Lovers of the hugely popular Transformers franchise have more reasons to smile this March school holidays with the launch of the first Transformers Cybertron Con in Southeast Asia. The event kicked off with speeches by dignitaries from Hasbro (Singapore) and Resorts World Sentosa, followed by a precision drill display by some talented secondary school boys.
Courtesy of Lifehack
Ever wondered why some people can accomplish so much while others simply drift by? After all, don’t we all have only 24 hours a day and 7 days a week?
The trick is not in doing multiple things at once. In fact, the more multi-tasked you are – checking your Facebook account, listening to a sermon on iPod, reading the papers, and writing an essay – the less productive you will be.
On a recent study trip to Universal Studios Singapore (USS) at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), I had the privilege of learning how the theme park – arguably the most popular in Southeast Asia – creates, develops and manages memorable and delightful guest encounters. While these strategies do not cover all aspects of a world class theme park’s operation, they do form an important component of their visitor experiences. These help to trigger positive word of mouth and generate repeat visits.
Extensive and Immersive Theming
Andy Ridley, founder of Earth Hour
“Dare the World to Save the Planet”
With the catchy thematic message above, Earth Hour 2012 (31 March (Sat) at 8.30 pm) encourages us not only to switch off all power consuming devices for one dark hour but to “dare” our friends to pledge support this movement in return for doing something extraordinary.
Image courtesy of PSFK
By now, everybody who is connected to a screen somewhere with the faintest interest in sport would know who Jeremy Lin is. The Taiwanese American (or Asian American) basketball player for the New York Knicks has become a media sensation, hogging the headlines with an endless series of puns like “Linsanity”, “Lintastic”, and “In Linning Form”.
Despite being a rookie, Jeremy has blazed many new trails in NBA, with a record number of scores, assists and other game statistics to his credit. He has helped a relatively low key team to gain prominence, and wowed Americans of all colours with his court capabilities. Beyond the continent, Jeremy has also stolen the hearts of basketball fans everywhere, especially in the Asian subcontinent region.
Jeremy Lin sure knows a thing or two about scoring (courtesy of streetball.com)
Establishing clear goals is one of the most important things you need to do in any organisation which you work in. Otherwise known as objectives, goals provide an end point for one to aspire and work towards, providing purpose and meaning to any endeavour.
The analogy of sports provides the clearest example of goal setting. With a clear goal in place – kicking the ball through the goal posts, throwing a ball into a basket (who haven’t heard of Jeremy Lin?), or hitting a ball through an opponent’s racket – players and spectators alike would know where to focus their energies and emotions.
Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I attended the second Keepers event hosted by Carrie K Artisan Jewellery thanks to the invitation of Geri and her gang at linea Communications. Themed “Aspects of Love” in time for Valentine’s Day, the showcase featured various artisans and “bespoke” businesses with products ranging from visual art, design, champagne, desserts, poetry and jewellery.
In the hypercompetitive travel trade in Singapore, merely putting together a compelling itinerary with an attractive price isn’t sufficient. With a plethora of online travel portals like Expedia, Travelocity, Zuji and Wotif muscling into their space, brick and mortar travel agents need to find new ways to differentiate themselves. With the help of online travel service providers, consumers are booking airline tickets, selecting hotel rooms, renting cars, arranging land transfers, and even making reservations for restaurants and shows in advance.
While some players like MISA Travel have gone on to develop a more e-commerce savvy website, others such as ASA Holidays have organised full-fledged trade fairs to showcase their various offerings. Together with other big outbound tour operators like CTC Travel and Chan Brothers, ASA Holidays is pre-empting the upcoming NATAS Travel Fair with their own pre-sales event (I told you it was competitive).
Are these travel fairs successful? Well, join me for a tour of ASA Holidays’ recent fair at Suntec City and decide for yourself.
Patagonia is the new yardstick for ethical and social businesses (image from Fortune Magazine)
Of late, I hear a common clarion call amongst leading thinkers for companies to pursue a more humane, ethical and sustainable business strategy. These proclamations allude to the fact that the current system of profit and GDP growth at all costs is broken, and that a more holistic and considered approach is needed.
The first is renowned management guru Michael Porter, who urged companies to adopt shared values when crafting their business strategies. Porter cites that the capitalist system which much of the industrial age economy is built on has been the cause of much social, environmental and economic woes, with companies (and their leaders) prospering at the expense of the rest of humanity.
Student volunteer guides Jessie and Janet from Naked Hermit Crabs
By now, you’ve probably heard how social technologies can transform social, political and environmental movements. Globally, one can find numerous examples of causes given an online shot-in-the-arm through Twitter, Facebook, Youtube videos, shared photos, and other platforms. These channels have been further accelerated by the ubiquity of mobile apps on smartphones, tablets and other devices.
While the tools for making a difference have expanded tremendously, the core principles of creating and sustaining a cause are less well understood. Through a recent guided tour of Chek Jawa led by the Naked Hermit Crabs, I had the privilege of speaking to Ms Ria Tan, a passionate nature activist and founder of the Wild Singapore website. A close associate of my good friend Siva (another legend in nature circles), Ria provided useful insights on her journey.