Airbnb to pay for `Geeks On A Beach’ accommodations

WORLDWIDE accommodations leader Airbnb has recently pledged its support for the first-ever “Geeks On A Beach” (GOAB) tech and startup conference slated on Sept. 26-27 in the globally-famous Boracay Island, Philippines.

Airbnb, the trusted community marketplace to book unique accommodations around the world online or from a mobile phone, will shoulder $50 worth of each of the GOAB participant’s accommodation during the two-day confab.

“We have a choice of over 250 unique accommodations in Boracay for the guests and participants,” said Airbnb Southeast Asia managing director Jia Jih “JJ” Chai, who is among the cast of resource persons in the forum. “Since the GOAB is unique, our accommodations must be unique as well.”

“We are very glad to get the support of Airbnb,” said Tina Amper of the organizing TechTalks.ph. “Fifty dollars for each participant? That’s a lot of money. We are very thankful to Airbnb for its generosity.”

With more than 10 million nights booked worldwide, Airbnb is the world leader in accommodations and travel rentals.

Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences at any price point in more than 33,000 cities and 192 countries.

Airbnb, founded in August 2008, has offices in San Francisco, London, Paris, Barcelona, Sao Paolo, Copenhagen, Moscow, Hamburg, Berlin, Milan, and Singapore.

Attending the GOAB will be like going on a holiday as the gathering will be held against the soothingly beautiful natural backdrop that earned for Boracay the distinction as the “world’s best island” by Travel+Leisure.

The GOAB techfest promises to be a valuable and wonderful experience for participants as experts from across the globe will be on hand to share their insights on startups, technology, gaming, mobile apps, and graphic design with the songs of Bob Marley and real Jamaican reggae music in the background.

Tapped as speakers for the event along with Chai include Bowei Gai of World Startup Report, Jojo Flores of Plug and Play Tech Center, Ron Hose of Innovation Endeavors, Maria Ressa of Rappler.com, Zac Cohn of Liffft, Ralph Wunch of MetroDeal, Paul Singh of 500 Startups, Stephen Jagger of PayrollHero, Frederic Levy of CashCashPinoy, Earl Valencia of IdeaSpace.ph, Minette Navarette of Kickstart Ventures, and Erick Garayblas of Kuyi Mobile, among many others.

It will also be a great opportunity for startup communities to pitch innovative ideas and create a network of partners, enroute to building new products and launching businesses that would attract investors to the Philippines.

The “Geeks on a Beach” event also features fun-filled geek games, film showing, and exhibitions for participants to enjoy.

Technological background or mastery is not a requirement for admission. One can simply attend “Geeks on a Beach” armed with interest and wicked ideas.

Interested to attend the GOAB may register at the event’s official website at http://www.geeksonabeach.com/ and enjoy 50 percent discount off the registration fee which is being offered until July 20 only. The first 20 early registrants will get the chance to have a group lunch with the speakers.

For more information and details, log on to the official “Geeks on a Beach” Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/GeeksOnABeach, and follow developments on Twitter @GeeksOnABeach.

Organized by TechTalks.ph and co-presented by SMART and DOST, “Geeks on a Beach” is sponsored by SMART Bro, SMART DevNet, IdeaSpace, Megaworld, Freelancer.ph, Airbnb, Microsoft Philippines, Island Souvenirs, Lenovo Mobile Philippines, and MetroDeal.com.

The event is also supported by the Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines, Brain Gain Network, and Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), with Webgeek, e27, istorya.net, Newsdesk, Business Mirror, and SGEntrepreurs as media partners.