28 November 2025
SPACE, One Ayala became a meeting ground for leaders, educators, creatives, and students during the Brother Andrew Gonzalez FSC Academia‑Industry Conference (BAGCON) 2025, held on November 12–13. For two days, voices from classrooms, studios, boardrooms, and communities came together under the theme New Imaginings: Designing Future Societies. As Benilde’s annual academia‑industry gathering, BAGCON shifts its focus each year. Last year, it explored hospitality, tourism, food service, and culinary. This year, the spotlight turned to creative industries, showing how Benilde can convene conversations that matter on a global scale.
The gathering was designed to immerse students in the realities of the creative industries. Chancellor Benhur Ong explained it clearly: “This conference is meant to be a platform to expose our students to the new realities in the creative industries.” The sessions gave learners a chance to listen, ask questions, and see how their fields connect to the challenges of society today.
Vice Chancellor for Academics Angelo Lacson urged participants to carry the energy of the conference back into their own spaces. “Take them back to your classrooms, your studios, your offices, your communities. Build something, question something, start something. And if you’re feeling bold, reinvent something!” His words captured the spirit of BAGCON as a place where ideas are not only shared but also put into action.
International voices added depth to the discussions. Audrey Wong of LASALLE College of the Arts reminded everyone of the importance of collaboration and sustainability. “We gather people together… and also about sharing economy, about not wasting resources.” Jos Ortega of HAVAS Ortega spoke about the next wave of creativity, saying it will come from connections rather than cleverness. “Your generation is one that is way ahead of ours. The next wave of creativity won’t really come from cleverness but from connections.”
Dean Sharon Mapa Arriola of the School of New Media Arts framed BAGCON as more than a conference. “In these challenging times, when our society is confronted with deep uncertainties and urgent questions about the future, BAGCON becomes more than a conference — it is a call to action.” She emphasized that the gathering ended with a resolution, a living commitment from participants to be part of the solution.
President Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSC expressed gratitude to the organizing team, faculty, staff, and students. “What an inspiring two days of dialogue, creativity, and collaboration. You have shown that Benilde’s strength lies not only in our ideas but in our shared commitment to bridge academia and industry toward a more innovative future.” He thanked Dean Sharon Mapa Arriola of the School of New Media Arts, Dean Magda De Leon of the School of Arts, Culture, and Performance, Dean Harvey Vasquez of the School of Environment and Design, and Dean Joan Diñoso of the School of Management and Information Technology for their leadership. Brother Dodo reminded everyone that creativity is about perceiving, connecting, and reimagining shared realities. His message closed with a challenge: to keep imagining and designing futures rooted in inclusion, creativity, and the common good.
Since its launch, BAGCON has grown into a yearly platform where Benilde connects academia with industry and global partners. Each edition builds on the last, expanding the dialogue to new sectors while keeping the focus on inclusion, innovation, and student immersion. BAGCON 2025 is part of a larger tradition of Benilde-led conferences that prove the institution’s credibility as a convener of national, regional, and global dialogues. The event built on years of trust from industry and professional associations that have chosen Benilde as their ground for meaningful exchange.
When the Philippine Marketing Association held its Fourth General Meeting at Benilde, professionals and students sat side by side to rethink old habits in the field. That frank and forward‑looking dialogue showed how industry leaders rely on Benilde as a place to challenge practices and prepare the next generation of marketers. The Public Relations Society of the Philippines also formalized ties with Benilde, connecting classrooms with boardrooms and proving that the institution is not only a venue but a co‑architect of professional development. These partnerships show how Benilde is trusted by professional associations to host meaningful exchanges, the same trust that was evident in BAGCON 2025.
Benilde’s reach has also extended beyond national borders. WorkAbility Asia 2025 brought educators, policymakers, and NGOs from across the region to Manila to talk about inclusive education and employment. Hosting this conference positioned Benilde as a regional leader in inclusion, a theme that echoed strongly in BAGCON’s call to design future societies. Even in fields far from the arts, Benilde has been trusted to convene professionals. Real estate brokers gathered during REBAP RISE NCR 2025 to discuss ethics and leadership, reinforcing the institution’s role in shaping values‑driven leadership. Together, these events show a clear pattern: Benilde is consistently chosen to host conversations that matter, and BAGCON 2025 stands as the latest and most global expression of that tradition.
BAGCON 2025 confirmed this role. It was a gathering where students, faculty, and industry leaders came together to imagine futures and commit to building them. It showed that Benilde is not only a place of learning but also a catalyst for dialogue and collaboration across sectors and borders.
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