Many Filipinos begin their career anew in the UAE with a vision towards that career they’re eyeing – and there are those who go along with the flow until they find that one thing that fits and embodies their ideals and aspirations.
2019 The Filipino Times Awards Hospitality Professional of the Year Bianca Litonjua admittedly didn’t begin in her field at present as she began her journey in Dubai as a Personal Assistant many years back but it was when she found fulfillment in seeing smiles in people’s faces that she found herself in the field of events and eventually, hospitality.
Career of Spreading Happiness
From being a personal assistant, Litonjua jumped at the opportunity to join a peculiar career that saw her first steps in the field of events. “I met this extraordinary clown so at first I thought it was a joke – something laughable and then I told myself ‘well I got nothing to lose!’ So I joined his company which was a Theatrical Circus Company that does live events and events management,” recalls Litonjua.
After working with her new boss for their first-ever company event, Litonjua realized her calling of spreading happiness: “I saw the smile on people’s faces and how entertained they were. That’s when and where the fire in me started again and said to myself: ‘I want to do this for a living.’”
She proceeded to learn more about the field of events, working as an Events Manager and then shifting jobs as an Events Coordinator which for her, was two steps down – but was a risk she was willing to take as she managed to join a huge company.
Forging Partnerships
It was in her new corporate field where Litonjua had to course through a challenging environment where she worked day and night to find the ins and outs of the business. “I worked in the corporate office of Emaar Hospitality Group working for the Head of Events who was a very lovely but tough woman, with her I learned the ins and out of Hospitality as it is very different from my background this is where I learned how really business works and how tough corporate life is so again I studied really hard, trained in different departments so I can understand how it works and not only how to do your work but also work on your own self branding.”
Fast forward to today, she has since made her mark and was entrusted with the position as the Head of Events at Rove Hotels spearheaded multiple partnerships with huge international brands including spearheaded multiple including collaborations with Google, Netflix, Unilever, DHL, World Art Dubai, YSL, and many more.
Litonjua shares that it’s the essence of the inner Filipino hospitality, coupled with her drive to unleash the inner happiness of each client and each visitor that she faces that led her to win the hearts of not just these international names in the industry, but more importantly, the hearts of each and every person that stays in their hotel.
“Me being Filipino and having grown up in the Philippines has developed a strongly Filipino sense of hospitality in me. My advise for those who wish to work in the field of hospitality one day is to always stick to the basics and study hard even if you are in a particular department. Try to get to know how other departments work, always be a team player as one person cannot do it alone. And lastly “perception is reality”: How people perceive you is their reality. Hospitality is a people’s business – you got to have lots of grit, patience and charm to survive. Networking is key,” shares Litonjua.
