Joseph Lim Ang, founding chairman of the Philippine World Building and Construction Expo (Worldbex), the company he started some 30 years ago, and which has become the leading exhibition and events organizer in the Philippines, passed away last May 12, 2026.
At a time when international exhibit organizers were holding successful shows in Southeast Asia, Ang, who worked in construction and home décor importation at the time, was inspired to first establish Worldbex Services International, patterned after the “BEX” exhibitions being held abroad at the time.
“It was hard because it was new, and it was not in my regular line of business at that time,” he told writer Judith Juntilla in a 2013 interview for Asian Dragon Magazine, for the article “Master showman.” Ang diligently networked, coordinated with suppliers and exhibitors, and worked long days for a year to mount Worldbex in March 1996. Juntilla called it a “sweet victory” for Ang, who had attended exhibits abroad and saw how they could benefit the country. “We invited a known foreign exhibit organizer to hold a show here in our country, and were turned down,” he said in the article. “They said that the Philippines was not yet ready to hold an international construction show.” Thus, the success of WorldBex was vindication of Ang’s early vision.
In fact, when then Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos attended the Worldbex opening, those same groups who said the country was not ready later came calling, asking to be part of future shows. Meanwhile, President Ramos memorably canceled an appointment to spend more time at the show, being an engineer himself who was interested in the exhibits, as many of the exhibitors were aspiring Filipino inventors.
A De La Salle University graduate, Ang was known to be self-deprecating, but was in his element when talking business. He used to run the Far East Department Store on Avenida, Manila, and was chief executive of the Multi-Rich Home Decors Inc., one of the more progressive suppliers for Filipino construction professionals. At a time when trade events were government or industry initiatives and exhibition space was limited, Ang gave his first exhibit a fiesta theme, closed out the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, and attracted 156 exhibitors, including overseas companies.
Worldbex went on to organize some of the biggest trade shows in the country, including the Philippine World Building and Construction Exposition (Worldbex), the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS), the Philippine World Building and Construction Exposition (Philbex), the Manila Foods & Beverages Expo (Mafbex), the Cebu Foods & Beverages Expo (Cefbex), the Sports and Leisure Show, the Cebu Auto Show, the World of China, and the World Bazaar Festival. Whereas coordination used to happen via phone and fax, Ang noted in the interview, they now had the benefit of technology, via mobile phones and the internet.
“The exhibition industry in the country has reached international standards, if not better,” Ang told Juntilla. Worldbex became the largest event in Southeast Asia in terms of exhibition floor area and number of international participants. “Organizing a show is very challenging,” he said in the interview. “Every event poses its own challenges, but if we do our homework, these challenges can be converted into assets, when you know how to solve them, and these assets will then define you as an organizer.”
Even with all his success, Ang prioritized spending time with his family, and his children are hands-on in the business. The shared passion for food was a motivation behind organizing the Manila Food & Beverages Expo.
“I think I am lucky in this aspect because my family is actually involved in running my businesses,” Ang said in the interview. His eldest daughter and youngest son are involved in events. In a 2017 article for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, son JR Ang wrote, “Going on business trips with him, I learned that he is truly a man for others. He never fails to check on everyone in the office and at home. With my dad’s dedication to his work, I saw how his employees were like his extended family and how the office was his second home…
“Among the most important lessons he shared was to value relationships, to be humble in times of victory, and be strong in times of defeat,” JR concluded, lessons which will certainly live on after his father’s passing. “He reminded us to work from the heart. It has always been his belief that everything that comes from the heart will always be positive.”
*Photos reprinted from Asian Dragon September-October 2013, photos by Paul San Juan
