The BLiP exhibition was held on the weekend of the 12 and 13 October at the Portimão Arena. Organised by afpop, the exhibition is an all inclusive event with a wide range of businesses showcasing their services to residents in Portugal, including everything from health care to financial services, property, consular services and much more.


The Portugal News took part in the exhibition with a stand at BLiP, offering readers an opportunity to meet members of our team, have a chat, pick up a free newspaper and participate in the free prize draw.


Eight prizes were up for grabs and with the help of Michael Reeve, CEO of afpop, eight lucky winners were picked to win:
A round of golf at a Pestana course – Zac Patel;
A night’s stay at a Vila Galé hotel – Sally Vincent;
A night’s stay and tennis lesson at Rocha Brava Village Resort – Dawn Poli;
A meal for two at Taste restaurant – Ian Emmins;
A meal for two at Chill Inside in Lagoa – Howard Peaty;
A PC spring clean worth €45 from Algarve Computer Centre – Jean Noel Brandenburger;
A pedicure from Mirjam Seybold da Silva – Gail Skinner;
One hour training session for Apple/Window from Algarve Computer Centre – Martin Lightbown.

General Manager of The Portugal News, Daisy Sampson, said: “It was fantastic to meet with so many of our readers and for all of the positive feedback, it is always great to be able to have a chat with readers and find out what they enjoy about the paper and also where changes can be made in the future. We always encourage our readers to stay in touch with us and if anyone has a story to share or an opinion on an article then please feel free to send us an email, especially for our letters page.”


2019 marked the 19th year of BLiP, an exhibition that aims to improve the quality of life for residents in Portugal . This year the event welcomed between 5,500 and 6,000 visitors and for the first time the exhibition hosted a free of charge section, which aimed to create a space that allows the community to help. Here, over the course of the two days, 16 charities and organisations were given the chance to physically represent themselves, raise awareness and promote a feeling of community, thus improving quality of life in Portugal.


Talking to The Portugal News, Michael Reeve of afpop said: “As we look forward to next year and our 20th edition of BLiP we continue to think about what ‘Better Living’ means in the context of our expo. Better Living, to us, is about people and not just things. It’s about working with people to help make a difference in all our lives.


“We continue to develop BLiP and continue to broaden the context of what we think Better Living is for one simple reason. We care. BLiP has improved each year as an event because we care about it. We care about the exhibitors and we care about the people who visit over the weekend. But perhaps most importantly we, afpop and the BLiP organisation, care about helping people to have a better life.”


BLiP Expo’s 20th edition will be held in Portimão Arena on the weekend of 10/11 October 2020.