HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 22 August 2023 – According to a recent statistical survey conducted by the government which was announced on June 20, the number of job vacancies in private organizations has surged by 45% or 24,050 positions compared to the previous year. The total employment and job vacancy numbers in the surveyed industries, after seasonal adjustment, a 1% and 7.6% increase respectively compared to December of the previous year. As a result, there is a growing demand for foreign labor across different sectors.

Hashtag: #MilestonetoSuccess

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About the “Milestone to Success” Program

The “Milestone to Success ” series aims to explore the considerations of businesses and organizations when hiring talents through interviews. Through lectures, visiting and workshops, the program aims to raise awareness among businesses and organizations about the untapped talent resources in Hong Kong. Therefore, this program is dedicated to promoting attention to talent resources from diverse backgrounds and the upward mobility needs of young individuals

About the organizer Junior Chamber International North District

Special Thanks

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Adjusted Net Profit Rises by 207% to RMB1,096 Million Average MPUs and APUs Reach All-time Highs

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 22 August 2023 – Tongcheng Travel Holdings Limited (“Tongcheng Travel” or the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries the “Group”, stock code: 0780.HK), an innovator and leader in China’s online travel industry, today announced its unaudited consolidated results for the six months ended 30 June 2023 (the “period under review” or “1H2023”).

1H2023 Highlights with Year-on-year Change

Robust Revenue and Earnings Grew to New Heights

· Revenue increased by 79.6% to RMB 5,452.4 million

· Adjusted EBITDA rose by 110.5% to RMB 1,538.0 million; adjusted EBITDA margin increased by 4.1 percentage points to 28.2%

· Adjusted net profit surged by 207.0% to RMB 1,096.0 million; adjusted net margin widened by 8.3 percentage points to 20.1%

Diversified Online and Offline User Acquisition Channels

· Average MAUs increased by 27.7% to 282.5 million

· Average MPUs rose by 44.6% to 41.8 million

· About 87% of registered users resided in non-first-tier cities in China

Cores Businesses Achieved Record High Revenues

· Transportation ticketing services rose by 75.8% to RMB 2,877.3 million. Domestic air ticket volume in Q2 2023 grew by 40% compared with the pre-pandemic level in Q2 2019

· Accommodation business grew by 73.9% to RMB 1,889.7 million. Domestic room nights sold grew by over 130% compared with the pre-pandemic level in Q2 2019

· Revenue from others* increased by 118.8% to RMB 685.5 million

* Others mainly include revenues from advertising services, hotel management services, corporate travel services, membership services and attraction ticketing services.

Note: MAU: monthly active users; MPU: monthly paying users; APU: annual paying users

Mr. Ma Heping, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tongcheng Travel, said, “2023 marks a new chapter for China’s travel industry. We are thrilled to see continued strength and accelerated quarter-on-quarter sequential growth in domestic demand alongside soaring travel enthusiasm. Remarkable increases were seen in our traffic with both MPUs and APUs reaching record levels, primarily attributable to our diversified online channels and effective user engagement. As non-tier-one cities have become increasingly popular travel destinations, our established leadership and deep penetration in these markets enable us to further harness rising opportunities through full-service offerings geared towards exceptional customer experience, thereby driving our long-term sustainable growth.”

Diversified Traffic Channels, Increased User Engagement

Tongcheng Travel further diversified traffic sources by exploring online and offline channels, especially in underpenetrated lower tier cities. Consistent efforts were made to better engage and serve users through the Tencent Ecosystem. During the period under review, it optimized Weixin Search functions and co-launched a WeChat Pay campaign in Hong Kong to interact with users in the region. It continued collaborating with Tencent games while incorporating e-sports and sponsoring popular music festivals with Tencent Music to boost exposure among younger audiences. These initiatives effectively drove user acquisition and engagement.

Transportation Ticketing and Accommodation Reservation Business Reached New Highs

Driven by volume growth, transportation ticketing revenues, which accounted for 52.8% of the total revenue, achieved record high results of RMB 2,877.3 million on a 75.8% increase during the period under review. Through consistent effort to build a more diverse user base to further penetrate the market, domestic air ticket volume in Q2 2023 increased by 40% compared to the same period in 2019. The accommodation business, which contributed 34.7% of the total revenue, continued to set new revenue and volume highs. Revenue from this business grew by 73.9% to RMB 1,889.7 million. The number of room nights sold in Q2 2023 increased by more than 130% compared to Q2 2019.

New Hotel Management Business to Diversify Revenue Streams

The Group took steps to diversify its business to bring in new growth impetus. It has further developed the hotel management business by expanding the hotel brand portfolio to include low- to high star-rated hotels. It has also tapped into the leisure travel market through acquisitions of travel agencies. Elong Hotel Technology Group set up by the Group had signed contracts with nearly 2,000 hotels and had 15 million members. In the first half of 2023, revenues from others, including advertising services, hotel management services, corporate travel services, membership services and attraction ticketing services, recorded a 118.8% growth to RMB 690 million.

Leveraged Technology Edge to Enable Smart Digitization of Travel Industry

Tongcheng Travel is committed to applying its technology edge to contribute to a highly efficient travel ecosystem. It uses AI-powered robots to provide more efficient customer service and worked closely with business partners to proactively explore the application of Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) in its business operations. Moreover, it utilizes its technology edge and innovation capabilities to assist upstream suppliers to expedite smart digitalization of the China’s travel industry.

On top of that, it established cooperation with Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to help the airport develop a transit system to attract transit passengers and established a strategic partnership with Henan Province Airport Group to help it develop combined transport solutions, integrated membership programs, and digitalization platforms. Furthermore, through its comprehensive hotel PMS brand matrix, the Company provided SaaS solutions to more individual and chain hotels as well as alternative accommodation to optimize their operational efficiencies.

ESG Efforts for Sustainable Development Won Recognition

Tongcheng Travel’s dedication to corporate sustainability has earned its inclusion for the first time in The Sustainability Yearbook (China) by S&P Global. In light of the full recovery of the travel industry, it initiated a training program on digital operation and marketing of rural tourism for tourism professionals from Sichuan province, to help stimulate and accelerate the growth of the rural economy. Moreover, it collaborated with over 200 hotels across China to offer college entrance examinees and their parents free stationery, water, and comfortable rest areas.

Mr. Ma added, “Going forward, we will continue to leverage our competitive advantages in terms of diversified traffic sources, solid market position, flexible operation strategy, and advanced technological capabilities. We will further enhance our products and services to provide more satisfying experience to our users. We will also seize market opportunities and look into international business potential. At the same time, we will explore investment opportunities that align with our strategies to support future business growth to generate long-term sustainable value for our stakeholders and communities.”

Hashtag: #TongchengTravel

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Tongcheng Travel Holdings Limited (HKSE Stock Code: 0780.HK)

Travel is a one-stop shop for users’ travel needs. With the mission “make travel easier and more joyful”, Tongcheng Travel offers a comprehensive and innovative selection of products and services covering nearly all aspects of travel, including transportation ticketing, accommodation reservation, tourist attraction ticketing, and products including package tour, self-guided tour and cruise, including a wide array of transportation and leisure travel scenarios primarily through its online platforms, which comprise its Tencent-based platforms, its proprietary mobile apps, quick apps and other channels.

As a technology-driven company, Tongcheng Travel leverages big data and AI capabilities to better understand the preferences and behaviors of users, thereby offering users customized products and services. Tongcheng Travel has a strategic focus on lower-tier cities in China and seized opportunities there supported by its diversified traffic sources, product innovation capability and flexible operation strategies. Through the in-depth understanding of user experience and advanced technological capabilities, Tongcheng Travel has been revolutionizing what consumers expect from the online travel industry, making the entire travel process more convenient, personalized and enjoyable than ever. Tongcheng Travel aims to develop and apply its advanced technology to transform from an online travel agency to intelligent travel assistant.

For more information, please visit the Group’s website at https://www.tongchengir.com

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SHENZHEN, CHINA – Media OutReach – 22 August 2023 – Global technology-solutions provider Arrow Electronics, Inc. hosted its annual “Arrow Technology Showcase” event today in Shenzhen, China.

With the theme of “Guiding Technovators to a Better Tomorrow”, the event brought together hundreds of technology companies, manufacturers, solution providers, and tech startups across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in southern China. The event showcased over 100 components, systems, applications, and solutions, focused on robotics, AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things), and smart energy.

GBA, a megalopolis with a total population of over 86 million and an estimated GDP of around USD1.8 trillion in 2022¹, is home to one of the most vibrant and thriving communities of technology innovators and entrepreneurs in China. As tech startups and innovative companies strive to develop more practical and robust technology solutions to harness the potential of digitalization, decarbonization, and electrification, they often face increasing engineering and ever-complex supply chain challenges. As a global technology solutions provider, Arrow provides best-in-class engineering, supply chain expertise, and global ecosystem support to help enable these innovators and entrepreneurs in overcoming technological and supply chain challenges and bringing their creative and innovative ideas to market faster.

Empowering innovators in the GBA and beyond

Arrow established its first open lab at Hong Kong Science Park (HKSTP) in 2016. The lab has since served as a center of excellence for hundreds of local engineers and creators to solve engineering problems and accelerate the idea-to-prototype-to-production journey. To further support the broader GBA region, Arrow has launched a new open lab at Xbot Park in Dongguan, an industrial city in GBA.

“XbotPark is a global startup incubator focused on robotics and smart hardware, dedicated to offering the necessary mentorship, ecosystem support, funding access, and technology resources it takes for startups to grow and succeed. We are excited to collaborate with Arrow and gain their support of our high-potential tech start-ups, not just in Dongguan but also the broader GBA region. Arrow brings a wealth of technologies, from microelectronics and sensors to connectivity and edge platform, as well as design engineering expertise, and supply chain services. These resources and capabilities are essential for startups and innovators to maximize their business potential,” said Zexiang Li, co-founder of XbotPark.

Nurturing robotics innovators

China’s robotics market is expected to be worth USD17.4 billion with an annual growth rate of 22 percent, according to the China Robotics Industry Development Report². Industrial robots are valued at USD8.7 billion, service robots at USD6.5 billion, and specialized service robots at USD2.2 billion.

Direct Drive Tech, a Dongguan-based company specialising in the R&D and production of robot joint and motion solutions, showcased its latest wheeled-leg robots at Arrow’s showcase event. As a graduate of XbotPark incubation program, Direct Drive is committed to eliminating reduction gearboxes and creating direct drive precision power solutions worldwide. “With the support of global technology companies such as Arrow, we can gain access to ecosystem resources that allow us to reach a broader market and fully maximize our growth potential with our robot actuator and highly efficient power solutions,” said Jet Yin, global marketing director of Direct Drive Tech.

As part of the Arrow and HKSTP co-incubation training program launched since 2021, Arrow’s engineering team has offered free robotic and AIoT technology training to over 400 engineers enrolled in the program. Direct Drive’s wheeled-leg robot has been featured as one of the open platform tools in the robotic technology training program.

HengZi Future, a developer of consumer-grade robotic products and a current incubatee of XbotPark incubation program, also showcased its latest consumer-grade pet robots at the event.

“As we continue to enhance our robotic product offerings and scale up our business, we look forward to gaining access to Arrow’s comprehensive portfolio of advanced electronic components, design engineering resources, and go-to-market support,” said Pei Heng Song, founder and CTO, Hengbot Innovation.

As the first electronics hardware lab established in XbotPark, Arrow’s open lab occupies a total space of 1,200 square meters with engineering equipment and testing modules and an open collaboration area. This enables local and international startups to design, develop and test their products and solutions effectively.

“Cross-disciplinary cooperation and technology integration are key to fostering continuous innovations and sustainable development in today’s highly competitive and rapidly evolving market landscape,” said Arthur Jiang, Arrow’s president for its Asia-Pacific components business. “Technology companies and startups constantly face challenges from competing research and product development needs and evolving demands for product features to a shifting supply chain landscape. By offering our global network of resources, industry insights, and in-market presence, we act as a trusted technology partner who can guide and help them take their ideas from imagination to innovation.”
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^{1 https://www.bayarea.gov.hk/en/about/overview.html#:~:text=The%20total%20area%20is%20around,RMB%2013%20trillion%20in%202022.}

^{2 https://dsj.guizhou.gov.cn/xwzx/gnyw/202208/t20220823_76224575.html}

Hashtag: #ArrowElectronics

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Arrow Electronics

Arrow Electronics guides innovation forward for over 210,000 leading technology manufacturers and service providers. With 2022 sales of $37 billion, Arrow develops technology solutions that help improve business and daily life.

Learn more at arrow.com/fiveyearsout

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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – Media OutReach – 22 August 2023 – Food Tech company OmniFoods has endeavoured to bring healthy and sustainable products through innovation, OmniFoods is proud to announce that the OMNI Tuna has been awarded the Gold Award for Best Vegan Fish in the Vegan Food & Living Awards. This recognition further solidifies OMNI’s commitment to delivering innovative and delicious plant-based seafood alternatives.

To celebrate this remarkable achievement, OMNI invites diners to indulge in the exquisite flavours of its award-winning OMNI Tuna at select locations. Starting from today, diners can visit Pastan in London, Manchester and Bristol to experience the exclusive OMNI Tuna Menu, featuring mouthwatering dishes such as OMNI Tuna Caesar Salad and OMNI Tuna Mac & Cheese. Each dish showcases the versatility and culinary possibilities of OMNI Tuna, providing a delightful dining experience for both vegans and seafood enthusiasts alike.

For those in the Cwmbran area, The Queen Inn presents an opportunity to savour the tantalising OMNI Tuna Menu, which includes the OMNI T*na & Sweetcorn Mayo Salad and the OMNI T*na Sweetcorn Mayo Wrap. These delectable creations highlight the incredible taste and quality of OMNI Tuna, delivering a satisfying plant-based alternative that leaves a lasting impression on diners.

For more information about OMNI Tuna and to explore the full range of OMNI products, please visit www.omnifoods.co.

Hashtag: #OMNI

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About OmniFoods

OmniFoods, the food innovation arm under Green Monday Holdings, is a global leading plant-based food company. The OmniFoods’ brand ranges from OMNI Pork, Seafood, Beef & Chicken to OMNI Chef solutions like Appetisers & Entrees, with a goal to make food for all people and all cuisines. With R&D in Canada and distribution network in over 20 markets, OmniFoods’ products have received various international awards & accolades – OMNI Mince and OMNI Luncheon were awarded a One-star Great Taste Award in 2021, and OMNI Golden Fillet received the Silver Quality Award in the Monde Selection 2022 and voted as the best Vegan fish by PETA UK. OMNI Tuna received the Gold Award for ”Best Vegan Fish” in UK’s No.1 vegan magazine, Vegan Food & Living’s Product Awards 2023.

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Goodbase Trading takes over to enhance the brand

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 22 August 2023 – The world-famous Thai snack brand Taokaenoi announced its appointment of Goodbase Trading Ltd. (“Goodbase Trading”) as sole agent in Hong Kong. A contract signing ceremony was held at the Food Expo by both parties. It is expected that this collaboration will bring new opportunities to the brand.

To celebrate the alliance, Taokaenoi distributed free seaweed snacks for the public to taste in different zones of the Food Expo. The company as well distributed limited edition photos of their global celebrity endorsers – ZeeNuNew, the handsome Thai BL stars. The distribution was very popular among citizens in all the zones.

The 15-year collaboration between Taokaenoi and Goodbase Trading began in Macau. Goodbase Trading’s thorough understanding of Taokaenoi and its products, coupled with their Hong Kong company’s knowledge of the local market, have an edge to develop regional marketing plans and expand sales channels. During the signing ceremony, Wachira Yarnthasanakij, the Chief International Trade Officer of Taokaenoi, expressed his pleasure for the cooperation and looked forward to Taokaenoi’s brand awareness continued to improve in Hong Kong.

Hashtag: #Taokaenoi #Goodbase

https://www.facebook.com/taokaenoi.hk
https://www.instagram.com/taokaenoi_hk/

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Taokaenoi

Goodbase Trading

Goodbase is a member of Vang Kei Hong Group of Macau. Based in Hong Kong, Goodbase is a leading company in providing market development. It specializes in branded fast-moving consumer products like food and beverage, and other fields, providing customers with comprehensive market expansion services, including product feasibility studies, import declarations, customs handling, and marketing planning, sales, on-site sales and promotion services, warehousing management, physical distribution, invoicing, collection, after-sales service and other value-added services. We have professional and extensive local knowledge combined with a comprehensive infrastructure that allows us to understand the needs of our business partners and provide tailor-made services to help our partners grow their businesses. We are currently the sole agents of many famous brands, serving over 1,000 accounts including department stores, supermarkets, and hotels.

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COLOGNE, GERMANY – Media OutReach – 22 August 2023 – Coda Payments (“Coda“), the world’s leader in out-of-app content monetization solutions, returns to Gamescom in Cologne this year.

At Coda, our publisher partners are our priority and we’re expanding our suite of solutions to ensure we keep pace with their evolving needs.

Today, we’re excited to share our latest solution, Coda’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) webshops, which enables publishers to monetize their content to fans directly. With over a decade of experience and having built and transformed Codashop into the most reliable and battle-tested platform for out-of-app monetization in global gaming, Coda is the ideal partner to help publishers create, operate, and grow the success of their D2C webshops.

To date, Coda has facilitated over 400 API integrations and established a massive paying user base of over 80M+ active buyers, helping publishers maximize their revenue and margins worldwide. In addition to having the required technical expertise to successfully build and run webshops, Coda has the benefit of already operating in over 60 markets and supporting local payment methods where publishers can unlock meaningful revenue. We have a deep understanding of local contexts – from the regulatory landscape to consumer preferences – and are always on hand to provide local insights to our publisher partners.

Coda prides itself on having evolved into a trusted strategic monetization, discovery and market development partner for gaming and digital content publishers around the world. Our goal is to help publishers go to market quickly with an established foundation that requires little legwork, and retains the scalability and flexibility to grow. What we deliver to publishers is: More players, less payers, less lift.

Gamescom attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about this, as well as our other out-of-app content monetization solutions across gaming, live streaming, and more.

Tamara Japp-Shama, Senior Director, Publishing Partnerships at Coda commented, “It’s a privilege to be back at one of the most iconic gaming events in the world. We’ve come a long way from where we were last year and can’t wait to share our latest solutions and insights with Gamescom attendees. We’re looking forward to seeing familiar and new faces to discuss how Coda is transforming the future of out-of-app monetization in the gaming industry and beyond.”

Since its establishment in 2011, with its headquarters in Singapore, Coda has gained trust from some of the world’s most renowned game publishers, including Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts (EA), miHoYo, Riot Games, and Supercell, facilitating global audience expansion. Collaborating with over 300 game and digital content publishers in over 60 markets, Coda empowers revenue growth by efficiently reaching paying players through seamless out-of-app content monetization solutions.

Backed by Smash Capital, Insight Partners, GIC, Apis Partners and GMO Global Payment Fund, Coda has been named one of the fastest-growing companies in APAC by the Financial Times, a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum and the Best Payment Solutions Provider for the game Industry (Global) by Global Brand Magazine.

Call to Action:
Explore Coda’s cutting-edge digital content monetization solutions at Hall 2.1, Booth D-010.

Hashtag: #Coda #Gaming #ContentMonetization #GamesCom

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Coda

Founded in 2011, Coda is the global leader in content monetization solutions for gaming publishers. We connect over 300 publishers, including gaming’s biggest names like miHoYo, Tencent and ByteDance, to 10M+ customers in 65 markets through 300+ payment methods. Coda’s flagship solutions include Codapay, our direct payments integration on publishers’ websites, and Codashop, the preferred destination for in-game content purchases for millions of gamers worldwide. Coda also expands publishers’ reach across super-apps and e-commerce sites through xShop. Backed by Smash Capital, Insight Partners, GIC, Apis Partners, and GMO Global Payment Fund, we’re recognized as a fast-growing APAC company, Technology Pioneer, and the Best Payment Solutions Provider for the Gaming Industry.

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The annual Phillip Nova Young Investors Trading Challenge offers an invaluable platform for novice traders aged between 18 and 30 to sharpen their trading skills, vie against friendly competitors, and vie for a dazzling grand prize of up to S$1200.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 22 August 2023 – Following the success of the Phillip Nova Young Investors Trading Challenge of 2022, where more than 400 budding young traders engaged in intense competition, the annual trading challenge makes its return in 2023. This time, on a grander scale, with even more exciting prizes up for grabs.

Across a span of 15 days, contestants will harness the power of the Phillip MetaTrader 5 trading platform to engage in Forex and Contract for Differences (CFD) trading within a simulated environment. Each participant will operate with a virtual equity of US$100,000 in credits.

The participants having the highest equity at the challenge’s conclusion stands a chance to secure the grand prize of up to S$1,200. In a bid to foster learning and celebrate youthful investment, a total of 20 prizes will be distributed. The top prize amounts to S$1,200, followed by S$600 for the first runner-up, S$300 for the second runner-up, and S$50 prizes for participants ranking 4th through 20th.

Notably, in the 2022 iteration of the trading challenge, the ultimate victor, an undergraduate at the Singapore Management University (SMU), achieved an impressive feat by tripling his account within a mere 9 trading days.

This year’s challenge kicked off on 21 August and is set to conclude on 8 September, offering young investors in Singapore the chance to showcase their trading prowess. Registration remains open throughout the trading challenge period.

Participants were granted the privilege to partake in a live trading bootcamp, conducted by the accomplished professional trader and coach, Ang Kar Yong. The bootcamp covered essential topics such as fundamental and technical analysis, formulation of trading plans, and, crucially, the art of risk management. Moreover, participants enjoyed an extensive Q&A session with the coach, during which numerous insightful inquiries from the intellectually curious young investors were answered. Find the recorded session here.

The Phillip Nova Young Investors Program, inaugurated in 2020, has organised an array of events and initiatives. Their mission revolves around advancing financial literacy among Singapore’s budding investors. These initiatives encompass diverse trading and investment bootcamps, dynamic trading challenges, and comprehensive training sessions conducted by industry experts. In a digital age awash with information, the necessity of reliable and quality sources of financial education for young investors has become paramount.

Upon the conclusion of the challenge, on 14 September 2023, Phillip Nova has an exciting plan in place. Phillip Nova will be organising a closing/networking event that will be held physically, providing participants with the opportunity to come together, network with like-minded individuals, and connect with industry professionals. This event aims to foster a vibrant community of young investors keen on learning and growing together.

Young traders who are interested can sign up for the challenge here.

Hashtag: #PhillipNova #Investment #MT5 #CFD #TradingStrategy #TradingChallenge #Competition

https://www.linkedin.com/company/phillip-nova/
https://www.instagram.com/phillipnovasg/
Young Investors Telegram: https://t.me/Phillipnovayounginvestors

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Phillip Nova

Phillip Nova (formerly known as Phillip Futures) was inaugurated in 1983 as a member of PhillipCapital Group and is one of the founding clearing members of Singapore Exchange Derivatives Trading (SGX-DT). We have since grown to become one of the region’s top brokerages for the trading of Stocks, CFD, Forex, global Futures and Commodities. The Group has clearing memberships in 21 global exchanges, including APEX, BMD, CME Group exchanges, DGCX, HKEX, ICDX, ICE Singapore, JPX Group exchanges, NSE, TFEX, TOCOM and SGX Group exchanges.

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This content was prepared by Media OutReach. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Siam News.