test by presenting business or technical ideas to an audience. This format simulates real-world entrepreneurship and product development scenarios, pushing students to not just absorb industry knowledge but to produce original thinking under pressure. It reinforces the Congress’s goal of sparking both innovation and practical creativity among Philippine agriculture’s next generation.
