BOOK LOVERS, UNITE: YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE MANILA INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR 2018 + 5 HANDY TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF THE #MIBF2018

Each year, bibliophiles from all over the Philippines look forward to September for the annual Manila International Book Fair or MIBF. This is the largest trade fair of its kind in the country and definitely one of the most vibrant in Asia, with hundreds of publishers and exhibitors converging and displaying thousands of book titles and other merchandise at the SMX Convention Center for five straight days.

This year, the MIBF will have its usual run at the SMX in Pasay City from September 12 to 16, 2018.

For the old faithful who have made their yearly pilgrimage to the MIBF, it's the same old drill. But for the uninitiated, the entire affair may come across a tad overwhelming.

For MIBF veterans and newbies alike, here's your ultimate guide to making the most out of the 2018 Manila International Book Fair.

How to go to the SMX Convention Center

The SMX Convention Center, home to the MIBF for several years now, is located at the sprawling Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City, Philippines. It is right next to the MOA mall proper, adjacent to the MOA Arena, and a few steps away from Conrad Hotel and the MOA Eye.

If you are commuting from EDSA, take the MRT line and get off at Taft Avenue Station. From there, you can take a city bus or a jeepney at minimum fare, or a cab en route to the Mall of Asia. Booking a ride from Grab is also an option.

If you are coming from Manila, take the LRT Yellow Line and get off at Taft Avenue Station. Walk to the MRT Taft Avenue exit and get your ride from there.

For those coming from Antipolo and Katipunan, you may take the LRT Purple Line and get off at Cubao Station. From there, walk across Gateway Mall and Farmer's Mall to take the MRT. Get off at Taft Avenue Station and get your ride en route to MOA from there.

If you are a risk-taker undaunted by the prospect of getting stuck in EDSA traffic, there are city buses coming from Fairview and Caloocan plying EDSA en route to MOA.

Books on display at MIBF.

 How to make the most out of the MIBF 2018

1. Have a game plan ready even before going to the venue.

One of the rookie mistakes committed by many MIBF first-timers is they go to the venue with nothing particular in mind, thinking they'd just hack it by strolling around and wishing they'd stumble upon good finds.

This may work at times, but often, you just end up wasting a lot of time looking at things you are not interested in and getting lost in the confusion of it all. Worse, you end up getting exhausted after wandering aimlessly, achieving nothing.

Get started by doing the following:

• First things first, look for coupons and discount codes online. Note that there is a very minimal entrance fee to the MIBF. But if you don't want to line up for a ticket anymore, come prepared by printing any of the free tickets being offered by many of the publishers and exhibitors online. Discount coupons are also up for grabs. Make sure to check them out. 
• List down the books you need or want to buy. This will make things infinitely easy for you because you no longer need to second-guess when you're at the venue whether you want to buy a particular book or not. If you don't have any particular title in mind, a genre will do. For instance, if you are a parent to a seven-year-old toddler, you'd want to think ahead of the kind of books you want to purchase for your kid. 
• Get hold of the MIBF exhibit floor map to find out where the publishers are located. Normally, publishers are clustered according to their specialization. So you'd see basic education textbook publishers located side by side. The same is true with university publishers, religious publishers, and children's book publishers, among others. But just the same, having a map of the floor space will allow you to go to the publisher you like directly without having to look at every single booth there is. 
• Plot your calendar for the book launchings, meet and greets, book signings, panel discussions, storytelling sessions, and contests you want to attend. The MIBF hosts several side events that visitors could go to. If you are interested in any of these, take note of the time and venue beforehand because with the deluge of visitors, expect these events to get filled up with crowds easily.
• If you are looking to attend a book signing, it is mandatory to bring a copy of any of the author's books. Instead of buying a new copy of a book you already have and read in the past, take a mental note to bring your old copy with you for signing. 

2. Arrive at the venue early and avoid the weekends at all costs.

Because of the surging popularity of the MIBF in the past years, thanks in large part to the hype it's been getting in social media, the yearly event now manages to draw huge crowds. 

Is going early a good thing? It used to be in the past. But now, everybody does the same thing so much so that people are now beginning to line up even before the venue opens. The result? It takes hours before you get inside, particularly during weekends. Which is why if you hate the idea of standing up in line for hours under the sun or under the rain, weekends are a no-go. If weekends are all you have, bring water for hydration and lots of patience. 

Tackle the MIBF like a seasoned pro.

3. Wear comfy clothing. Bring water and snacks, too.

Expect to be walking around the whole time you're there at the venue. As such, wear comfortable clothing and shoes. 

For good measure, bring water and little snacks, too. There is normally a food caterer inside the venue, but with the bloated prices and endless queue, it just doesn't make for a decent dining option. You'd want to come in full and grab a bite elsewhere once you're done book-shopping.

4. Bring an ecobag to store your books in. If you are hoarding books, bring a luggage.

Imagine having to buy books from different publishers and ending up collecting different kinds of wrappers, too -- from plastic to paper bags to plastic strings. It's just a lot of waste. 

Do your bit in minimizing trash and reducing your personal carbon footprint by bringing a reusable ecobag to store your haul in. If you are set to horde books, a luggage is going to be handy. 

5. Most importantly, spend wisely.

Be wise where you spend your hard-earned money on. Just because a particular book has a discounted price doesn't mean you should buy it pronto even without thinking of whether the book is worth buying in the first place. 

See, in a book fair as big as the MIBF, you are bound to encounter a lot of useless, if not outright trashy, books and merchandise. At one point you'd realize how unbelievable it is that so much trees were cut down to print books that ought not to have been published at all. 

In this sense, be a discerning consumer and book lover.  

In this day and age where a huge number of people would rather scroll through their social media feeds than curl up in a corner and read a book, the MIBF serves as a wonderful reminder that books have been, are, and will always be important sources of knowledge and wisdom.

Thinking of going in this year's #MIBF2018? What are your thoughts about this event? Join in the discussion and share your story in the comments section below.