Australia, Thailand, Canada and Malaysia make up the rest of the top five markets. Japan is sixth most popular, followed by Singapore, the UK, New Zealand and France.

Of the ten most popular Asian-buyer markets, six are in the Asia Pacific. The US, Canada, the UK and France are the only top-ten nations not in the Asia Pacific.

Juwai IQI’s report identifies four drivers of Asian cross-border buying demand.

Interest rates have dropped to historic lows and monetary stimulus has helped drive prices upward in many markets. Buyers worry as a result that they will miss out on future price gains. They are eager to find opportunities to benefit from price growth.

Because of the pandemic, many Asian buyers have reevaluated their cross-border real estate priorities. This is similar to changes that have occurred within local markets.

Some Asian cross-border buyers are also driven by factors in their home markets that make investing there less appealing. In China, government real estate restrictions cause some buyers to look overseas. Other countries face insufficient inventory or weak confidence. There is a large number of buyers who postponed acquisitions during the pandemic and are eager to make up for lost time.

“In 2020, the pandemic scrambled existing patterns of investment, migration and overseas education,” said Juwai IQI Co-Founder and Group Executive Chairman Georg Chmiel.

“All of these factors have a direct bearing on Asian cross-border real estate investment.”

The press release Six of Top 10 Markets for Asian Cross-Border Real Estate Buyers are in the Asia Pacific: Juwai IQI comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

UNITS offers commercial and residential customers best-in-class containers and a hassle-free method for moving or storing personal belongings. Currently, UNITS Storage and Service Centers reach over 500 cities throughout the United States.

“We’re incredibly excited to start growing internationally,” UNITS Moving and Portable Storage CEO Michael McAlhany said. “We have no doubt our business model and service offering will translate to success for franchisees across the globe. It is an extremely scalable model with a tremendous ROI that provides both B2B and B2C business opportunities.”

The moving and portable storage industry continues to grow and find success. Even during slower economic times, the need for moving and storage services remains strong. The flexibility of the UNITS Moving and Portable Storage model gives both consumers and businesses a local solution that works with their needs and provides a necessary service during these uncertain times.

As a result of their partnership with World Franchise Associates, there are now UNITS franchise opportunities available across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. International expansion markets are now available in the following countries and regions: Australia, Cambodia, China, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, KSA, Kuwait, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Scandinavia.

UNITS’ ideal candidates can manage a small team and hold them accountable for the daily activities, with many of the responsibilities able to be handled remotely. UNITS is also looking for empire builders who are looking to grow their portfolio with a proven model of success. While UNITS is expanding internationally, there are key markets still available in major metropolitan areas across the U.S.

To learn more about franchise opportunities with UNITS Moving and Portable Storage, visit https://www.unitsfranchisegroup.com/.

ABOUT UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage

Established in 2003, UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage is an Inc. 5000-ranked franchise that was founded by Michael McAlhany during the emergence of the moving and portable storage industry. The company’s mission was to provide personal customer service and supply the most innovative and highest quality equipment. Nationwide UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage are locally-owned and operated and familiar with the communities they serve. UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage offers high-quality constructed containers featuring barn-style doors and all-steel construction. The UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage container is clean, weather-resistant, spacious, and available in 16-ft. lengths. The UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage robotic delivery system is the most technologically advanced in the industry, virtually eliminating any shift in contents when lifting containers on and off transport vehicles. The container may be placed in a UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage service center or at the customers’ desired location, always at ground level for easy access. The national network of UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage and Service Centers currently services over 500 cities in North America with additional locations scheduled to open in 2020 and 2021.

The press release UNITS Moving and Portable Storage Expands Internationally comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

“A new age requires a new voice. Climate & Capital Media is all about the emerging climate economy,” said founder Peter McKillop. “By bringing together people and capital with a shared mission of solving climate change, we represent a new kind of media organization that’s dedicated to a more equitable and sustainable economy.”

As a membership service, Climate&Capital will publish content, host events, and manage a directory, all with the goal of accelerating climate action at scale. Unlike other publications, Climate&Capital focuses exclusively on the climate economy, with an independent editorial policy that emphasizes conversations and engagement among the doers, the seekers, and the market influencers of the climate economy.

“We need bold and meaningful action on climate change,” said co-founder David Garrison. “And to move people and capital center stage, we need new ideas, new models, and new kinds of connections. “Our goal is for Climate&Capital to stand at the center of the emerging climate economy — to be a trusted source as we lead the transformations we all want to see.”

In addition to the Ten to Watch feature, recent stories published on Climate&Capital include a leadership discussion with Matthew Weatherley-White, a look at New Zealand’s ground-breaking adoption of the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) guidelines, a quick take on how luxury fashion is embracing climate finance, and a podcast interview of journalist-author Jonathan Alter about what Joe Biden should learn from Jimmy Carter in pushing his climate agenda.

McKillop was formerly a Managing Director at BlackRock, where he was responsible for leading the firm’s strategic communications and messaging for its iShares ETF and Indexing business. He has also held senior communication leadership positions at J.P. Morgan, KKR, UBS, and Bank of America. Before entering the financial communications field, Peter was a senior correspondent and bureau chief for Newsweek in New York, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.

Garrison has advised leaders on the most difficult challenges of building meaningful brands. He previously founded the Brytemoore Group, a brand consulting firm focused on bold transformations and was a founding principal of Edelman Consulting, the former management strategy consulting arm of global communications firm Edelman. David previously held senior marketing and strategy roles in music, healthcare, and agencies.

Editors include:

Blair Palese (Global Climate Editor) — co-founder and former CEO of 350.org Australia, and previously communications director for Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and The Body Shop.

Howard Manly (Climate Justice Editor) — a veteran journalist who has spent most of his award-winning print and television career focused on the intersection of race, politics, and society, including as a writer for Newsweek, the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Bay State Banner, one of the leading black newspapers in America. Manly is a senior fellow at the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School.

John Howell (Climate Finance Weekly Editor) — co-founder, editorial director, and chief of thought leadership for 3BL Media, for which he managed all original editorial content, wrote, and edited newsletters, and created the Brands Taking Stands initiative.

Frank Gibney Jr. (Editorial Director) — a senior journalist, writer, and editor who worked for decades as a correspondent, bureau chief, and editor for Newsweek and TIME around the U.S. and East Asia, writing extensively about Japan, China, and Vietnam, and always business.

Jyotika Bindra (South Asia Editor) — a writer based in New Delhi who was previously a fashion manager with responsibility for conducting sustainability workshops with employees regarding the eco-friendly disposal of fashion materials.

Tom Fortier (Director of Operations) — a long-time client service and product management leader, having spent 20 years in the financial technology industry, including years with Thomson Reuters and Nasdaq.

Climate&Capital is also supported by a group of advisors from across the worlds of business, finance, and media including:

Kofi Appenteng — President of the Africa-American Institute (AAI)

Ashley Allen Jones — Founder of i2 Capital

Elan J Blutinger — Managing Director of Alpine Consolidated

Adi Ignatius — Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Business Review (HBR)

Erika Karp — Founder and CEO of Cornerstone Capital

Marcela Shine — Head of Community at Ureeka

Climate&Capital is offering premium subscribers a 90-day free trial. To subscribe, please go to https://www.climateandcapitalmedia.com/membership-account/membership-levels/.

About Climate & Capital Media

Climate & Capital Media is a global media organization that provides news, information, and connections to bring together people and capital to solve climate change. Its news service develops engaging, well-reported profiles that deliver practical investment and leadership insights on the fast-growing community of businesses addressing global warming and building a sustainable climate economy. Learn more about Climate&Capital at https://www.climateandcapitalmedia.com.

The press release Climate & Capital Media Launches By Introducing Ten of the Most Promising Leaders in the New Climate Economy comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Truescope is the innovation of John and business partner and product visionary, Michael Bade. The entrepreneurs have designed and built a media intelligence platform to help inform communicators about breaking news across all media types and identify issues and trends in real-time.

The platform which launched in Singapore and Australia today, harnesses the duo’s expertise delivering real insights for clients across many markets. The cloud-based technology and machine learning capabilities work at speed to analyse millions of social and mainstream media stories in real-time to deliver world-class insights.

“We think our approach to people, product and scalability is revolutionary in this space, and we all have the unequivocal mindset that the client experience (CX) is central to everything we do. We’re ready to build bridges between new technologies and the communications industry so our clients can immediately understand the value Truescope brings and see how different we are to what has come before us” said John.

As part of its strategic expansion across Asia-Pacific (APAC), Truescope has partnered with Dataxet Pte Ltd, a data intelligence company led by industry leaders David Liu and Jason Lee. Both played critical roles in establishing, growing and driving media intelligence solutions in the region for numerous global brands and organisations.

David Liu, co-founder of Dataxet said, “Truescope will be a great opportunity for us to champion smarter media intelligence for brands, using Singapore as a strategic launch pad.”

Jason Lee, Managing Partner of Dataxet and CEO of Truescope Singapore shared, “The future of media intelligence goes beyond traditional clippings or collation of brand mentions. Smart media intelligence provides critical objective insights about a brand or organisation in the media that can be accurately and rapidly delivered to C-suites and management in order to be fed back into brand strategy, positioning and product development. Combine media intelligence with internal brand data such as sales, revenue and CRM data, and you start closing the ROI loop in your marketing and communications efforts.”

Truescope’s capabilities combine and transform big data across media types and languages, into a single, coherent, and easily searchable database. With each media item, machine learning and natural language processing are used to distil sentiment, potential effects on brand reputation and assist brands in measuring brand awareness and communications effectiveness.

Beyond its access to numerous social channels for comprehensive coverage, the platform has also secured official partnerships such as Twitter, Singapore Press Holdings and Mediacorp. This will help other businesses determine the content most relevant to them across the platform by providing insights to consumer sentiment, brand awareness, campaign performance, customer experience and much more.

—

Media Contact
Huntington Communications Pte Ltd
Teo Hui Shan huishan.teo@huntington.com.sg +65 90052796
Jordon Simpson Jordon.simpson@huntington.com.sg +65 9630 4274

About Truescope: Truescope was founded in Australia to better inform communications. Our people and technology deliver real-time, actionable media intelligence and information to clients across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.

About Dataxet: Dataxet Pte Ltd is a leading integrated data intelligence holding company operating in Asia. Its branded networks provide best in class media monitoring services along with localised research and data analytics expertise to deliver accurate, applicable and actionable data insights. https://www.dataxet.net

The press release John Croll Launches Truescope: The Next Generation In Media Intelligence comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Hong Kong, China, December 14, 2018 /Xinwengao.com/ - BT TO DELIVER THE LATEST SD-WAN AND CYBER SECURITY SERVICES FOR IXOM
New BT SD-WAN and cyber security services will help the leading chemicals manufacturer and distributor drive its digital transformation
BT today announced that it has signed a contract to deploy a new generation of network technology for IXOM, a market leader in chemicals manufacturing and distribution in Australia and New Zealand. It will see IXOM benefit from BT’s latest software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) and cyber security managed services as it shifts applications and data to the cloud to drive agility, efficiency and innovation.
IXOM’s new network will connect over 1000 employees at 55 sites across 14 countries. It will support the company’s digital transformation by delivering over seven times more bandwidth than its existing infrastructure and offer a step change in resilience with dual connectivity to 35 major sites.
It will be built around BT Agile Connect, a BT managed service based on an SD-WAN 2.0 solution by Nuage Networks from Nokia. This offers enhanced control and understanding of network infrastructure and traffic flows, a much faster, simpler and more secure way of setting up new sites, reduced complexity and lower costs.
BT will also deliver a 24×7 global cyber threat detection, investigation and response service. Managed from BT’s Australian Cyber Security Operation Centre and interfacing directly with IXOM’s in-house team, it will be based on a market-leading security information and event management (SIEM) platform combined with specialist cyber analyst services. This will help protect IXOM from rapidly evolving threats.
Rowan Start, head of IT for IXOM, said: “We are creating a resilient and agile technology environment to support our cloud applications and services. It will come with the ability to detect and respond to cyber threats in near real time. We chose BT because of its deep expertise in networking, understanding of our unique operational environment and its ability to seamlessly integrate security services with our own team to create a true partnership model.”
Bernadette Wightman, managing director, resources, manufacturing and logistics, BT said: “Managing risk is a key consideration of any digital transformation programme. That’s why companies such as IXOM look to trusted partners such as BT who can help them securely introduce the latest cloud-optimised network technologies. IXOM will benefit not only from the improved agility and control that our SD-WAN managed services offer but also the reassurance that they’re working with one of the world’s leading cyber security practices. It’s a superb example of how our Dynamic Network Services programme is helping customers deliver their digital transformation.”
BT’s Dynamic Network Services programme is designed to give customers more choice, security, resilience, service and agility in the roll-out of future networks that support digital transformation. The programme helps customers remove barriers to adoption of SD-WAN and NFV by answering questions about which technologies to use as well as when and how to implement, configure and integrate them with existing networks to create a hybrid infrastructure fit for the digital age.

ENDS
For further information
Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Group Newsroom on its 24-hour number: 020 7356 5369. From outside the UK dial + 44 20 7356 5369. All news releases can be accessed on our web site.

About BT
BT’s purpose is to use the power of communications to make a better world. It is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed-mobile products and services. BT consists of four customer-facing units: Consumer, Enterprise, Global Services and Openreach.
For the year ended 31 March 2018, BT Group’s reported revenue was #163;23,723m with reported profit before taxation of #163;2,616m.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit www.btplc.com

The press release BT TO DELIVER THE LATEST SD-WAN AND CYBER SECURITY SERVICES FOR IXOM comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Hong Kong, China, June 21, 2018 /Xinwengao.com/ - Media Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
21 June 2018

Isentia wins 4th straight Company of the Year at AMEC Awards in Barcelona

Isentia has again been recognised for its leadership in research, measurement and insights at the 2018 AMEC International Communication Effectiveness Awards. Taking home the prestigious Research Measurement Company of the Year for a fourth consecutive year, Isentia also received five other awards for its work with clients including Harbour City Estates and a large FMCG brand.

Khali Sakkas, Chief Executive of Insights for Isentia, said the awards were a fantastic result for all involved, demonstrating the exceptional work being done in partnership with clients across the business.

“The AMEC Awards recognize the best measurement and evaluation on a global playing field. We are thrilled to achieve strong recognition for our groundbreaking projects. Our integrated approach and our ability to innovate for our clients is something we are passionate about” she said.

The 2018 results build on Isentia’s impressive AMEC record, with almost 50 wins since 2010. Isentia CEO John Croll also received the Don Bartholomew Award for services to the industry.

Isentia’s 2018 AMEC Awards wins include:
” Winner – AMEC Communications, Research Measurement Company of the Year
” Winner – Grand Prix for the most effective media intelligence, research insights company campaign
” Winner – Most innovative use of measurement in a digital campaign: Isentia for Harbour City Estates: Unleashing the New Retail Experience
” Winner – Most impactful client recommendations arising from a measurement study: Isentia for an FMCG brand: Impacting product development
” Silver – Best use of social media measurement for a pharmaceutical company: Understanding Vaccinations
” Silver – Best measurement of a business to business campaign for Commonwealth Bank of Australia: Gender equality in the banking sector
” Bronze – Best use of social media measurement for Harbour City Estates: Unleashing the New Retail Experience
” Special recognition – John Croll has received the Don Bartholomew Award for services to the industry

See the full list of 2018 award winners here: http://amecawards.com/2018-winners/

____________________
Attached Picture:
John Croll (left)- Chief Executive Officer, Khali Sakkas (2nd left)- Chief Insights Officer, Ngaire Crawford (2nd right)- Head of Insight, Nea Zealand, and David Liu (right)- Chief Executive, Asia, accepted the 2018 AMEC Awards in Barcelona.

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact:
Cherry Chan
Isentia Hong Kong
cherry.chan@isentia.com
+852 3987 8134 / +852 6037 0517

About Isentia
Isentia (ASX:ISD) is APAC’s leading integrated Media Intelligence and Insights business, empowering nearly 4,000 clients in 12 locations to connect the dots between data and decisions. Isentia blends market-leading monitoring experience with analytics to help the world’s biggest brands uncover the whole picture – and act on it. Powered by cutting-edge technology and a team of world class experts, our mission is to help businesses leap forward where only genuine insight can take them. To find out more about how we inform better decisions, please visit
www.isentia.com

The press release Isentia wins 4th straight Company of the Year at AMEC Awards in Barcelona comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Hong Kong, China, August 28, 2017 /Xinwengao.com/ - Hong Kong — 22 August 2017 — In the era of Experience Business, design and creativity are key differentiators for businesses looking to pull away from competitors and deliver the best experiences for their customers. New research from Adobe has highlighted the role of design thinking and creativity as key components of business transformation.

Adobe’s 2017 Creative Pulse research surveyed more than 5,000 creative and marketing professionals and examined the role of design and creativity in businesses transformation across Asia Pacific (APAC). Markets surveyed include Hong Kong, India, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and China mainland. Among them, 571 respondents were from Hong Kong.

According to the 2017 Adobe Creative Pulse Survey, Hong Kong creatives believe their companies and the customers they served placed social media investment as the top key strategic investment in the last 12 months, higher than customer experience. This is in contrast to other countries across the Asia Pacific who placed customer experience as being of higher importance.

Customer Experience topped strategic investment in APAC
According to the survey, over half of APAC creatives surveyed said customer experience was the key strategic investment of their companies and the customers they served made in the past 12 months, followed by social (53%) and content (43%). However, Hong Kong respondents regarded social media (60%) as the major strategic investment, followed by customer experience (44%) and digitisation and automation (36%). Hong Kong respondents also saw social media impact (51%) as the next disruptor in the creative industry. Despite recognising customer experience as a crucial investment in APAC, just over a third (36%) said they had designed a customer experience program; with Hong Kong trailing at 26%.

“Hong Kong gave social media a dominant share of strategic investment, showing some companies in the region placed more emphasis on a single section of an online experience rather than a comprehensive customer experience journey,” said Alan Chan, general manager of digital media for Hong Kong and Taiwan at Adobe. “However, while many organisations have been focused on digital transformation and experiences, people still expect great physical experiences as well. Simply transferring an existing ordinary experience onto a digital platform is not becoming an Experience Business. Those businesses which understand the power of great design and creativity have the opportunity to pull away from competitors by delivering exceptional, compelling experiences for their customers.”

As social media has played a dominating part in strategic investment in Hong Kong, the importance of refining the quality of content at speed is likely to grow. Across Asia Pacific, budget was seen as the biggest challenge to achieving content velocity (46%). But Hong Kong again stood out in APAC as having a different popular response. 44% of Hong Kong respondents said internal production processes hindered content velocity, followed by budget (43%) and conflicting business and creative views of content (41%). Marketers should remember that even the best content can be ruined when content delivery becomes problematic.

New technologies to free up creatives’ time and concentrate them on creating
Hong Kong creatives agreed that the merging of online and offline experience was a key game changer in the creative industry; this was mirrored by respondents across APAC. Online and offline experiences are being driven by new technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, powered by artificial intelligence. Hong Kong creatives were not afraid of the impact that AI or ML had on their profession with a majority of them (57%) regarding it as a tool to support and stimulate creativity. Moreover, the city’s creatives expressed a desire to upskill in machine learning and automation (49%), UX/UI experience (48%) and saw virtual reality and augmented reality as a valuable skillset to possess (46%). “These new technologies are not going to replace the role of creativity; they can support creatives to spend their time focusing on what they do best – being creative and scaling their ideas,” said Chan.

For professional development, Hong Kong showed a very different pattern compared to respondents in APAC. Just 14% of Hong Kong creatives said they took part in workplace education, half the regional average (32%). However, Hong Kong had the highest share of undertaking industry certifications (24%) to improve their skills.

Big data and analytics platforms could play an important role in various decision making processes
The survey also discussed how big data and analytics platforms helped make various decisions. Creatives in Hong Kong discovered how to invest wisely with the help of analytics. 27% of respondents in the region agreed that big data and analytics platforms have helped them make better product decision while 29% thought data and analytics can provide unique insights into their audience. Notably, 18% of Hong Kong respondents agreed that they made better budget decisions with big data and analytics platforms; a number greater than any country within the region (APAC average: 13%).

Chan added, “Only Adobe provides businesses everything needed to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Leveraging Adobe Sensei’s machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities, creative professionals can design and deliver outstanding digital experience in any screens. Adobe is committed to helping Hong Kong brands to create the most attractive, personalized and prompt customer experience.”

Source : Adobe Creative Pulse Survey: Social Media Investment Top in Hong Kong, followed by Customer Experience

The press release Adobe Creative Pulse Survey: Social Media Investment Top in Hong Kong, followed by Customer Experience comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Hong Kong, China, July 7, 2017 /Xinwengao.com/ - Overall, consumers are engaging with brands digitally more via their smartphones than their desktops

Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) today released its annual Best of the Best report which shows that smartphone traffic[1] continues to surge ahead in every country and every industry. Hong Kong, as a mature market, has registered an easing in growth in smartphone traffic and a steady decline from the desktop, but not as fast as other mature markets.

Adobe Digital Insights’ Japan and Asia-Pacific Best of the Best study consists of aggregated and anonymous data from more than 3,000 websites in Asia during 2016, gathered by Adobe Analytics. It compares the overall average versus the top 20% of websites in each of the six markets: Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) and Southeast Asia (SEA) across various industries[2]. Adobe Analytics, under Adobe Experience Cloud, is the industry leading solution for applying real-time analytics and detailed audience segmentation across all marketing channels.

According to the report, consumers in every market and every industry continue to increase access to websites on smartphones in Asia Pacific and Japan, while the overall usage of desktop has dropped. Hong Kong is also following this trend but at a lower speed. The smartphone visit share in Hong Kong is the lowest (33.1%) in this region, while Japan has one of the highest smartphone browser visit shares – at 44.1%. A similar trend can also be found when monitoring traffic from top 20% sites surveyed – Hong Kong has 50.6% of browser visits from smartphones, ranking last.

On the other hand, the share of desktop visits in Hong Kong is the highest at 59.3% in the region, followed by India at 58.2%. Japan is behaving very differently from Hong Kong as it is the most successful market in driving smartphone traffic and it had the lowest share (48.0%) of desktop visits in the region. Although the overall usage of desktop has dropped by 9-10%, top websites were able to retain traffic from desktops, with only a 2% decrease, leaving the gap between the top and the average wider. It shows that market leaders are trying hard to provide an excellent customer experience at the touch point of desktop.

Consumers visit more often but stay for a shorter period of time
Online visit rates have increased across most industries in the Asia Pacific region, the report finds. In Hong Kong, the desktop visit rate[3] has stopped declining and started to improve from 1.44 to 1.53 for the average sites and remained constant at 1.79 for the best sites. The gap between the best 20% and the average websites had been narrowing for both desktop and smartphones. However, when comparing the visit rates to the time spent on each site, there is an overall decrease in engagement.

The Telecommunications sector had the highest average monthly visit rate at 2.32, while the Automotive, Travel amp; Hospitality, and Technology sectors experienced the lowest visit rates for the second year in a row. Brands and marketers need to consider ways to better engage visitors to optimize their time on site.

Stickiness dropped in Hong Kong
In regard to the stickiness[4], the percentage of consumers go more than one page deeper into a site, per visit, has decreased across most Asia Pacific countries, and Hong Kong websites suffered the greatest drop in absolute difference when compared to last year. In 2015, the top 20% of websites in Hong Kong ranked in first place in terms of stickiness, at a remarkable 64%, but they have lost the crown after dropping 13.8% of stickiness to 50.2%.

Stickiness has dropped significantly on average-rated Hong Kong sites as well, from 43.7% to 31.4%. South Korea is the only market that saw an increase in stickiness in Asia Pacific. This trend of dropping stickiness is also prevalent in the U.S., where the rate fell by 6% across all industries. It is believed that people have shorter attention spans and are generally losing their patience due to growing distractions on the net.

“The report indicated that simply bringing users to a brand’s site is far from enough. Marketers should always remember that the ultimate goal is to generate conversion, so it is the engagement that matters. The higher the engagement, the more likely the conversion will be generated. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for marketers to look at the content they plan to share, and launch it on the right devices at the right time. It would help Hong Kong marketers if they equally invest time on site engagement activities as much as customer acquisition in order to drive deeper engagement and shine at the top of site stickiness,” said Scott Rigby, head of digital transformation, Asia Pacific, Adobe.

Paid Search and social are poised to become the content engagement battlegrounds in Asia Pacific
Another interesting finding when comparing between Asia Pacific and the U.S. is the efficiency of turning search spend into search traffic. In the U.S., search spending has increased by around 42% throughout the two-year period, but has resulted in only a 11% rise in search traffic. However, efficiency was much better at the other side of the Pacific: with just 6% growth of search spending in Asia Pacific propelling a 30% growth in search traffic. With the higher efficiency, Asia Pacific marketers should seize the opportunity to invest more search spending in the region in order to generate more search traffic, if allocating resources globally is possible for them.

Top performers have increased their social following by an average of 19% year-over-year, the report finds. Rigby remarked that Instagram adoption is on the rise, “Instagram really is the place to engage consumers as it has about 700 million monthly active users[5], which is roughly twice that of Twitter. Instagram is also taking a bite out of SnapChat’s market share. “Brands are experiencing more authentic interaction through Instagram. So, it’s good to see more channels, especially in retail and travel, who you’d expect to be on there, sharing those experiences,” Rigby added.

The press release Adobe Research Reveals Hong Kong’s Smartphone Traffic is Shifting from Desktop to Mobile but at a Slower Rate comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Hong Kong, China, June 26, 2017 /Xinwengao.com/ - Action cameras, flat panel TVs and wearables were the fastest-growing technology products in the past year

The consumer technology market in Asia Pacific (APAC) has grown tremendously over the past year, with the introduction of new technologies and advancements of existing technologies.

One innovative product that is gaining popularity in the market is the action camera. More brands (from 2 brands in 2015 to 13 brands in 2016) that offer 360-degree features have entered the market. In the last 12 months, emerging markets in APAC have been the key growth driver for such action cameras, registering 57% and 33% increase in sales volume and value respectively, while the region’s developed markets experienced a corresponding 9% and 40% growth last year.

Action cameras with 4K features are also selling well with sales accounting for 47% and 52% growth in volume and value respectively in APAC. Meanwhile, emerging markets in the region contributed up to 46% share of the pie in both volume and value terms.

“Nowadays, consumers are increasingly sharing videos, contributing to the rising popularity of action cameras,” said Gerard Tan, Senior Director, Technology at GfK Asia. “Besides one of its key draw factors of being able to connect seamlessly to today’s smartphones, action cameras also tend to appeal to active consumers who are seeking new and interesting ways to record their lifestyle activities to view or share in full HD quality.”

Another product which has jumped onto the 4K bandwagon is TVs. In the past year, 4K TVs, also known as Ultra High Definition (UHD), have been gaining traction as sales growth hit over 103% in units across APAC in the past 12 months, with the market upgrading the display resolutions from Full High Definition (FHD) to UHD. Demand is expected to continue to rise at a rate of 42% in 2017, with emerging economies projected to register higher growth (55%) due to the erosion of UHD prices.

“There is a rising uptake of 4K TVs as discerning consumers are increasingly choosing UHD TV technology due to its sleek design and better image quality,” observed Tan. “The popularity of UHD will subsequently create more opportunities for content studios to produce better image content, especially when more recording devices are beginning to support 4K recording, enabling more UHD content to be made readily available for consumers.”

Since the advent of the Smart TV in 2011, there have been ample opportunities for companies to develop TV software for its platforms. In the last 12 months, sales of Smart TVs in APAC continued to increase by 40% to reach over 5 million units.

One of the latest technologies available in the TV market is OLED TV—a TV display technology based on the characteristics of organic light-emitting diodes. According to GfK findings, OLED TV has been registering significant growth since its launch in APAC in 2014, growing in demand from 7,000 units in 2014 to 98,000 units in 2016. As more brands continue to come into the equation, the OLED TV market is projected to expand further by more than 63% in 2017, with huge growth anticipated from the developed markets in APAC.

Meanwhile, core wearables, comprising smart watches, and, health and fitness trackers, is yet another thriving category within the consumer electronics. Total sales units in the last year reached 3.3 million across developed APAC markets as consumer spending on the product category grew 9% year on year.
“Heart Rate Sensor and GPS are generally the key features that appeal to consumers looking to purchase a wearable device, and this is reflected in the significant increase in devices that provide these features. The sales of wearables with heart rate sensors rose by 28% within a year, while devices with inbuilt GPS almost doubled (98%) during the same time period,” said Tan.

With consumers embracing the digital lifestyle and using smart devices, the overall consumer technology market in APAC is expected to perform positively this year, with TVs, action cameras and wearables likely to experience further growth.

Note:
#8226; APAC includes Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Australia and New Zealand
#8226; GfK Point of Sales tracking period: May 2016 – April 2017 versus May 2015 – April 2016
#8226; Value growth tracked based on local currency, but common currency for consolidated tracking based on USD.

The press release -Connected Consumers Driving Growth of Smart Devices in Asia Pacific comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Shanghai, China, November 15, 2016 /Xinwengao.com/ - The most respected hotel exhibition in the Asia Pacific region AccorHotels Showcase kicks off in Greater China on Tuesday 15 November 2016.

AccorHotels Showcase is the largest and most successful hotel exhibition and sales mission series staged across Asia Pacific. This is the 13th year for the event to tour the region, starting in the Pacific in early September with events in Auckland and Sydney, moving to North Asia and Southeast Asia, finishing in Singapore on 24 November 2016.

The showcase provides travel agents, wholesalers, corporate clients, tourism partners and MICE organisers the opportunity to discover AccorHotels accommodation trends, news and stunning hotels & resorts from around the world.

In attendance will be AccorHotels’ executives representing more than 4,100 hotels and resorts worldwide from Europe, the USA, Asia, Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. The Showcase will offer an insight into the group’s newest developments, products and services, alongside key industry partners.

This year, the AccorHotels Showcase will kick off at Parklane Hong Kong, a Pullman hotel, on 15 November, before moving on to Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich on 16 November and Fairmont Peace hotel (Shanghai) on 17 November. The highlight will also include the group’s newest members of Raffles, Fairmont and Swissotel, and the first time for the AccorHotels Showcase to be held in a Fairmont hotel.

Opening hours for the hotel exhibition are from 10.30am – 3.30pm. Registered visitors will have opportunities to win a range of travel and accommodation prizes throughout the day.

AccorHotels Showcase already well-established as a must-visit event on the industry calendar in Greater China, with positive feedbacks and results from clients and partners.

About AccorHotels

AccorHotels is a world-leading travel & lifestyle group and digital innovator offering unique experiences in more than 4,000 hotels, resorts and residences, as well as in over 2,500 of the finest private homes around the globe. Benefiting from dual expertise as an investor and operator through its HotelServices and HotelInvest divisions, AccorHotels operates in 95 countries. Its portfolio comprises internationally acclaimed luxury brands including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel Legend,  SO Sofitel, Sofitel, onefinestay, MGallery by Sofitel, Pullman, and Swissôtel; as well as the popular midscale and boutique brands of Novotel, Mercure, Mama Shelter and Adagio; the in-demand economy brands including ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget and the regional brands Grand Mercure, The Sebel and hotelF1.

With an unmatched collection of brands and rich history spanning close to five decades, AccorHotels, along with its global team of more than 240,000 dedicated women and men, has a purposeful and heartfelt mission: to make every guest Feel Welcome. Guests enjoy access to one of the world’s most rewarding hotel loyalty programs – Le Club AccorHotels.

AccorHotels is active in its local communities and committed to sustainable development and solidarity through PLANET 21, a comprehensive program that brings together employees, guests and partners to drive sustainable growth.

Accor SA is publicly listed with shares trading on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and the OTC marketplace (Code: ACRFY) in the United States.

The press release AccorHotels Showcase lands in Greater China comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Shanghai, China, August 26, 2016 /Xinwengao.com/ - Hertz, a world leading car rental provider, and AccorHotels, the world’s leading hotel operator, have partnered to provide Le Club AccorHotels’ members with special car rental offers, including exclusive benefits, globally. With this partnership, Hertz expands its presence across key global markets. The partner agreement runs until March 2019.

Le Club Accorhotels is the AccorHotels Group’s multi-brand loyalty program for Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery by Sofitel, Novotel, Novotel Suites, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles, Adagio and Thalassa Sea & Spa. Le Club Accorhotels offers its more than 25 million members worldwide advantages and tailor-made services available at every stage of the customer journey. Members from Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East, Latin America and Canada will now also be able to enjoy a unique rental experience from Hertz, including:

• A discount of 10% on prepaid and non-prepaid Hertz Classic retail rates worldwide, including Hertz Green, Prestige, Family and Fun Collection vehicles.
• One additional driver at no extra cost.
• One Reward Rental Day for members who enrol in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® program, via receipt of 900 points upon joining.
• Complimentary one-car-class upgrades, depending on the Le Club AccorHotels member tier.
• Five Le Club AccorHotels points per euro spent on car rental with Hertz as a promotion bonus offer to celebrate the launch of the partnership during August. After this period, members will receive three Le Club AccorHotels points per euro spent with Hertz.
• Access to a delivery and collection service (according to Hertz terms and conditions).
  Hertz Gold Plus Rewards tier matching for Le Club AccorHotels Silver, Gold and Platinum members. 

“Our new partnership with AccorHotels Group’s loyalty program represents a significant step for expanding our global reach,” said Michel Taride, Group President, Hertz International.  “We know that Le Club AccorHotels members are highly discerning travellers, and we look forward to consistently offering them a seamless and enjoyable car rental experience wherever they visit around the world.”

“We are very happy about this partnership with Hertz that will offer our members an additional and exclusive benefit. We are permanently working on enriching the experience through Le Club AccorHotels in order to put guest recognition at the heart of the loyalty programme,” said Emanuel Baudart, Chief Customer Officer AccorHotels Group.

About Hertz Global Holdings
Hertz Global Holdings operates the Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty and Firefly car rental brands in approximately 9,980 corporate and licensee locations throughout approximately 150 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and New Zealand. Hertz Global Holdings is the largest worldwide airport general use car rental company with approximately 1,635 airport locations in the U.S. and more than 1,320 airport locations internationally. Product and service initiatives such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, NeverLost®, Carfirmations, Mobile Wi-Fi and unique vehicles offered through the Adrenaline, Dream, Green and Prestige Collections set Hertz Global Holdings apart from the competition. 

Additionally, Hertz Global Holdings owns the vehicle leasing and fleet management leader Donlen Corporation, operates the Hertz 24/7 hourly car rental business in international markets and sells vehicles through its Rent2Buy program. For more information about Hertz Global Holdings, visit: www.hertz.com.

About AccorHotels
AccorHotels is a world-leading travel & lifestyle group and digital innovator offering unique experiences in more than 4,000 hotels, resorts and residences, as well as in over 2,500 of the finest private homes around the globe. Benefiting from dual expertise as an investor and operator through its HotelServices and HotelInvest divisions, AccorHotels operates in 95 countries. Its portfolio comprises internationally acclaimed luxury brands including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel Legend,  SO Sofitel, Sofitel, onefinestay, MGallery by Sofitel, Pullman, and Swissôtel; as well as the popular midscale and boutique brands of Novotel, Mercure, Mama Shelter and Adagio; the in-demand economy brands including ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget and the regional brands Grand Mercure, The Sebel and hotelF1. 

With an unmatched collection of brands and rich history spanning close to five decades, AccorHotels, along with its global team of more than 240,000 dedicated women and men, has a purposeful and heartfelt mission: to make every guest Feel Welcome. Guests enjoy access to one of the world’s most rewarding hotel loyalty programs – Le Club AccorHotels. 

AccorHotels is active in its local communities and committed to sustainable development and solidarity through PLANET 21, a comprehensive program that brings together employees, guests and partners to drive sustainable growth.

Accor SA is publicly listed with shares trading on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and the OTC marketplace (Code: ACRFY) in the United States.  

The press release Hertz and AccorHotels announce their partnership to enrich the benefits offered by the loyalty program Le Club AccorHotels comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Shanghai, China, May 27, 2016 /Xinwengao.com/ - AccorHotels Luxury & Upscale brands proudly open the new 77-room SO Sofitel Hua Hin in Thailand, the first SO Sofitel resort in Asia Pacific. SO Sofitel Hua Hin’s ‘Imaginative Escape’ concept combines the destination’s beachside style and the resort’s soul.

Hua Hin has long been known as an aristocratic retreat – making it the perfect destination for luxury accommodation with a sense of refinement and a nostalgic seaside charm. Conveniently located just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Bangkok, SO Sofitel Hua Hin will especially appeal to design enthusiasts and trendsetters hoping to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. The resort also features private access to Cha-am beach.

“SO Sofitel Hua Hin acknowledges the growing market of travellers, particularly in Thailand and within Asia, who seek a fun- and design-led atmosphere with a distinct style and attitude,” said Patrick Basset, Chief Operating Officer for AccorHotels, Upper Southeast and Northeast Asia. “There is an opportunity to create a fresh, vibrant scene in Hua Hin, and the perfect catalyst is the SO Sofitel brand, which is known for its progressive design, modern technology, surprising happenings and social experience.”

Energetic, social and bursting with character, SO Sofitel playfully combines sophisticated French elegance with the dynamic style of each hotel’s locale. Each SO Sofitel is an avant-garde masterpiece inspired by and featuring the work of a signature fashion designer: Kenz? Takada at SO Sofitel Mauritius, Karl Lagerfeld at SO Sofitel Singapore and Mister Christian Lacroix at SO Sofitel Bangkok. Since opening in 2012, SO Sofitel Bangkok has become a marquee destination for international travellers and locals alike, drawn to the urban hotel’s stunning design, beautiful views and stylish restaurants and bars. Following such success, SO Sofitel Hua Hin is poised to become the next sought-after resort destination.

The resort benefits from the creative signature of fashion designer Polpat Asavaprapha, the founder and creative director of ASAVA, a brand that reinterprets classic timeless style for the modern woman. Prior to creating his own brand, the Thai designer and fashion icon gained a wealth of experience working for names such as Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi and Max Mara, and serves as President of the Bangkok Fashion Society. Guests will notice the designer’s pronounced playfulness and attention to detail throughout the property in his signature sophisticated urban artwork as well as the SO Sofitel Hua Hin uniforms and emblem “The Butterfly Effect”.

Award-winning Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag created the resort’s original bold structure, featuring an interwoven maze of open courtyards and private pathways. The property’s geometric lines and solid shapes, softened by a palette of naturally aged woods that blend with the beauty of the surrounding nature, create an environment of contemporary tranquillity.

Painting the canvas is Donatien Carratier, who brings to the new resort over 20 years of design experience in Asia. The forward-thinking interior designer, who focuses on luxury projects that demand iconic styling, is famed for creating deeply resonant environments in which vivid dreams blur with reality. Drawing inspiration from the Grand Gallerie de l’Evolution natural history museum in Paris, he is the visionary behind SO Sofitel Hua Hin’s ‘Evolution of Life’ theme, which begins with friendly animal statues that greet guests on arrival and proceeds to wild animal sculptures around the reflecting pond and rabbits hiding throughout the resort, literally putting a whimsical surprise around every corner.

For the private spaces, Donatien developed two vibrant room styles: SO Nature and SO Arty.

SO Nature rooms are a mix of simple natural elements and lavish French refinement, providing a relaxing environment that is in line with Mother Nature, showcasing the acclaimed photographs of New Zealand environmental artist Martin Hill.

The elegant SO Arty rooms blend the sophistication of the past with chic, contemporary design. These rooms offer an atmosphere of dreamlike luxury, featuring the award-winning work of American photographer Lois Greenfield, known for her distinct approach to capturing the human form in motion.

The resort presents a guest experience with a mix of pleasure, style and soul and brings to Hua Hin three innovative food and beverage outlets destined to spark the local scene:

Designed around its eponymous white oven, White Oven restaurant serves authentic Thai cuisine exquisitely revisited to showcase the gifts of the garden, the sea, and the artistry of the chefs.

HI-SO, the picturesque and panoramic rooftop bar is a place to chill, socialise and Instagram photos of the magnificent view while sipping cocktails crafted by a master mixologist.

Within steps of the ocean, the playful and lively Beach Society serves à la carte beachside bites for a lazy day and seafood BBQs – all superbly crafted from the finest and freshest local ingredients. Complete with stunning sea views, this is the venue for not-to-be-missed beach parties and the new place in town to see and be seen.

For guest wellness, the resort offers SO SPA and SO FIT, as well as two pools – the adults-only Solarium Pool and family-friendly SO Pool.
The SO Ballroom is equipped with cutting-edge audio-visual equipment and integrated smart solutions for business meetings and company outings, as well as lavish galas and weddings for up to 150 guests.

Each of the 77 rooms including six SO pool villas features flat-screen TVs with interactive DirectStreams programming, a Mac Mini from Apple, and complimentary local goodies and drinks.
Last, the art Galerie will feature exhibitions from local and international talent, focusing particularly on up-and-coming artists. The exhibitions rotate every three months and offer guests a quiet moment to appreciate art.

SO Sofitel, AccorHotels’ sparkling brand, offers international travelers and cosmopolitan residents the ultimate blend of French audacity and local color.

SO Sofitel’s hallmark sociability and epicureanism, as well as its youthful dynamism and cosmopolitan identity, attract eclectic, festive guests. In Bangkok, Singapore, Mauritius and Hua Hin, SO Sofitel offers a unique experience, with its unmistakable avant-garde designs, state-of-the-art technology and amazing events.

AccorHotels, the world’s leading hotel operator, has nearly 3,900 hotels and over 190,000 employees in 92 countries.

The press release Introducing So Sofitel Hua Hin: An Imaginative Escape In An Iconic Thai Destination comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Mississippi, United States, January 5, 2016 /Xinwengao.com/ - The next editions of International Surrealism Now will be held in the United States in Mississipi at Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery, MSU Welcome Center. It will be in January and February and in Partícula Coimbra, next February, and Multimedia Poros Museum in Condeixa-a-Nova, Portugal 2016.

The following artists will exhibit in United States, Mississipi at Cullis Depot Gallery located above the Mississippi State University welcome center:
American: Jay Garfinkle, France Garrido, Joe A. MacGown, K.D. Matheson, Patrick McGrath Muniz, Shahla Rosa, Olga Spiegel; Portugal: Santiago Ribeiro, Paula Rosa, Victor Lages, Francisco Urbano.

International Surrealism Now is a project by the surrealist painter Santiago Ribeiro that began in 2010 in Coimbra, when Santiago Ribeiro conceived a major exhibition organized by Bissaya Barreto Foundation. This event has been in Conímbriga celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Monographic Museum (second most visited museum in Portugal).

The show has also been in Paris with the support of GAPP – Art Gallery Portugal Presente and Liba WS, organized once again by the Bissaya Barreto Foundation and Santiago Ribeiro, and in Madrid with the support of Yamal Din. After that it went to Dallas with the support of the American surrealist artist Shahla Rosa.

Recently it was presented at the medieval Castle of Paço da Ega, organized by Rede de Bibliotecas and House Mayor of Condeixa-a-Nova.

Artists come from 30 countries: Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Spain, USA, Philippines, France, Holland, Indonesia, England, Iran, Iceland , Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Vietnam.

List of artists can be found here: http://oneiricrealism.com/2014/09/artists-international-surrealism-now-2/

Agim Meta / Ana Neamu / Ana Morales / Anna Plavinskaya / Andrew Baines / Asier Rico / Brigid Marlin / Bien Banez / Daila Lupo / Dan Neamu / Daniel Hanequand / Daniele Gori / Domen Lo / Edgar Invoker / Egill Ibsen / Erik Heyninck / Ettore Vigo / Farhad Jafari / France Garrido / Francisco Urbano / Gromyko Semper / Héctor Pineda / Hector Toro / Hugues Gillet / Isabel Meyrelles / Joe MacGown / Keith Wigdor / Leo Wijnhoven / Leo Plaw / Liba WS / Lubomír Štícha / Ludgero Rôlo / Lv Shang / Maciej Hoffman / Magi Calhoun / Maria Aristova / Martina Hoffmann / Mehriban Efendi / Naiker Roman / Nazareno Affonso / Nikolina Petolas / Octavian Florescu / Oleg Korolev / Olga Spiegel / Otto Rapp / Paula Rosa / Paulo Cunha, / Pedro Diaz / Philippe Pelletier / Rudolf Boelee / Santiago Ribeiro / Sergey Tyukanov / Shahla Rosa / Shoji Tanaka / Shan Zhulan / Sio Sandra / Slavko Krunic / Sônia M Barreto / Steve Smith / Stuart Grigz / Svetlana Kislyachenko / Tatomir Pitariu / Ton Haring / Victor Lages / Vu Thuong / Yamal Din / Yuri Tsvetaev / Zoran Velimanovic.

In the United States:
“LUSO – American and Portuguese Surrealism of the 21st Century”
Date and time: January 21 to February 19, 2016
Gallery Reception: January 21, TBD, 5-6 p.m.

Venue: Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery, MSU Welcome Center
Gallery Director: Lori Neuenfeldt, LNeuenfeldt@caad.msstate.edu
662-325-2973

SOURCE: International Surrealism Now

The press release Artists From China And Around The World Converge At International Surrealism Now Project comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Hong Kong, November 29, 2015 /Xinwengao.com/ - Asia Society’s Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative, the Asia-Pacific’s preeminent network of next-generation leaders, will mark its tenth anniversary on December 2-4, when it holds a special summit at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center.

Asia 21 is a robust network of more than 800 young leaders from 30 countries, focused on shaping a brighter future for the Asia-Pacific, and confronting the most vexing challenges facing the region today. Asia 21 Young Leaders are selected through a highly competitive process based on outstanding achievement, commitment to public service, and a proven ability to make the world a better place.

“Next-generation leaders hold the keys to our future, and Asia has a treasure trove of leadership talent,” said Josette Sheeran, President and CEO of Asia Society. “Asia 21 includes the most brilliant pacesetters, young leaders who are already helping tackle poverty, hunger and creating new governance and business opportunities. We are proud to give them a global platform and a network of like-minded talent from throughout Asia.”

In addition to welcoming the Class of 2015, more than 100 of the initiative’s change-makers from previous classes will gather in Hong Kong to celebrate the achievements of the first decade, explore innovative ways to leverage the Asia 21 network for greater impact, and address critical issues facing the region.

“Asia 21 was born in Hong Kong a decade ago, and so we are proud to welcome this remarkable group to our Hong Kong Center for the 10th anniversary,” said Asia Society Co-Chair Ronnie C. Chan, who also serves as Chair of the Society’s Hong Kong Center. “These people represent great examples of what we are all about: building crucial bridges between the peoples and cultures of Asia.”

Among highlights of the Asia 21 10th Anniversary summit:

– Dinner hosted by Asia Society Co-Chair Ronnie C. Chan, featuring a short film about Asia 21 and testimonials from a half dozen distinguished alumni;

– Keynote conversation with retired U.S. Army General and chairman of KKR Global Institute, David Petraeus;

– Special sessions highlighting the impactful work of Asia 21 alumni including Tudor Clee, founder of New Zealand’s Touchable Earth; Scarlett Li, founder and CEO of Zebra Media, China’s most innovative entertainment platform; Myanmar’s Yin Myo Su, founder of Inle Heritage Foundation; Natharoun Ngo, Head of Program at United Nations, Cambodia; Penny Low, Founder, Social Innovation Park, Ltd. from Singapore; Malaysia’s Mun Ching Yap, Executive Director, Air Asia Foundation; Nepal’s Rabi Karmacharya, Founder & Executive Director, Open Learning Exchange Network; Itochu Corporation Executive Officer and General Counsel Mitsuru Claire Chino from Japan; Goldman Sachs Head of Corporate Engagement in Asia Wenchi Yu from the U.S.; Australia’s Ewa Wojkowska, Co-Founder and COO of Kopernik; International Security Fellow at New America Faiysal AliKhan from Pakistan; and Afghanistan’s Saad Mohseni, Chairman and CEO of Moby Group;

– Screening of Rosewater, followed by a discussion with Asia 21 young leader, author, and former political prisoner Maziar Bahari, whose life inspired the film;

– Screening of the recent HBO documentary, “The Diplomat”, followed by a conversation with filmmaker David Holbrooke, who will discuss leadership as embodied in the legacy of his late father, the film’s subject, and former Asia Society Chairman, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke;

“Asia 21 Task Forces” will leverage the collective experience and expertise of the Asia 21 network to generate a core set of recommendations on four topics—public health, good governance practices, innovation, and the environment.

These Task Forces will be respectively coordinated and led by four Asia 21 alumni: Dr. Akash Goel, who spearheaded the launch of India’s national Second Line ARV drug program that currently provides lifesaving medication to tens of thousands of individuals living with HIV/AIDS; Aaron Maniam, Director of the Industry Division at Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry; Armen Orujyan, the founder and CEO of Athgo International, one of the world’s leading entrepreneurial platforms in consultative status; and Dorjee Sun, Director of Carbon Conversation and one of Time’s “Heroes of the Environment” in 2009
Participating Asia 21 alumni at the summit will also include President & CEO of Philippines’ Bases Conversion and Development Authority Arnel Casanova (Philippines); CEO & founder of Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB) Veronica Colondam (Indonesia); Vice President for global ICT Programs and Policy, Internews Kathleen Reen (Australia); Executive Director, the Institute for Societal Leadership (ISL), Singapore Management University Martin Tan (Singapore); National Award-Winning Documentary and Producer Aarti Shrivastava (India); Founder and President of the Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center Ejaj Ahmad (Bangladesh); and Partner Chief Engineer at NASA Adam Gilmore (U.S.).

For more information about Asia 21 Please contact Kathryn Cardenas at KCardenas@AsiaSociety.org.

The press release Asia Society Celebrates Tenth Anniversary of Asia 21 comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

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Beijing, China (October 21, 2011) /Xinwengao.com/ — As a testament to the appeal of China as a premier travel destination, Virtuoso, Imperial Tours, Abercrombie & Kent Asia, and host hotels Raffles Beijing Hotel and The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong will welcome 128 executives from Virtuoso’s top 67 travel agency members from the United States, Canada, Mexico, The Caribbean, South America and Australia for the Virtuoso Chairman’s Recognition Event. The network represents $9.6 billion in annual travel sales, and the Chairman’s Recognition Event honors 2011’s top performers within Virtuoso’s elite membership of 330-plus travel agencies located in 20 countries. The event will take place October 16-22, 2011.

Virtuoso rewards its top revenue producers, its most engaged members and travel agencies with the most improved sales with a trip befitting of the upscale travel they typically plan. The itinerary provides an exclusive glimpse into China few have had the privilege to see, and allows these professionals to experience the genuine flavor and style of the destination. Virtuoso’s Chairman’s Recognition Event occurs annually in some of the most exciting, colorful and vibrant locales in the world, most recently Kenya (2010), Scotland (2009), India (2008), Prague (2007) and Peru (2006) – and now China in 2011.

“At Virtuoso, we believe exploring the world and its tremendous diversity creates unequalled opportunities to refocus travelers on what’s important – the ability to create shared experiences and memories,” commented Matthew D. Upchurch, CTC, CEO of Virtuoso. “Our Chairman’s Recognition Event serves to inspire our top-performing travel advisors, and ultimately their clientele, by providing a rare look at the very best ways to experience all that a destination has to offer. Their first-hand accounts of these unique locations help sustain the cycle of travel,” he added.

The Virtuoso Chairman’s Event program will allow guests to participate first-hand in exclusive and enriching experiences that distinguish China by combining the country’s historic culture with more modern influences.

Highlights of the Virtuoso itinerary in Beijing and Shanghai include

Beijing
Welcome lunch at, and hosted by, Park Hyatt Beijing
Welcome reception and dinner at Raffles Beijing Hotel, hosted by Fairmont Raffles Hotels
Lunch and expert briefing on Contemporary Art In China at, and hosted by, the Opposite House
Cocktails and a private dinner at the Garden of Harmonious Interest in the Summer Palace, hosted by Aman Resorts
A lunch banquet at the Great Wall, hosted by St. Regis Beijing
Cocktails and dinner at the Water Cube, hosted by Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts
Exclusive historic, cultural and educational excursions within Beijing, operated by Imperial Tours

Shanghai
Welcome Reception and Dinner at FLAIR in The Ritz Carlton Shanghai, Pudong, hosted by The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company
Private lunch at Swatch Art Peace Hotel
Private dinner and reception at Mme. Eleonora Huang’s stunning 93rd floor Shanghai Loft at the Park Hyatt Shanghai, hosted by Park Hyatt Shanghai
Private reception and lunch at Grand Hyatt Shanghai, hosted by Hyatt Hotels
Gala cocktail reception and dinner at The Peninsula Shanghai overlooking The Bund, honoring the “Roaring Thirties” of Shanghai, hosted by The Peninsula Hotels
Exclusive historic, cultural and educational excursions within Shanghai, operated by Abercrombie & Kent Asia

About Virtuoso
Virtuoso is the industry’s leading luxury travel network. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 330 agencies with more than 7,200 elite travel specialists in 20 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 1,300 of the world’s best travel providers and premier destinations. The network’s member agencies generate over 9.6 billion dollars annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment. Their relationships with the finest travel companies provide the network’s affluent clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. Virtuoso is the exclusive network of travel services and benefits provided by MasterCard® for participating World Elite MasterCard programs. For more information, please visit www.virtuoso.com.

To view Virtuoso’s latest video content, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/VirtuosoTraveler.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Misty Ewing
  Virtuoso – Director, Public Relations
  Phone: 212-588-8242 or 206-484-8022 (mobile)
  E-mail: mewing@virtuoso.com

The press release Virtuoso Chairman’s Recognition Event Brings Top-Producing Travel Advisors To China For An Exclusive Weeklong Stay comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Shanghai, China (August 22, 2011) /Xinwengao.com/ — Accor has revealed the findings of its Accor Asia Pacific Business Traveller Research 2011, which seeks to better understand the travel and behavioural preferences of business travellers based in Asia Pacific. The survey interviewed over 10,000 respondents who made business trips in the first half of this year. Of these, close to 2,000 of the business travellers surveyed were executives based in Mainland China, with 3 in 4 business travellers being male.

Based on data collected, Hong Kong SAR (73%) is the leading destination for Mainland Chinese business travellers, with Singapore and Thailand coming in second and third with 25% and 22% respectively. In terms of outbound travel, executives from Mainland China (8.7 trips), were the most frequent travellers in the first half of 2011,followed by India (7.3 trips) and Singapore (7.1 trips). Moving into the second half of the year, Mainland Chinese business travellers are expected to remain top of the list increasing to 9.2 trips, with Singapore (6.9 trips) and India (6.7 trips) swapping positions as second and third.

Said Mr. Evan Lewis, Vice President Communications – Asia Pacific, “The sheer number of business trips made by Mainland Chinese business travellers can be possibly attributed to the importance of “Guan Xi” or positive interpersonal relationships as a crucial element for business dealings. An observation which supports this hypothesis is that 51% of Mainland Chinese respondents travel for external company business such as sales and client visits. This exceeds that of Singapore business travellers who are second, with less than half (46%) making trips for such a purpose.”

Chinese executives from the Mainland are the second most budget conscious (US$99), behind Indonesian business travellers (US$92). Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mainland China has one of the highest incidences of domestic only business travel (25%), behind only Australia (34%) and New Zealand (26%) business travellers. Like other Asia Pacific business travellers, executives from the Mainland choose hotels mainly due to location (43%). Other key factors which influence their choice of accommodation include loyalty points accrual (29%) and having a positive experience on their previous stay (26%).

Mainland Chinese business travellers top the chart in terms of their environmental consciousness with 91% of the business travellers surveyed willing to choose a hotel which is more environmentally conscious ahead of a similar standard hotel in the same location. The same percentage of executives were also willing to pay a premium for a hotel with a superior environmental commitment.

From the perspective of inbound travel, Mainland China is most popular amongst business travellers from the Hong Kong SAR (79%), followed by Singapore (44%) and Malaysia (35%) business travellers in the first half of 2011. Overall, respondents from the research cited China’s Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong and Singapore were the most popular business destinations (38% each), with Thailand (29%) third. Mainland China was a close fourth with 28%.

In terms of the most hardworking business travellers, the research suggests that Mainland Chinese (82%) and Singaporean (82%) business travellers are the most diligent, working most often in the hotels whilst travelling for business. The most popular time slot for work is from 21:00 to Midnight (52%). Based on their relatively longer working hours, only 49% of Mainland Chinese business travellers use the fitness centre and 29% of them use the spa. This contrasts with the overall findings from the research, which has found that 53% of Asia Pacific’s business travellers use the hotel’s fitness centre and 36% them go to the spa facilities at the hotel.

From these observations, it can be deduced that the typical Mainland Chinese business traveller is on the road most often than his Asia Pacific peers. This executive is most typically male who travels an average of between 8.7 to 9.2 trips every half year (which adds up to an average of a whopping more than 17 trips in a year. He also works most dutifully (82%) at the hotel during business travel as compared to other Asia Pacific business travellers, especially from 21:00 to Midnight (63%). So much so, that the typical Mainland Chinese business traveller hardly has time to enjoy any of the recreational facilities at hotels (as compared to his Asia Pacific peers). This extraordinary work ethic of Mainland Chinese business travellers could potentially be attributed to the ingrained culture which places a great emphasis on hard work.

About Accor
Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, is present in 90 countries with 4,200 hotels and more than 500,000 rooms.

Accor’s broad portfolio of hotel brands – Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1, hotelF1 and Motel 6, and its related activities, Thalassa sea & spa and Lenôtre – provide an extensive offer from luxury to budget. With 145,000 employees worldwide, the Group offers to its clients and partners nearly 45 years of know-how and expertise.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Accor Greater China
  Mabel Liu
  Communications Director
  86(0) 21 6119 9833
  Mabel.Liu@accor.com

  Accor Greater China
  Angel Liu
  Communications Manager
  86(0) 21 6119 7676
  Angel.liu@accor.com

The press release China Business Travellers Ranked First In Asia Pacific In Number Of Trips comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.