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Just a few weeks ago, there were reports saying that OnePlus will be unveiling a new device before the year ends. While most people expected a supposed OnePlus 3 Plus, recent rumors suggest that the upcoming device will be called OnePlus 3T instead. As per the latest news, the said OnePlus 3T device could be launched this November.
OnePlus 3T News
As per a Phone Arena report, the said new OnePlus phone might be launched November 14. It could cost around $480 and come with some relevant improvements. The OnePlus 4 on the other hand, is still expected to be released next year. As per the report, it could be launching summer of 2017. Right now, the nearest thing fans can get to a new OnePlus is probably the supposed OnePlus 3T.
OnePlus 3T Specs
The OnePlus 3T is expected to retain some of OnePlus 3's specs including its 6 GB RAM, 5.5 inch screen, 1080 x 1920 display resolution and 64GB/128GB storage options. The 3000 mAh battery, Dash Charge feature and the phone's overall design should also remain the same. The only expected changes will be its processor which could be upgraded from Snapdragon 820 to Snapdragon 821 and its native OS which could now be Android 7.0. GSM Arena says that OnePlus 3T's rear camera might still be 16MP but it could use a Sony IMX398 sensor instead.
OnePlus 3T Verdict
It's clear that OnePlus is keen in standing by their "flagship killer" motto. Even though the OnePlus 4 is coming in in a few months' time, OnePlus already gives its fans and its competitions an upgraded version of their 2016 flagship. Now that a bunch of new smartphones has already been released before the year ends, OnePlus might not want its flagship device to be considered old. If the OnePlus 3T is indeed coming in with Android Nougat from the box and be powered by a more powerful Snapdragon processor, then it is definitely every other flagship's nightmare.


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Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ:URBN) stock was down on Monday following the release of its holiday sales report.
The first factor is that Urban Outfitters, Inc. faced a larger than expected shift in demand by channel. The company says this was caused by lower store traffic and lower sales. This resulted in it increasing promotional activity to increase demand.
The second factor that hurt Urban Outfitters, Inc.’s Wholesale segment sales was a larger than anticipated shift in product mix. This had more customers going after lower margin products and categories.
Total net sales reported by Urban Outfitters, Inc. during the two months that ended on Dec. 31, 2016 were up by 3%. Net sales from Urban Outfitters increased 3.6%, net sales were up 2.9% at Free People and net sales were down 1.0% at the Anthropologie Group.
According to Urban Outfitters, Inc., comparable Retail segment sales saw an increase due to double-digit growth in the direct-to-consumer channel. However, the company notes that this was partially offset by retail store comparable net sales being lower than expected.
Urban Outfitters, Inc. says that net sales in the 11 months ended on Dec. 31, 2016 were up 3% from the same period last year. Comparable Retail segment net sales were up by 1.3% during this time and Wholesale segment net sales increased by 12%.
URBN stock was down 2% as of Monday afternoon.

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Souvenir shops in a number of states would appear to be unconcerned about a repeat of this health disaster: They are offering baby turtles to the public. By doing so, they are not only posing a threat to the public, they are also violating federal law. The sale or distribution of turtles with a carapace (shell) under 4 inches in length is a violation of a 1976 federal law created to protect consumers, in particular children, from the threat of reptile-associated salmonellosis.
The Baby Turtle Craze in the '70s
During the 1970s it became something of a fad to buy baby turtles—usually red-eared sliders—about the size of a silver dollar, along with a small water bowl and plastic palm tree. Many people contracted reptile-associated salmonellosis through direct and indirect contact with these baby turtles. Children were prone to placing the turtles in their mouths or ingesting bacteria left on their hands after handling the turtles.
In 1976 the Food and Drug Administration, on the advice of the Association of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, took drastic action to curtail the reptile-associated salmonellosis outbreak. It banned the sale or distribution of turtles with a carapace length under 4 inches.
The measure worked very well: In the years immediately following the ban, there was a 77% reduction in the annual number of reptile-associated salmonellosis cases reported in the United States. Baby turtles got a break as well; experts believed that they suffered a 100% mortality rate within one year of purchase because of improper care, neglect, and abandonment.
Illegal Turtle Sales
There has been a recent surge in the illegal sale or distribution of baby turtles—red-eared sliders remain the turtle of choice, though map turtles, painted turtles, and pond turtles are also sold—at vacation spots in Wisconsin, Kansas, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas.
Local law enforcement and health officials are working with federal officials with the FDA to take action against the merchants and distributors of the turtles. Health authorities have traced at least two recent salmonellosis cases in children back to the baby turtles obtained at a Wisconsin vacation spot.
Since the scare of the '70s has receded in most memories, the FDA restrictions on the sale and distribution of baby turtles has become difficult to enforce; the turtles are, after all, easy for merchants to obtain and very cheap. In addition, many, including law enforcement officials who do not understand the impetus for the 1976 FDA restrictions, consider the law frivolous and do not bother to properly enforce it.
Baby turtles are often used by merchants as a cheap gimmick to lure customers into purchasing a tank and supplies for the pet reptile. The merchants don't tell consumers about the health threats, nor do they explain how to care properly for the turtle or that the turtle, if he survives, will soon outgrow the tank and will require a larger, more expensive one. Why mess with a good thing?
For merchants, baby turtles certainly are a good thing. According to the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association, in one year, U.S. pet turtle owners spend an estimated $42 million on products for a pet that, on average, costs a mere $23.
When the baby turtle grows into an adult and the novelty wears off, owners often become overwhelmed and relinquish the animal to a shelter or simply turn the animal loose into the wild, where he will likely perish. (If the turtle survives, he may become a menace and, possibly a disease threat, to local wildlife.) Reptile rescue groups report that many turtles relinquished to them were obtained as baby turtles at vacation spots.
State by State
The following is a breakdown of the state cases of which The HSUS has been made aware:
Wisconsin: In August police in the vacation area of Wisconsin Dells ordered five businesses to stop distributing baby turtles to the public. The animals were being "given away" with the purchase of supplies such as a tank and turtle food. An investigation was launched after tourists contacted the Columbia Humane Society and the police to complain about the violation of federal law.
The merchants were given a deadline to remove the turtles from sale and humanely euthanize them. All but one merchant complied, demanding his turtles be tested for Salmonella bacteria. The tests were carried out, even though veterinary and health officials dismiss the Salmonella culture tests as meaningless since turtles (and all reptiles) can harbor Salmonella bacteria without detection and shed it intermittently in their feces. Still, the Salmonella tests came back positive. According to one count, this merchant had 900 turtles on the premises. Fines for violating the regulation could run up to $1,000 per turtle.
Next, the Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services contacted local humane organizations to ask for their assistance in taking in turtles that people wished to relinquish. The state agency was concerned that people would dispose of the turtles in inhumane ways or release them into the wild. According to the federal ban, the FDA must witness or perform the humane euthanasia of the turtles if the animals cannot be placed in a proper home out of contact with small children.
South Carolina: In July police raided five beach wear stores in Myrtle Beach, and seized 200 red-eared sliders. The shops were also offering frogs for sale, which is a violation of local law. The turtles were turned over to a nearby commercial reptile exhibit.
Texas: In December 2003 the FDA warned a merchant in a Houston mall against selling young turtles. The merchant immediately complied with the order and sent the remaining 166 turtles to a Texas turtle sanctuary.
New York and California: In both states there have been numerous reports of a bustling market for baby turtles in the local Chinatown. Witnesses have estimated that a single merchant may sell as many as five turtles every 15 minutes. In these areas there seems to be no enforcement of the restrictions on the distribution of these reptiles.
The Internet Connection
It's not uncommon for online dealers, such as www.turtlesale.com, to give away baby turtles if customers spend a set amount on other products. Other online reptile dealers such as this oneattempt to skirt the FDA restriction by offering baby turtles for "adoption." They may also ask customers to sign a paper stating that the baby turtles will be used for bona fide scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes.
While these retailers clearly make an effort to protect themselves from legal recourse, they seem less concerned with protecting humans from the threat of Salmonella or turtles from the dangers of shipping and handling.
A Dangerous Business
Baby turtles are shipped from farms in flimsy cardboard boxes, in which many die from rough handling, temperature extremes, and neglect. Historically, the mortality of baby turtles has been of little importance to dealers because turtles are relatively cheap.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is likely that more than 90% of reptiles (snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodilians) are asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella bacteria. Reptile and amphibian contacts are estimated to account for 74,000 (6%) of all Salmonella infections reported annually in the United States.
Salmonella infection causes fever, abdominal pain, and severe bloody diarrhea. Patients usually recover in several days, but may require antibiotics to fight the illness. Certain individuals are considered high-risk for salmonellosis, such as those with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, the elderly, and particularly children aged 5 years and younger.
For these groups a bout with salmonellosis may be devastating, leading to blood infections, meningitis (infection of the brain or spinal cord membranes), osteomyelitis (infection of bone), miscarriage, and possibly death. For this reason, the CDC recommends these individuals, in particular children 5 years and under, have no contact with reptiles.
What You Can Do
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857-0001
Michelle Jacmenovic is a former research associate in The HSUS's Wildlife section..


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Following the acquisition by Emerchants Ltd (ASX: EML) in December 2014, StoreFinancial Services UK Limited (SFUK) has started the transition to trading as Emerchants Europe and has begun offering the Emerchants suite of products in the European market. In order to offer these products they have entered into a new BIN sponsorship agreement with a subsidiary of The Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: TBBK).
Emerchants prepaid products will be issued through The Bancorp’s subsidiary, Transact Payments Limited, a regulated and authorized e-money licensee by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and a principal member of both Mastercard and Visa Europe. The agreement will enable Emerchants to leverage their e-money issuing capabilities across all EU member states and support the growth of the Emerchants prepaid debit business into the European marketplace.
Tom Cregan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Emerchants said: “The acquisition of SFUK enabled us to acquire a profitable and growing prepaid business with experience in multiple European markets and an experienced management team capable of growing the core business and leading the transition to focus on prepaid debit programs. We identified The Bancorp as our preferred European partner, and we have been working with their team to execute this agreement, which will see us be in a position to launch programs in the near term. We couldn’t be happier with the discussions we have had with them and we look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship in the years to come”.
The Bancorp is delighted to have established this partnership with such a successful and fast growing payments company.
Kriya Patel, Managing Director of The Bancorp’s European operations, added, “The Bancorp is delighted to have established this partnership with such a successful and fast growing payments company. We have known the team at StoreFinancial Services UK Limited (SFUK) for a number of years and look forward to developing prepaid solutions with them in the future under the new brand, Emerchants Europe. This relationship cements an excellent period of growth for The Bancorp’s European operations and further supports our plans to be the premier BIN Sponsorship partner in the payment sector.”


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China-based OLED lighting developer Yeolight Technology is starting to build a 4.5-Gen OLED lighting production line, in Huaibei City, Anhui Province, China.
The total investment in this new fab will reach 2 billion Yuan (around $300 million USD). Construction at the site has already began. When ready, the fab will have a yearly capacity of around 7 million OLED panels.
This is very exciting news, as most OLED lighting production is still performed in small scale production lines.
The main exception is Konica Minolta's $100 million R2R fab that was setup in 2014 but only began mass production in 2020. LG Display had a 6-Gen OLED lighting fab that began production in 2017, but the company withdrew from the market in 2019.
We have seen many companies enter the OLED lighting market, only to withdraw later. The focus of companies in recent years have been mostly automotive lighting. This is also true for Yeolight, and last year the company (which was spun-off Visionox a few years ago) announced new OLED taillight prototypes. In 2020 Yeolight announced that its OLED panels were adopted by Hongqi in its H9 flagship sedan.


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Canon India is the latest in a series of electronic majors to issue an advisory against buying from unauthorised online portals.
The company has drawn up a list of authorised online sellers on its website. Among the authorised dealers for Canon printers are Flipkart, ebay and Amazon India. Canon has given certificates of authorisation to the companies.
Previously, Lenovo and Toshiba had issued warnings against online buyers for products that were being sold on heavy discounts. Lenovo had said that sites like Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal were not authorised Lenovo resellers.
In light of a similar situation, Canon India has also announced that it may offer longer warranty on offline buying (via). The company is considering a 12 month warranty for online retailers and a 15 month warranty for offline stores.
Recently, the Bangalore Cyber Police had also warned against fraud in online retail places.


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The Singapore company announced on Friday that it would no longer bid after rival Dubai Ports World made a higher offer.
Dubai Ports World last month raised its offer to $6.9 billion for the company, trumping a $6.3 billion offer from PSA, a unit of Singapore's government-owned investment company, Temasek Holdings.
A company statement said: "PSA has decided not to increase its offer and will therefore no longer pursue the acquisition of P&O. For PSA, to pay more than this price would not be compatible with commercial business sense and PSA's future success."
Founded in 1837, P&O carried cargo throughout the British empire in its heyday to Sydney, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong and other colonies.
The addition of P&O's 29 ports around the world would have helped PSA gain ground on the world's biggest operator, Hutchison Whampoa of Hong Kong.
In a statement, P&O Chairman Sir John Parker thanked PSA's leadership "for their professionalism and courtesy throughout this process."
"The P&O Directors recommend unanimously the DP World revised offer and look forward to putting it to Stockholders," the statement said. "The combination of P&O and DP World has compelling strategic logic and will create significant opportunities for both businesses and their employees."


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- Articles tagged "idf 2012"
During the final keynote address at IDF 2012 today, Intel chief technology officer, Justin Rattner, demonstrated key future technologies that will enable more devices to stay connected wireless more efficiently.
At IDF's day 2 keynote earlier today, Intel told developers how they are committed to help developers embrace the era of transparent computing by taking leadership position in defining and driving the open software ecosystem.
Intel announced today at IDF 2012 the release of the Intel Perceptual Computing SDK 2013 Beta to help developers build human-like senses like gesture interaction, facial and voice recognition into current and future platforms.
Known as the next unit of computing, we spotted this new ultra tiny motherboard at the IDF Tech Showcase. It's a full system as it comes built with an Intel Core i3 processor and it measures no more than 4-inch by 4-inch. But the question is, what will you do with it?
Intel said today during IDF (Intel Developer Forum) that it will yet again transform the personal computing landscape with the upcoming 4th generation Intel Core processor built solely for mobile systems such as the Ultrabook.
- Sony launches more mid-range phones
- Microsoft hands a cool US$100 million to Uber for investment
- Advanced microchip designed by NTU team gives ultra-high quality audio at less cost.
- NVIDIA issues voluntary recall of overheating NVIDIA Shield Tablets
- ASUS, EVGA release new X99 micro-ATX motherboards
- Turn your smartphone into an amazing 3D hologram
- Facebook hacks Nintendo to create new levels for Super Mario Maker
- Amazon gives developers and hobbyists access to Alexa


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The 'PokerAgent' Trojan targeted Zynga(TM) Poker, the most popular online poker site in the world. Zynga Poker hosts the Texas Hold'Em Poker App for Facebook.
According to APPData(TM), the game has more than 35 million active monthly users.
Specifically, the malware was designed to steal users' Facebook login details and link them with user information for the online poker game. ESET first began studying the Trojan in early 2012. However, thanks to proactive generic detection of this threat, ESET users were protected against the Trojan as early as December 2011.
Because 'PokerAgent' was most active in Israel, ESET contacted the Israeli CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) as well as the Israeli police in early 2012.
Because of the ongoing investigation, ESET was not able to publicly disclose any details about the threat. However, in addition to working with the Israeli CERT team, Facebook was also notified and took immediate preventive measures to protect their members and thwart future attacks on the hijacked accounts.
The attacker used the malware to gain access to the users' Facebook login credentials, their game scores, information on the number of credit cards stored in their Facebook settings, and their ability to buy more online credit. The game's functionality allowed credit card and PayPal® payment to be used to increase chip value. In cases where the user wasn't using a credit card, or had a low game score, the infected computer received instructions to infect the victim's Facebook profile with a link to a phishing site. That site then acted to directly, or indirectly, lure the player's friends to a website resembling the official Facebook homepage where, if they input their login credentials, the attacker harvested their information.
In order to gain login credentials, the attacker used a botnet army of 800 computers-all infected and controlled by the attacker using a command and control server.
One way to protect against a phishing attack is to pay attention to the page address or URL. "To protect against attacks relying on social engineering methods, having a good security solution is not enough, users should be attentive to any such ploys," said Robert Lipovsky, ESET security intelligence team lead. "The user could recognize the fake Facebook login page if they checked the site's URL."
ESET estimates that the 'PokerAgent' Trojan potentially gained access to a total of 16,194 login credentials and that, in addition to Texas Hold'Em Poker on Zynga Poker, other Facebook applications could have been similarly infected.
The number of threats utilizing Facebook is rapidly growing. More than 11.5 million Americans were victims of identity fraud in 2011, according to Javelin Strategy & Research. Social media is also a growing factor in the threat landscape with nearly five percent of Facebook users reporting some degree of identity theft.*
To counter this trend, ESET has introduced a security application ESET Social Media Scanner which is available free of charge and is capable of scanning the user's profile for the presence of malicious and phishing links. On top of that, the app can detect malicious links on the timeline of user's Facebook friends.
In addition, ESET offers cutting-edge ESET Cybersecurity Training to improve its customers' cyber self-defense skills with real-world cybercrime scenarios via animations and educational exercises.
For more on the PokerAgent malware visit the ESET ThreatBlog:
*Javelin Strategy & Research, "2011 Identity Fraud Survey Report: Identity Fraud Decreases - but Remaining Frauds Cost Consumers More Time & Money." February 22, 2012.
The ESET logo, and brand name are trademarks of ESET spol. s r.o. or ESET North America. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
ESET is on the forefront of security innovation, delivering trusted protection to make the Internet safer for businesses and consumers. IDC has recognized ESET as a top five corporate anti-malware vendor and one of the fastest growing companies in its category. Trusted by millions of users worldwide, ESET is one of the most recommended security solutions in the world. ESET NOD32 Antivirus consistently achieves the highest accolades in all types of comparative testing, and powers the virus and spyware detection in ESET Smart Security, ESET Cybersecurity for Mac, ESET Endpoint Security and ESET Endpoint Antivirus. ESET has global headquarters in Bratislava (Slovakia), with regional distribution centers in San Diego (U.S.), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Singapore; with offices in Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Prague (Czech Republic). ESET has malware research centers in Bratislava, San Diego, Buenos Aires, Singapore, Prague, Kosice (Slovakia), Krakow (Poland), Montreal (Canada), Moscow (Russia), and an extensive partner network for 180 countries. For more information, visit http://www.eset.com/us or call +1 (619) 876-5400.


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After a year in which Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s actions caused his board of directors to spring into action, four out of 11 directors will not stand for re-election when their terms are up. For a large cap company, that’s an unusually big group, though their departures will be staggered.
Their recent actions have included: finding someone to replace Mr. Musk as chairman; investigating an alleged physical altercation he had with an employee; responding to a civil fraud charge leveled against him by U.S. regulators; and finding out whether he was actually preparing to take Tesla private. And those are just the issues we know about.
Tesla’s board has faced criticism in the press and among critics for failing to rein in Mr. Musk. In at least one case, Mr. Musk reportedly has played hardball by threatening to quit the company in order to get a board discussion to go his way last year. Three of the departing directors have been on the board for about a decade and two of them are among Mr. Musk’s earliest financial backers, Antonio Gracias and Steve Jurvetson. Another, Linda Johnson Rice, is a former magazine publisher who joined the board two years ago. Mr. Jurvetson will officially leave next year. Mr. Gracias will leave next year or in 2021. The remaining directors include Mr. Musk’s brother Kimbal, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, and Fox CEO James Murdoch.
Tesla, in a regulatory filing, said the move is aimed at “streamlining of the size of the Board to allow it to operate more nimbly and efficiently, while maintaining new ideas, expertise and experiences on the Board.” OK then.


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Netflix exposed that its preliminary initiatives in pc gaming will certainly be concentrated on mobile video games which the video games will certainly be consisted of with individuals’ Netflix registrations, the firm introduced as component of its second-quarter profits record on Tuesday. The information comes simply days after the firm stated it worked with previous EA as well as Oculus officer Mike Verdu to direct its pc gaming job.
Here is specifically what Netflix stated regarding pc gaming, from its letter to financiers:
We’re likewise in the beginning of additional broadening right into video games, improving our earlier initiatives around interactivity (eg, Black Mirror Bandersnatch) as well as our Stranger Things video games. We sight pc gaming as an additional brand-new material classification for us, comparable to our development right into initial movies, computer animation as well as unscripted TELEVISION. Games will certainly be consisted of in participants’ Netflix membership at no extra expense comparable to movies as well as collection. Initially, we’ll be mostly concentrated on ready mobile phones. We’re thrilled as ever before regarding our films as well as TELEVISION collection offering as well as we anticipate a lengthy path of boosting financial investment as well as development throughout every one of our existing material classifications, however given that we are almost a years right into our press right into initial programs, we assume the moment is appropriate for more information regarding exactly how our participants worth video games.
There are still no information on what sorts of video games will really be offered, though Netflix lately expanded its TELEVISION manage Shonda Rhimes to consist of attribute movies as well as pc gaming material. There’s likewise no word on exactly how video games will certainly be provided to Netflix clients.
The firm has actually recognized in the past that it takes on ready time as well as focus, with co-CEO Reed Hastings creating that “we compete with (and lose to) Fortnite more than HBO” in 2019. COO Greg Peters talked about the firm’s rate of interest in video games in April (PDF) as component of its very first quarter profits. And the firm has actually currently dipped its toes right into pc gaming with experiences like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch as well as Carmen Sandiego.
But with the current hiring of Verdu as well as the brand-new info shared Tuesday regarding its preliminary strategies, currently it looks like Netflix is much more concentrated on video games than ever before.


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NEW YORK, NY – The king has a new home – and we’re not talking about LeBron James!
With Burger Wars a few weeks behind us – fast-food chains have had a chance to regroup and refocus. Five Guys Burgers and Fries walked away with the best burger – a shock to many. Burger King and The King may be feeling the loss the most – and they have made strides to rectify the problem for next year.
Burger King is under new leadership and they have their eye on the prize. 3G Capital has bought Burger King Holdings Inc, the No. 2 U.S. fast-food chain, for $24 per share, or about $3.26 billion. The investment firm is looking to catapult the fast-food chain to new heights, with the ultimate goal of winning best burger and top food in next year’s Zagat survey.
“There is no way that we should finish 4th and 5th in Best Burger and Top Food respectively,” said an executive from 3G Capital. “There is a reason that King is in Burger King and we’re going to prove that. We will make radical changes and the only place to go is to the top!”
Burger King has lagged behind larger rival McDonald’s Corp and other fast food chains as its key customer base takes a deeper hit from persistently high unemployment rates. Last week, the company forecast weak demand during its new fiscal year due to the U.S. economy’s slow pace and government austerity programs in several European countries.
“The king is back!,” proclaimed another executive. “We’re not talking about LeBron James. Our burgers and food and service will launch us to the top of the pyramid. We have big goals and big dreams and they will all be realized.”
Next year’s Burger Wars are shaping up to be a heavyweight battle. Stay Tuned.


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To mark the start of National Enterprise Week which runs from 16 to 23May, 2014, Bank of Ireland Business Banking today (Monday 12 May, 2014) launched the findings of a survey conducted by Ipsos MRBI among Irish SME’s which shows that 67% of SME business leaders are optimistic about the year ahead, with 82% reporting that their businesses have either stabilised or are in growth mode.
Over 43% of SMEs reported that they recruited new staff in the last 12 months, with 32% saying they will recruit more staff in 2014.
Other key findings of the Bank of Ireland survey include;
- 73% of respondents believe the Irish economy is stable or growing, and 67% believe employment and the Irish economy in general will improve in the year ahead
- 47% of SMEs said their one big ambition for the year ahead was business growth with 10% citing increased profits
- 22% of SMEs believe increased customer demand and 17% said expansion into new markets were the biggest opportunities available to them in the year ahead
- 72% of Irish SMEs use online media/technology to market their businesses, with 68% citing Facebook as a tool they use, making it the most popular ahead of search engine marketing (48%), LinkedIn (40%) and Twitter (30%)
- Compared to 12 months ago, 50% said regulation was a bigger challenge for their business, with 48% saying customer demand was a bigger challenge, followed by taxation at 47%, competition at 42%, access to finance at 37%, and availability of skills at 27%.
Speaking about the survey results and National Enterprise Week, Gerry Prizeman, Head of Enterprise Development at Bank of Ireland said: “It’s great to see optimism continue to grow amongst Irish SMEs, reflected in our survey results. The theme for this, our 10th National Enterprise week is ‘Enabling Enterprise’, and we at Bank of Ireland are keen to support Irish SMEs as they emerge from the challenges of the recent past and gear up for growth in the future. At Bank of Ireland, we are receiving over 1,000 credit applications every week, and approving 85% of them. We are providing over 50% of new (non-property) SME lending in the market. We are seeing strong demand for credit from SMEs and we expect that demand to continue to increase as the economy improves.
“During National Enterprise Week, over 1200 businesses will display their products and services across our 270 branches. We will host some 200 events including Networking and Credit clinics over the week, giving advice in relation to accessing credit for micro and small businesses, the Agri sector and trading overseas. We want to be at the forefront in enabling enterprise throughout the country from providing credit to support working capital requirements and business growth to other activities that will help businesses progress. We want to be the enterprise bank for business customers.
“We are supporting SME’s in the technology sector through our sponsorship of the FinTech programme of NDRC (National Digital Research Centre) and will shortly be announcing our involvement in a new Bank of Ireland Accelerator programme. We are also supporting SME’s looking to use social media to engage with and broaden their customer base. To date over 500 SMEs have registered to participate in our Twitter partnership, which allows SMEs to access advice and tutorials online as well as offering them opportunities to win twitter credits. We recently announced a world first partnership with Facebook for SMEs to access support and guidance on using the world’s leading social media site to engage their customers.”
National Enterprise Week comprises a number of events and activities to include:-
- Show your business: It is about facilitating businesses to showcase their wares to the public in our branches – in the hope that they will sell more products, make new contacts and also to provide networking opportunities with other businesses that are facing similar challenges. This will take place across our branch network.
- Speed Networking, Clinics &Mart visits: These provide entrepreneurs and business owners with the opportunity to have access to high level networking events and credit clinics which we have been running throughout the country, bringing SMEs through the information and detail required to support their request for credit/lending facilities. We will also be attending local marts across the country to meet with the agri community in their place of work.
- “Economics and Enterprise” Breakfasts: We are hosting a number of breakfast networking events across the country featuring local entrepreneurs as well as the Bank of Ireland’s new chief Economist Dr Loretta O’Sullivan. These events will allow business owners to understand how global and domestic economics can impact on their local markets and understand how local entrepreneurs are harnessing the recovery in the Irish economy.
- Social media clinics: We will also be hosting a number of social media clinics across the country featuring speakers from Facebook, Twitter as well as Social Media expert Aileen O’Toole. This will be a great opportunity for business owners to understand and develop a social media strategy for their business.
- Agri and Food Conference – 2020 Vision: In the run up to National Enterprise Week, a major Agri and Food Conference was held at Corrin Mart, Rathcormac, Fermoy, attended by over 600 customers and non-customers from across the Agri sector. The speakers included Richie Boucher, CEO – Bank of Ireland, Jack Kennedy Dairy Editor of Irish Farmers Journal, Valerie Kingston, owner Glenilen Farm and Jim Woulfe CEO of Dairygold who spoke on the prospects for the sector over the coming years.


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Amazon is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on bonuses for Christmas staff after sales at the online giant soared during the pandemic.
Full-time warehouse workers in the UK and the US will receive £300 or $300, with £150 or $150 for part-time staff.
The money, $500m in total, will go to staff working between 1-31 December.
The firm, run by Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, praised staff for “serving customers’ essential needs” during the pandemic.
In a blog post, Dave Clark, senior vice president of Amazon Worldwide Operations, wrote: “I’m grateful to our teams who continue to play a vital role serving their communities.
“As we head into the peak of the holiday season, we want to share our appreciation through another special recognition bonus, totalling more than $500 million for our front-line employees.”
The firm has come under intense scrutiny for working practices in its warehouses during the coronavirus pandemic.
Labour activists in the US, for example, recently called on big retailers like Amazon and Walmart to do more to protect workers as surging Covid-19 cases coincide with the holiday shopping rush.
They are calling for hazard pay, paid sick leave and better communication about outbreaks.
Amazon workers have raised concerns about their health and working conditions in Europe as well as in the US, claiming it is almost impossible to practice social distancing.
Black Friday protests
Earlier this year, Amazon was forced to shut down several warehouses in France in an ongoing row over conditions.
The company has previously said that its guidelines are adequate and that it provides employees with face masks.
However, the company said in a statement that it “provides some of the most advanced workplaces of their kind in the world, with industry-leading pay, processes and systems to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all employees”.
Amazon said it had introduced additional cleaning and other safety measures to increase protection, and in the UK had started a pilot scheme offering voluntary Covid testing for employees.
The retail giant has been one of the retail winners during coronavirus lockdowns as online deliveries skyrocketed when High Street shops closed.
Sales will also be boosted during the Black Friday bonanza, although a coalition of trade unions, environmentalists and other activists have urged consumers to boycott the firm.
Protests are being planned in several countries, and in Germany, the trade union Verdi has organised three-day strikes at Amazon warehouses,
Sales at the internet giant shot to $96.1bn in the three months to 30 September – up 37% from the same period in 2019. And profits hit a record $6.3bn, nearly three times last year’s total.
But that level of growth has not come without additional costs. Amazon said it had $2.5bn in Covid-related expenses.
In the UK it has also had to create thousands of jobs, as well as 20,000 seasonal posts, in a bid to keep up with shoppers.


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Srinagar Admin launches drive against milk adulteration
27 samples lifted for analytical purpose
SRINAGAR: On the directions of the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, the District Administration Sringar today launched a special drive to check quality of milk in different areas of the district.
The drive was conducted by the team of Food Safety Officers under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner Food Safety Srinagar, Hilal Ahmad.
During the drive, 27 samples were lifted for analytical purpose to check the quality and standard of the milk being supplied to the consumers. Besides several quintals of substandard milk was destroyed on the spot.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner has directed enforcement officers to keep strict vigil on the quality of milk and other food articles and take stern action against violators.
Moreover, the milk vendors were directed to ferry and store milk only in food grade containers and maintain high standard of hygiene otherwise action under rules shall be initiated against them.
Kashmir Images is an English language daily newspaper published from Srinagar (J&K), India. The newspaper is one of the largest circulated English dailies of Kashmir and its hard copies reach every nook and corner of Kashmir Valley besides Jammu and Ladakh region.


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KIDDERMINSTER’S market is offering five stalls free of charge as part of the national Love Your Local Market campaign.
LSD Promotions Ltd will be giving five Kidderminster businesses the chance to run a market stall for free on Thursday, May 23 or Thursday, May 30.
The free package includes insurance, a stall and a counter.
Kidderminster street market is one of 667 UK markets participating in the national campaign led by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) and backed by central Government.
Aug 17, 2018 0Street Feast food market concept gains added scale with new opening
Aug 15, 2018 0London’s New Covent Garden Market (NCGM) is pushing on with its bold venture to turn the historic wholesale market into the capital’s dominant food hub, as well as an incubator for up-and-coming food makers, creators and thinkers from the UK and beyond.


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The recently refurbished, 106-bedroom property is currently owned by asset management and property development firm the London and Devonshire Trust.
It will be the first Welsh venue for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts since the 2006 sale of the former Macdonald Holland House Hotel, now the Mercure Cardiff Holland House and Spa, in the Welsh capital.
Chris Gillett, managing director of Macdonald Hotels Management Services Ltd, confirmed there were no plans at present to incorporate the Macdonald brand into the Swansea venue.
"The Dragon Hotel is a modern, extensively refurbished city centre based hotel with appeal to the corporate, conference and leisure markets," said Gillett.
The hotel, which features four meeting and conference spaces as well as health and leisure facilities, is expected to develop its business guest offer under the new management deal. It was recently refurbished at a cost of £3.5m.
"This management agreement enables us to re-establish our presence in the Welsh market and to add real value to the hotel’s business – and in particular its corporate market," added Gillett.
"Macdonald Hotels & Resorts now looks forward to working with the management team of The Dragon Hotel to further enhance its market appeal and profitability in the months ahead," he added.
The West Lothian-based firm, founded in 1990, now operates 45 owned and managed hotels across the UK and Europe and ten resorts.
Its managed venues benefit from merged distribution channels, joint sales and marketing support and cost savings by working as a group.
The group, which earlier this month reported pre-tax profits of £1.9m for the year ending 29 March 2012, has recently invested significantly in its F&B offering including teaming up with Alan Murchison's 10 in 8 fine dining group and chef Jeremy Wares.
The Dragon Brasserie at the Swansea Macdonald Hotels & Resorts venue is one of a number of food and beverage options at the hotel and has been recognised with an AA Rosette.


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5th Color & Chem Expo: Organizers Urge Govt Zero Taxes For Dyes, Leather Imports
LAHORE– Organizers of the 5th Color & Chem Sunday urged the federal government to also allow zero tax for raw materials of dyes and leather used in one of leading textile sector of Pakistan as it is slowing exports.
They made this appeal while talking to media persons on the concluding day of the exhibition organized by the Event and Conference International with the support of Punjab Dyestuffs & Chemicals Manufacturing Association (PDCMA), Asia Dyestuff Industry Federation (ADIF), China Dyestuff Industry Association and Rainbow Dye-Tech Pvt. Ltd. here at Expo Centre.
The two-day exhibition participated well by the exhibitors concluded on Sunday. Thousands of traders visited the expo each day.
Over 200 companies from China, India, Germany, Turkey, Thailand, Taiwan and other countries participated in this mega event and expressed their satisfaction on response of visitors.
Talking to media persons, organizer Director Event and Conference International Rashid-ul-Haq termed exhibition as a big boost for Pakistani industry saying it is the best platform both for the manufactures and buyers. A number of companies from China and Thailand are eager to start joint ventures with Pakistani partners and we are working to materlize it, he added.
Patron-in-Chief Punjab Dyestuff & Chemicals Manufacturers Association Abdul Rahim Chughtai lauded government for ending non-filers and urged zero tax rates for raw materials of dyes and leather. There is about 40 percent overall taxes on these imports resulting halt in exports, he maintained.
We also request government to suspend SRO 11223. State Bank of Pakistan should also come out to control dollar otherwise investors will flee from Pakistan, he added.
Chairman China Dyestuff Industry Association Mr. Tian told media person that China is the largest exporter of dyes and chemicals. We exported 1.3 million tons raw materials last year and Pakistan was the top third country with 19700 ton imports from China, he told.
“Pakistan is heading to manufacture dyes, which is a good sign and they can be self sufficient in producing it. I have visited Pakistan twice and overwhelmed by the hospitality and response of Pakistanis here. We will try our best to boost these business relations between the two countries”, he concluded.
Earlier on Saturday night, a dinner was hosted in honour of exhibitors by organizers, during which exhibitors were presented with mementos.— PRESS RELEASE


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In a significant move aimed at enhancing travel convenience and revitalizing tourism, the Philippines is gearing up to introduce its much-anticipated e-Visa system on August 24, 2023, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced recently.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jesus Domingo said the e-Visa allows foreigners to apply entirely online for appropriate Philippine visas. “This will make the visa application process easier, faster, more efficient, and convenient for foreign nationals,” he said.
This innovative digital platform will revolutionize how travelers apply for entry authorization, marking a step forward in the nation's efforts to embrace online services and cater to modern travelers' needs.
Who can apply for the Philippines e-Visa?
Multiple nationalities can apply for entry authorization through the new e-Visa system, although the exact list of countries is yet to be announced.
Implementing the e-Visa system will be expected to facilitate smoother entry procedures for travelers from the top countries generating inbound tourism, like South Korea, Japan, China, and Australia.
Benefits of the new Philippines e-Visa system for travelers
The addition of an e-Visa to the Philippines' visa policy is set to streamline entry processes and give a boost to the nation's vital tourism sector.
Affairs Undersecretary Jesus Domingo highlighted that the e-Visa system would speed up and simplify the visa application procedure for foreigners planning trips to the Philippines, whether for tourism or business purposes.
Jaime FlorCruz, the Philippine Ambassador to China, envisions that this new approach will especially attract more Chinese tourists. Before the pandemic, China stood as the second-largest contributor of tourists to the Philippines, just behind South Korea.
However, even though 1.7 million Chinese tourists explored the Philippines in 2019, their numbers have not yet reached the same level.
Overall, the Philippine e-Visa System offers a range of benefits that enhance the experience for both travelers and the country's tourism industry.
How to apply online for the Philippines e-Visa
The innovative e-Visa system introduced by the Philippines will transform how tourists and business visitors apply for visas.
In just a few straightforward steps, applicants can fill out their details online, pay the visa fees, and submit their application. Their e-Visas will be promptly delivered by email.
The Philippines Visa fee is currently US$37, and the Philippines eVisa fee is expected to cost around the same, and is paid securely online.
Our 100% online process offers added advantages, such as a careful review by an expert, a simple application form, and a secured platform to keep your personal data safe. Download our user-friendly iVisa app and apply for your Philippines e-Visa without issues.
Transforming the Philippines travel industry
As the Philippines prepares to launch its e-Visa system, it positions itself at the forefront of digitizing travel processes to meet the demands of the contemporary globetrotter.
Eligible travelers currently only qualify for a Philippines eArrival Card and a Philippines Electronic Travel Authorization online.
December to February is generally considered the best time to visit the Philippines due to the favorable weather conditions. With the imminent launch of the e-Visa system, this peak travel season could become even more attractive to tourists who are now more likely to benefit from a hassle-free entry process.


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There’s little doubt that today’s slot floors are dominated by video slot machines, a product whose inherent technology allows it to be constantly innovative and fresh, qualities that appeal to a large segment of slot playing public. But it really wasn’t all that long ago that the casino floor was ruled by a different type of gaming machine—the mechanical reel slot.
For years, these mechanical or stepper reel slot machines were thought to be in a state of decline, passed over by the majority of slot gamers who were looking for the next big thing in video play. Sure, mechanical reel slots where still in the game mix at most casinos, but few in number and relegated to the backwater area of the gaming floor for older customers who were still loyal to the concept and willing to seek the games out.
Lately, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in traditional reel-style slot machine products, thanks in large part to these older customers who still religiously play the games, and a growing subset of younger players who eschew the increasingly complex game mechanics of video slots for the less antic and easier to follow thrill of spinning reels. Manufacturers, in turn, are stepping up to the plate to meet the needs and demands of traditional-style slot players, while also incorporating new technologies and enhanced aesthetic features.
“I would say the competition within this space is the largest I have seen it,” said Loren Nelson, vice president game development and executive producer for Multimedia Games, which is part of Everi Holdings. “The reel slot populates less than half of the casino floors. In the late 1980s when I started in the industry, basically 100 percent of the casino floors were basic three reel slots with a handful of manufactures. These days there are at least twice as many manufactures producing reel slots competing for a smaller footprint.”
While the resurgence is apparent, some manufacturers aren’t so sure that the traditional reel slot market is actually on the rise. “I wouldn’t say it’s growing,” Nelson said. “I would say it’s a space that had been neglected for a long time, and over the last decade there has been lots of effort to enhance the player experience of the reel slot machine. Traditional reel slots are inherently more volatile since you couldn’t win less than your bet. Evolution has added more lines to tone down the volatility but they still remain the highest volatility games on the floor. We embrace that aspect and try to stay true to the core audience.”
Who’s demanding more from, and of these games? Manufacturers say it is the older generations who have appreciated them in the past, who not only enjoy them but need the bright cabinets and easy to read and understand reels in order to be able to play. But they’re not the only ones; every generation can appreciate the traditional experience, especially the less-frequent casino-goer who still craves that familiarity.
“I think there is a customer base that still likes the simpler, easier to understand games,” said Nelson. “They can easily validate if the machine paid them correctly. If three like symbols line up on the center line they get paid. With the video games having so many lines—20, 40 or more—the player just has to trust that the machine is paying them correctly.”
“I think that they’re attractive to different people for different reasons, said Jay Sevigny, president of Video Gaming Technologies (VGT), which is part of Aristocrat Technologies. “For some people there is a certain amount of simplicity to a stepper game. Where they can understand why they won and how the won, and its pleasant to play because many of them are quite straightforward.”
This traditional reel slot sentiment is echoed by other gaming machine manufacturers. “The players that are playing these types of games are just looking for a simple experience… they’re not looking for an over-complication,” said Allon Englman, senior vice president and chief designer, line officer for Scientific Games. “They’re looking for a fast, simple gambling experience so it’s very important that when you make these types of games, that you’re doing that.”
Designers and manufacturers continue to keep the traditional reel slot experience alive, valuing and sustaining the simplicity of reel slots, while also technologically refining them to keep up with a developing market… and to better compete with video slot formats.
“Reel slots have evolved in a couple of important ways. One is that the math behind the games has become very developed in terms of the kinds of personality that the games have,” said Sevigny. “If you go back to the early mechanical reels, they were very limited by essentially the number of reel steps. They’re effectively computers now with enormously large pay table cycles. So they’re capable of a great variety of jackpots and personalities to enhance the player experience.”
The big thing that stands out to Nelson in terms of evolution is the integration of new technology within the reel slot. “This integration has allowed manufactures to enhance the player experience from an entertainment standpoint [and] a payout prospective. All of the wins from an old reel slot machine would come from line wins, these days a big percentage of the wins/payouts are coming from bonus games.”
According to Englman, the three-reel mechanical and the five-reel mechanical experiences are different, attract a different audience and therefore have evolved differently. “The three-reel games attract the crowd looking for a simple experience, the five-reel games are usually slightly more complicated and probably have some jackpot features attached to them and they too attract a different audience,” he said. “They’ve all evolved in different ways. I would say on the three reels it’s pretty stagnant on the types of games that they’re doing. As manufacturers, we’ve definitely added things like lighting, video screens, video wheels, so there’s been a lot of top box innovation, but the games have stayed kind of the same. For the five reels, there’s been a lot of development by manufacturers to add a lot of lighting and in-depth sounds, anticipation spins and things that kind of take the experience to the next level.”
Whatever the future holds for traditional reel slot machines in terms of overall popularity, it is clear that there is still a taste for games and manufacturers will continue to develop accordingly.
“Player preferences will really dictate where the spinning reel market goes next,” explained Victor Duarte, chief global product officer, gaming for International Game Technology (IGT). “For years, there was a hesitation to innovate in this segment for fear of losing the interest of the genre purists. We’ve observed, however, that innovation in the reel game segment is welcomed. More player interactivity during game play, progressive technology and operator flexibility are all natural next steps in the evolution of the mechanical reel player experience.”
Indeed, the general understanding is that there is most definitely still a market for reel slots, although some, such as Englman, believe the games themselves will remain fairly static in concept. “Static meaning, three reel games are simple,” he said. “We can change the hardware, but the core gaming experience is going to stay the same. I think what you’ll see in the next couple of years are the additions of new technology where the games are very simple, but the peripherals things like wheels and screens keep getting more enhanced, better, brighter and standing out on the floor more.”
Here is a look at the latest and most noteworthy traditional reel slot developments from some of the leading gaming machine manufacturers:
INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY (IGT)
Reel games have long-played an integral role in IGT’s product portfolio, according to Duarte. The most recent development in the reel segment is the introduction of the S3000 cabinet, but IGT’s roots in the spinning reel segment go back decades to the S+ and the S2000 cabinets, which inspired the S300. Many of the games on the S3000 are actually legacy titles, introduced previously on the S2000 15 to 20 years ago.
Launched at G2E 2014, IGT’s S3000 cabinet is redefining both player and operator expectations of the spinning reel slot experience. “Over the last 11 months, we have placed thousands of S3000 cabinets in gaming markets around the world and performance has been strong across the board,” said Duarte. “When we introduced it at G2E in 2014, I think IGT surprised many people in the industry—there had been such a keen, industry-wide focus on video slot innovation in recent years that spinning reel slots had not evolved much in the last decade. When we created the S3000 we were confident however that we developed a cabinet that would appeal to spinning-reel genre purists when coupled with specific game content, and also appeal to video slots enthusiasts who are open to trying varied gaming experiences. That vision has proven to be successful, with strong global cabinet sales and performance.”
Popular titles on the cabinet include Triple Double Diamond, Triple Gold, Triple Red Hot 7’s Free Games, Gold Bar 7’s and Triple Strike.
Part of IGT’s mechanical reel strategy moving forward is to leverage their proven legacy titles on the S3000 while also innovating and creating new and unique experiences for players, said Duarte.
IGT also incorporates reel mechanics into numerous other games, including many variations of the popular Wheel of Fortune theme, Megabucks, recently introduced Hot Roulette series and others.
It’s impossible to talk about mechanical reel slots without mentioning the impact of Bally’s legendaryBlazing 7s franchise.
“When most people think about mechanical slots they think about the Blazing 7’s brand, it’s very powerful,” said Englman. “Specifically, Blazing 7’s on Bally’s Pro Stepper and Blazing 7’s on the Curve cabinets.”
With a sleek and modern look, the ALPHA 2 Pro Series Stepper platform is the rightful heir to Bally’s long line of spinning-reel products. The ALPHA 2 Pro Stepper shares all of the significant improvements that make Bally’s family of ALPHA 2 products one of the industry standards. These include a state-of-art dual-core processor, accelerated graphics, expanded memory and iDeck touch-enabled video button deck.
A key product on the WMS side of Scientific Games in this category is the BLADE Stepper cabinet with its two latest and games being Triple Golden Cherriesand Diamonds of Dublin.
According to press materials, the cabinet was inspired by their best mechanical games. This new platform has all of the character and features that stepper players seek. The BLADE Stepper themes are offered in both high and low denominations and provide a pure gambling experience centered on winning jackpots. Easy-to-understand one to five pay-line games, familiar reel symbols and exciting new bonus games resonate with gambler slot players.
VIDEO GAMING TECHNOLOGIES (VGT)
Forming a strategic acquisition with Aristocrat Leisure Limited last year, VGT is a leading provider of predominately Class II gaming machines for the leased tribal gaming market in North America. VGT has the largest Class II platform of installed gaming machines in North America and manufactures both mechanical and video Class II gaming machines
Available in VGT’s revolutionary C6 narrow cabinet as well as a sit-down, slant top cabinet, the VGT mechanical game terminal is available in dozens of popular game faces. With proven game characters and reliable components, the mechanical game terminal combines features of the Live-Call Bingo platform with some of the most appealing paytables in the Class II marketplace.
The latest from VGT is their first ever Wide Area Progressive (WAP) game, Mr. Money Bags Easy Money Jackpot progressive, which has a life-changing jackpot of $250,000. Easy Money Jackpot is a 3-reel mechanical WAP and appears on top of eight player favorite VGT game titles: 777 Bourbon Street, Crazy Cherry, Hot Red Ruby, King of Coin, Lucky Ducky, Mr. Money Bags, Reel Fever and Smooth as Silk.
“Looking forward we’re very committed to the stepper product, that’s really what brought us to the dance,” said Sevigny. “However now that we’ve joined Aristocrat…we are looking to grow and continue our success with steppers and also take what we’ve learned about player experience and translate those into video as well.”
Everi’s Multimedia Games also recognized the significance and importance of simplicity in today’s reel games. To rise above competition, Multimedia now devotes 20 percent of their game releases to reel products; an increase from previous years as they observed other manufacturers dedicating fewer resources to the product, according to Allison Pope, Multimedia’s vice president of game development & executive producer.
“We have typically respected the player who appreciates the simplicity of reel slot products by providing minimal distraction from the game,” Pope said. “Some small innovations we’ve included have been designed to help celebrate large wins and emphasize features, like our integrated lighting on Skyline cabinets. The lights can animate and change color based on events in the game.”
Multimedia Game’s latest popular reel products include nine-line games; Wild Wild Gems for the Player Series, Double Jackpot Gems for the Skyline cabinet with a five-tier progressive and Black Diamond with a unique betting structure and 27 coin max bet.
Wild Wild Gems is full of timeless BAR and 7 symbols. According to press materials, the 2X Wild Rubies Symbols will serve up glittering rewards and are wild and substitute for seven and bar symbols to complete winning combinations. One 2X Rubies symbol landing on a winning pay line multiplies the line award by 2X. Two 2X Rubies symbols on a winning pay line will multiply the line award by 4X, and three of them will award the top jackpot of 10,000 credits.
Double Jackpot Gems’ winnings kick off when one or two Diamond symbols land in a winning combination with 7s or bars, with two Diamond symbols landing awarding 4x the prize value. The game also features a five-tier progressive, players can win the top progressive tier when three diamonds land on pay line nine while playing at max bet.
In Black Diamond, when two or more multipliers land on a pay line, they multiply together and multiply the winnings combination, up to a 30x multiplier is possible. It doesn’t stop there, at max bet, three Black Diamond symbols on pay lines one through eight awards the second tier jackpot, while three Black Diamond symbols on pay line nine award the top jackpot.
Konami also offers traditional style mechanical reel games on their Advantage 3, Advantage 5 and Dynamic 5 stepper cabinets.
According the company website, although traditional, the Advantage 3 is not your average slot, featuring multicolor backlit reels, one-of-a-kind lighting effects and a 19-inch LCD touch screen. The multi-color backlit reels display up to 256 colors to create one-of-a-kind lighting effects along with a clearly-lit belly-plex that is illuminated with a rotating color display. A mirrored row of lights in the top box adds a dimensional lighting attract feature, while a unique LCD fourth reel is used for bonuses or to display game information.
According to company press materials, Konami has the industry’s first full-size backlit mechanical five-reel machine. This five-stepper offers big fun with a multicolor LED behind the reels, a large VFD for displaying game information, a clear belly-plex with rotating color display, forward and reverse spin player options and more. Advantage 5’s combo of the latest technology with innovative play will make players want to give everyone a high five.


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TrickleStar opens at S$0.265 on Catalist debut; up from S$0.26 IPO price
CATALIST-LISTED TrickleStar opened at S$0.265 on its trading debut on Tuesday, up 1.9 per cent from its initial public offering (IPO) price of S$0.26.
As at 10.05am on Tuesday, the counter was trading at S$0.265.
With a market capitalisation of about S$21.3 million, TrickleStar’s listing brings the total companies listed on the Catalist board to 218, with a combined market capitalisation of about S$10 billion.
The IPO, which does not have a public tranche, planned to raise net proceeds of S$2.4 million through the placement of 15 million new shares. Out of the proceeds, S$0.4 million will be used to scale and establish new sales channels. Some S$1 million has been earmarked for product development and acquisitions. Another S$1 million is for general working capital. Listing expenses is expected to cost S$1.5 million.
TrickleStar executive chairman and chief executive Bernard Emby said the IPO would enable the firm to access capital for our next growth phases, as it looks to increase market share, develop new markets and products, and deliver value to shareholders.
"With growing awareness about energy efficiency and the expansion of state-funded energy efficiency programmes in the US, we put our expertise into developing cutting-edge energy-saving products and the building of strong customer and supplier relationships, bringing TrickleStar to where it is today," he added.
TrickleStar is in the business of designing and supplying energy-saving products. Its portfolio of energy saving products includes advanced powerstrips, load controllers, energy meters, energy monitors and surge protectors.
Mohamed Nasser Ismail, Singapore Exchange's (SGX) head of equity capital markets, added: "As consumer awareness on carbon footprint grows, energy saving products in homes and workplaces are gaining popularity. With the growing level of environmental awareness, SGX looks forward to supporting TrickleStar as it continues to develop next generation energy-saving products."


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Dex Media acquires YP Holdings to expand its SMB marketing automation platform
New company, to be called DexYP, will combine local marketing automation software with print, offline products.
Dex Media has announced its acquisition of YP holdings in a deal that brings together two rival marketing companies that focus on the local and small business space.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Wall Street Journal reported before the announcement that Dex is spending $600 million. The new company will be called DexYP.
Best known as a phone book publisher and online local search portal, Dex Media also offers a digital marketing automation platform for small and local businesses called Thryv (formerly DexHub). Today’s announcement describes the platform this way:
Thryv lets local businesses automate business functions they performed manually in the past, or never performed. These include building a digital customer list, communicating with customers via email and text, updating business listings across the internet, accepting appointments, sending notifications and reminders, managing ratings and reviews, generating estimates and invoices, processing payments, and issuing invoices and coupons. Thryv includes a mobile responsive and adaptive website and integrates with many popular online applications so customers can continue to use their favorite tools through their Thryv application.
DexYP CEO Joe Walsh says the acquisition of YP Holdings will help Dex expand its presence across the US. “We already have nearly 30,000 customers using this powerful software, modernizing the way they do business, and with our thousands of sales reps nationwide, we can now deliver this capability to businesses everywhere,” he said.
The new DexYP.com website offers a brief Q&A about the acquisition, which includes the news that the YP.com website local search directory “will remain a great online resource for clients and consumers in the marketplace.”
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


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Information appliances that require small database engines, such as handheld PCs and Palm Pilots, are the target of a new device from Centura. It has developed an SQL smart card, which will allow developers to read and write to SQL databases on smart cards using the same read, write and insert commands used to manage the database.
- Avanade wraps up BOQ Dynamics 365 deployment in five weeks
- Insentra brings security vendor Torsion to A/NZ
- Amazon's war on Microsoft's $10B Pentagon cloud deal heats up
- Merger sees Ribbon Comms and ECI Telecoms eye 5G market
- More News


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A new transportation service is ready to hit Huntington Village’s streets this August.
Qwik Ride plans to roll out a free shuttle service across downtown Huntington, offering visitors who park further away a ride to or between area restaurants, bars and stores with a simple click of an app or flagging down a ride.
“This transportation could be used in suburban areas where you have to find your parking spot, and you don’t want to leave it,” said Daniel Cantelmo, co-founder of Qwik Ride. “Where parking is so tough, people have turned around and left.”
Cantelmo said he and his fellow co-founder John Yancigay first came up with the business concept while on a trip to Nashville, Tennessee.
“This transportation could be used in suburban areas where you have to find your parking spot, and you don’t want to leave it.”
– Daniel Cantelmo
“We saw this free shuttle service that would take you anywhere in Nashville,” he said. “We thought it was pretty cool.”
This May, Cantelmo said they launched the service in his hometown of Patchogue using modified six-passenger golf carts to shuttle customers from the waterfront restaurants and bars to downtown businesses. The electric-powered vehicles are enclosed with a full set of doors, have heat and can continue to run through inclement weather — except for snow, according to Cantelmo. He said Qwik Ride has provided more than 700 free lifts to Patchogue passengers this month as of July 13, and he expects that number to continue to grow.
“We’ve had a lot of success in Patchogue,” Cantelmo said. “We know Huntington is going to follow suit. Huntington is a little more condensed.”
He sees the free shuttles as a potential solution to what he called a “twofold” parking problem in Huntington. First, area business employees come into work early and take up front-row or prime parking spots in the village throughout their eight-hour shifts, according to Cantelmo. Second, there are plenty of parking lots on the outskirts of town that are underutilized because they require a long walk.
“Uber is helping that situation, but we are taking it one step further,” he said.
The two co-founders reached out to Huntington Chamber of Commerce and Huntington Business Improvement District to invite business owners down to The Paramount to talk about the new service they would be launching with two vehicles, adding up to three more with time for a total of five shuttles.
“It sounds like a great idea to free up some parking in town,” Ellen O’Brien, executive director of Huntington’s chamber said. “It’s innovative, it’s free, it’s cutting edge and it will free up parking spaces.”
“It sounds like a great idea to free up some parking in town.”
– Ellen O’Brien
The Paramount in Huntington is one business that was already on board with asking its employees to park further out to free up spots for customers. Adam Ellis, the theater’s director of marketing, said Paramount staff has been utilizing Huntington Town Hall’s lot for the last year and a half to use a shuttle bus to get back and forth to work.
“We hope the Qwik Ride program will help other businesses in town to offer their staff alternative transportation to their job while parking further from town to open up more spaces for guests as a way to improve parking in town,” Ellis said.
The free shuttles are paid for by advertising, according to Cantelmo, as local businesses are invited to buy space on the outside of each vehicle. He hopes these same businesses will commit to getting employees involved in parking in distant lots and hailing a Qwik Ride.
“Everyone has truly got to be on board,” Cantelmo said. “If The Paramount is on board but Honu [Kitchen & Cocktails] isn’t, then all it will do is open up more parking for Honu. The community has to work together, and everyone has to be on board. Then it will benefit everybody.”


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After months of speculation and leaks, the Samsung Galaxy Note9 has finally been unveiled in NY! Not that it was much of a surprise since literally everything there was to know about the phone had leaked in the months leading up to yesterday's event, but the Galaxy Note 9 is without question one of the hottest smartphones in the world right now.
With a massive 4,000mAh battery, the Galaxy Note 9 supports both Samsung's Fast Wireless Charging and Adaptive Fast Charging tech and lasts about a day and a half on a single charge. The 42mm comes in rose gold and black, and the larger 46mm model is silver.
As an exclusive to Samsung, the game will not be available through the Google Play store, but will be available on other Samsung devices through the Galaxy game launcher.
The circular Samsung Galaxy Watch is getting closer to looking like a real watch that we don't want to take off for special occasions.
In the USA, the Galaxy Watch price starts at $329 for the 42mm version and is back to $349.99 for the 46mm version. It features slightly smaller overall dimensions, so it fits a bit better in the hand.
OpenAI Five Dota 2 Bots Beat Top Human Players
This is not the first time bots engineered by OpenAI managed to defeat human players in the immensely popular MOBA game. After the game 2 draft, OpenAI Five predicted a 76.2% win probability, and won the second in 24 minutes and 53 seconds.
Just about everything you could possibly want to know about the Galaxy Note9 has already leaked out, but there's still the official launch event to look forward to later today in NY.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is dust- and water-resistant with a diving rating of 5ATM and a rating of IP68. There's also a stress management tracker, breathing exercises for wellness, an well as a "new advanced" sleep tracker. It'll also go up against the new iPhones, typically unveiled in September. Pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 9 will begin on August 10th, with the device slated to start shipping and become available at major retailers on August 24th. The Note 9 is created to encourage adoption of the feature by allowing users to connect the phone to a monitor via an HDMI cable, bypassing the need to buy a separate docking station.
Samsung launched the Note 9 at 11 a.m.in NY on Thursday, or Friday midnight in Seoul. It'll cost you $1,000 if you want the base model, but the upgraded one is even more wildly expensive. This is likely due to the extra grunt needed to maintain a mobile connection.
Abby Huntsman to depart Fox for ABC's 'The View'
Fox News confirmed to The Hill that this Saturday and Sunday will be Huntsman's final weekend co-hosting "Fox & Friends Weekend". She's married and has one daughter. "I'm honored to go down with this brand sitting behind me every day".
Rare "Firenado" Erupts As Firefighters Battle Factory Blaze
While fighting a massive blaze on Tuesday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue in England caught video of what it dubbed a "firenado". The fire "completely gutted" the outside storage unit where the fire started, destroying more than 600,000 trays.
Melania Trump's parents are now US citizens
Their son-in-law has frequently attacked U.S. immigration laws, calling them the "dumbest laws on immigration in the world". Green cards can also be obtained through employment, receiving asylum or refugee status, or in other special circumstances.


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The two agencies joined forces to research moods and engagement with digital out-of-home media in shopping centers.
The project aimed to provide both outdoor media agencies a better understanding of consumer behaviour and interaction with out-of-home media and more accountability for advertisers.
The study found that while animated campaigns worked better than static copy, full video or overly-elaborate animation had little impact.
It also found that even during busy periods on weekdays average contact duration was well above the Postar definition of conscious engagement.
Contact duration was extended during weekends as consumers have more attention to adverts.
Younger audiences were also found to look at the advertising for longer, while older audiences were more expressive.
Women were found to be happier than men in the shopping environment, but men were more engaged by animated campaigns.
Nick Mawditt, global director of insight and marketing at Kinetic Worldwide, says: “The research demonstrates the strong level of consumer engagement for digital out-of-home in malls and tells us what types of ads work best and at what times. The mood data is a real bonus and those advertisers clever enough to target by the mood and mindset of the consumer can really benefit.”
Pip Hainsworth, marketing director at Clear Channel Outdoor UK, adds: “Advertisers in the mall environment not only benefit from their proximity to the point of purchase but also from the general happiness of consumers, and their predisposed receptiveness to commercial messages. This research provides proof, not only that digital out-of-home works in attracting attention, but also in keeping consumers engaged.”
The project used face-tracking technology to track eye and face contact with advertising displayed at a Westfield shopping centre.
Yesterday, Clear Channel reported a loss of $47.8m (£32.1m) for the three months ending 31 March, a much smaller decline than the $87.9m (£58.9m) loss in the same quarter the previous year. Revenue rose 5% to $608.8m (£408.2m) from $582.2m (£390.5m).


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Die-cast and radio-control toy manufacturer Maisto roared into the full-size vehicle market on Wednesday, announcing that it has agreed to acquire the HUMMER division of General Motors Corporation, one of the sector’s top players.
Financial terms were not released. But Dewey Cheatem, the senior director of mergers and acquisitions at Maisto, said in an interview with CFN News that the Fontana, Calif.-based company has agreed to pay all cash for HUMMER, and expects the deal to close this week.
Privately held Maisto is making the leap from manufacturing a wide variety of HUMMER toys and models to the real thing. “It’s really very simple,” said chief designer George Tirebiter, “we already have HUMMER tooling in 1:14, 1:16 and other scales — all we need to do is scale them up to 1:1 size and we’ll have the most powerful and lightest weight SUVs on the planet.” He is confident that Maisto will be able to build the HUMMER H3T, for example, at only a fraction of the weight and cost of the current ones. The 1:16 Maisto R/C toy weighs about two pounds so multiplied by 16 to the full size it would tip the scales at 32 pounds. With its electric drive it should accelerate to 60 mph in about three seconds.
Distribution will change also. Deals are already in place for major “big box” stores already selling Maisto models to carry the new full-size vehicles as well. Production is expected to begin this summer with the 1:1 items in stock this October.


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To celebrate the 20 years of World Superbike Championship racing Francis Batta’s Alstare team and its return to World Superbikes, they had this concept done by Belgium designer Serge Rusak from ...
Pictures, video and technical highlights of the new flagship from Ducati: check them out here.
Suzuki Germany has decided to lift the spirits of the many German fans of the GSX-R range with a series of new “Limited Editions”: check them out here.
To help celebrate the now retired Max Biaggi’s second World title in Italian manufacturer Aprilia has decided to release as special edition of the Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC ABS, but only for the ...
“Ducati 1199 Panigale RS13 Superbike” is the exact name of Ducati’s racing weapon that will be debuting next season in the 2013 World Superbike championship. A year after its launch and tweleve ...
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FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) _ Pier 1 Imports Inc. (PIR) on Wednesday reported a loss of $100.6 million in its fiscal second quarter.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based company said it had a loss of $24.29 per share. Losses, adjusted for asset impairment costs, were $23.18 per share.
The home decor company posted revenue of $304.6 million in the period.
“As we expected, sales and margins remained under pressure in the second quarter,” said Cheryl Bachelder, Interim CEO. “We exited non-go-forward products through aggressive clearance actions, which was the primary driver of our net loss in the quarter. However, the strategic decision to clear through goods paved the way for our merchandise and marketing reset this fall. Fresh assortments began flowing into stores during the final weeks of the quarter and as we move closer to holiday, we look forward to delivering more of the unique, on-trend seasonal goods the Pier 1 brand is known for.
“The organization continues to make progress against our fiscal 2020 action plan, and we remain on track to achieve benefits of $100-$110 million this year, as previously outlined. While we anticipate that our merchandising and marketing initiatives will start to gain traction during the second half, we expect a gradual recovery and believe we’ll be positioned to demonstrate year-over-year improvement in company comparable sales and gross margin rate beginning in the fourth quarter. Our teams are working diligently to turn the business around and we believe that Pier 1 can prosper once again.”
Pier 1 shares have risen 99% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $12.20, a decrease of 59% in the last 12 months.
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on PIR at https://www.zacks.com/ap/PIR
FWBP Staff contributed to report.


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Jargon drives away Hertfordshire car buyers
'Careful lady owner' is just one of the phrases likely to put off potential used car buyers
'CAREFUL lady owner' is just one of the phrases likely to put off potential used car buyers, according to a study by classified ads website Craigslist. Their research claims that men find 'careful lady owners' almost twice as big a sales turn-off as do women, for whom the most off-putting element of used-car ads are abbreviations like 'PAS' and 'ABS' (Power-Assisted Steering and Anti-Lock Braking System), which they may not understand. Both sexes are also put off by such Arthur Dayley-isms as 'fully loaded' and 'lovely runner'. 'No time-wasters' and 'First to see will buy' are the two other used car ad chestnuts to make the six top turn-offs. Other car ad clich�s that risked doing more harm than good included 'Genuine Reason for Sale', and 'Priced To Sell'.


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- News tagged "smart hub"
Sunday, 8 Jan 2017
Dabbling in smart home devices is going to be mainstay as we embrace smart appliances, connected devices and the IoT. What’s not fun is going in and out of different apps to control all your smart devices and that’s what Wink Hub 2 wants to solve.
Monday, 17 Oct 2016
Singtel enters the smart home space, partners with Hanman International to create a Z-Wave Plus controller
The new Singtel SmartHome features a smart hub that can connect and communicate with more than 200 compatible smart devices, such as motion sensors, contact sensors, and smart cameras. And you don't need to be a Singtel customer to buy it.
Tuesday, 5 Apr 2016
Not only will your Revolv smart home hub device cease to receive any support – the device will brick itself come 15 May 2016.
Tuesday, 5 Jan 2016
Sporting a metallic body, the SmartThinQ Hub works with smart washing machines, refrigerators, ovens, robotic vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, and a variety of sensors. Conventional home appliances can also connect to the SmartThinQ sensors over Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Bluetooth.
Tuesday, 8 Jan 2013
Samsung Introduces Revamped Smart Hub and S-Recommendation with Voice Interaction Feature on 2013 Smart TV Range
To facilitate a more intuitive TV browsing experience, Samsung will be introducing a revamped Smart Hub as well as new features like S-Recommendation and voice interaction.
Thursday, 27 Dec 2012
With CES 2013 coming up in two weeks' time, Samsung released a teaser video for its Smart TV and gave a sneak preview of its new Smart Hub. It also announced a new version of its instant messaging app, ChatON 2.0.


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By Joshua Riddiford - Energy News.
New Zealand is on track for a record number of solar installs by the end of this year, Sustainable Electricity Association of New Zealand chair Brendan Winitana says.
“This year we’re on target to hit around 4,100 grid-connected installations.”
"For a one-year period that would be the most ever," Winitana told about 130 delegates at the SEANZ conference at Hamilton’s SkyCity conference centre today.
An additional 4,000 installs by the end of next year would take installs to over 20,000. That increased uptake has the potential to significantly boost competition in the electricity sector as ‘prosumers’ sell electricity back to the grid, Winitana says.
About 16,000 homes and businesses have solar nation-wide, more than 10-times the figure four years ago, according to Electricity Authority data. Their combined capacity exceeds 62 MW and grew by about 15 MW during the past year.
Retailers including Mercury NZ and Pulse Energy have acquired, or partnered with, solar suppliers to take advantage of that increased demand. As much as one megawatt of solar is being added annually to some networks and some distributors, including Vector and Alpine Energy, are also offering solar and storage options.
Winitana says about 35 electricity retailers are currently operating in New Zealand and that about 370,000 consumers switch retailers each year.
Some would call that competition, Winitana says. But increased solar generation installs could bring “serious competition”.
“Just imagine you’ve got 20,000 prosumers playing in the space of selling electricity to the grid or using an aggregator to do it. Now that’s competition. That’s serious competition.”
Anecdotal evidence suggests that off-grid uptake is also growing quickly, Winitana says.
The establishment of more mini-grids could serve to help the resilience of the electricity system in New Zealand.
Regulators faced the challenge of addressing how a secondary market of solar prosumers selling back to the grid might look. The role that aggregating peer-to-peer energy traders could play in serving that market also needs to be resolved, Winitana told Energy News.
“Can a market be created beneath the retail market? What does that look like?”
Technological change could not be stopped and even the “emerging tech industry” of solar is impacted by disruption, Winitana says. Businesses need to adapt to that change.
He says SEANZ welcomes the new Government’s forthcoming review of retail pricing.
“We’re sitting there saying ‘bring it on’. We applaud that this retail review is being done.”
He also praised New Zealand’s unsubsidised “organic growth” solar industry.
“That’s something that SEANZ has advocated for for the last seven years – no subsidies."
This article by Joshua Riddiford and originally appeared in Energy News.


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More than 500 participants from nearly 30 countries attended the 2016 International Shared Ownership Investment Conference at the Eden Roc on Miami Beach October 24-26. The mood was upbeat, and statistics revealed during the programming showed good reason for cheer. Annual timeshare sales in the United States were $8.6 billion in 2015 on annual growth of 5.7 percent, according to Jenny Davlin, vice president of member experience at the American Resort Development Association. Occupancy ran nearly 80 percent, and the average unit price was $22,240.
Conference highlights included guest speakers Scott Stratten, an expert in viral, social, and authentic marketing, and Adriana Grineberg, regional director for Facebook, along with sessions on timeshare trends, sales presentations, resort amenities, and media strategies.
“The high caliber speakers, panel discussions, and comprehensive industry research provided to attendees, along with the valuable networking opportunities were very well received,” said David Gilbert, Interval’s president. “The international aspect of the conference also continues to grow significantly, highlighted by the participation of influential dignitaries such as the Prime Minister of St. Maarten and Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, in attendance. We are extremely grateful to our sponsors for helping us host another successful conference, and to the speakers who were willing to share their expertise.”
Attendees looking to go deeper into the numbers presented were provided with research reports valued at over $1000, including three from the ARDA International Foundation (State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry. 2016 Edition, Financial Performance of the Timeshare Industry, 2016 Edition, and the State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry. 2016 Edition) and one from Ragatz Consulting (The Shared Ownership Resort Real Estate Industry in North America: 2016.)
For those who weren’t able to attend (or may have missed some sessions), Resort Trades was on the spot to report back on some of the important nuggets revealed. Here are a few of the highlights.
• The penetration rate of timeshare ownership continues to increase with 7 percent of U.S. households now owning at least one interval. Still, a higher percentage of households (11 percent) have used online home sharing services such as Airbnb and HomeAway. ARDA president Howard Nusbaum said that the good news here is that 72 percent of those surveyed say the sharing economy experience is not consistent, meaning that travelers who tried these services are now ripe for timeshare sales. By staying with a regulated property, consumers receive important protections such as standards for safety, security, health codes, accessibility and discriminatory behavior. The wisdom of purchasing timeshare was even highlighted by Consumer Reports, which said they “can be a savvy vacation strategy.” Adding in that 83 percent of timeshare owners report they are satisfied with their purchase, “timeshare is in the sweet spot,” Nusbaum said.
• The session entitled “Independents’ Day” featured four developers whose projects don’t fly a brand flag. They cited the ability to be nimble and make decisions quickly as advantages to this approach. “There’s less correspondence with the mother ship,” explained Jay DiGiulio, president of Boutique Real Estate Advisors LLC. The speakers also praised support from Interval International in equalizing their product with larger competitors’. “The Gold and Platinum products are great enhancements,” said Mike Vasey, owner of Vacation Ownership Sales Inc. “Add-ons like the priority pass for airport lounges create a VIP experience for owners.” The speakers all mentioned the importance of resort rentals for lead generation, with the actual timeshare experience being the product’s greatest recommendation for purchase.
• Recent hotel conversion projects, including Marriott projects in Washington, DC and New York City, have several advantages over building new resorts. Among them, the fact that inventory can be converted to timeshare as sales velocity dictates and zoning approvals are already in place. When hosting timeshare guests at the same property, staff should be trained to view timeshare owners as the most important guests. “It’s an awareness factor,” explained John Gordon, CEO of staySky Vacation Clubs and staySky Hotels & Resorts.
• Amenities can help make an older resort seem new, helping it appeal to younger buyers. Bob Craycraft, executive vice president of resort sales at Extreme Engineering, explained how a new installation at Calypso Cay Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, has bolstered sales and kept owners on property. “Now that the High Action Adventure Park is open, guests stay on property a half day more, which means more food and beverage sales as well as sales of themed merchandise,” he says. “Plus, adding video from the park to the resort’s website turns lookers into bookers.” The amenity welcomes guests of all ages, too. The park can accommodate guests from 45 to 300 pounds and a wide range of dexterity. “A grandparent can take their grandchild on the zipline,” Craycraft says. “We take the adventure and make it safe because we lower riders to the ground using hydraulics, and the decelerator stops the ride gently.”
• No conference today is complete without advice on social media, and Interval brought in two experts with plenty to say. Scott Stratten, president of Un-Marketing, said that true marketing occurs when other people talk about us. “The stories we tell are what creates a brand,” he said. “However, in order to get word-of-mouth, we have to do things worth talking about.” When communicating with owners, the only preference that matters is that of the person who is paying the bill. And, finally, guests don’t expect perfection, they expect accountability. Sometimes, responding sincerely and fixing a problem is a way to gain a loyal customer for life, but responding quickly is the best strategy.
• Facebook Messenger now has 1 billion users, and 1.7 billion people worldwide are on Facebook. And 900 million of them have at least one friend in another country. How can you leverage Facebook for owner communications and marketing? Adriana Grineberg, Facebook’s regional director for Latin America, shared advice and statistics from her company. She said 22 percent of recent travelers booked their stays on a mobile device, meaning that your digital presence should have a mobile first strategy. According to Grineberg, Facebook’s audience insights make it easy to target people based on demographics and interests, such as travel. As campaigns continue, Facebook learns which users are most likely to respond and continues to refine targeting.
The 19th Annual Shared Ownership Investment Conference will be held on October 23 – 25, 2017 at the Eden Roc Resort on Miami Beach. For more information, visit www.sharedownershipinvestment.com.


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BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union expects inflation to rise by more than a full point this year to 3.2 percent, pushed higher by soaring energy and food prices.
Record-high prices for food, oil and metals risk driving cost increases beyond last year's inflation of 2.1 percent, and now threaten to increase production costs for other goods as well, the EU warned Monday.
The EU also cut its growth forecast for the 15-nation currency zone to 1.7 percent this year -- from 2.6 percent last year -- saying the current outlook was ''unusually uncertain,'' but insisted that Europe was far from recession.
Huge price hikes have been caused by a weaker U.S. dollar and financial turmoil that saw investors stash money in commodities such as oil, which hit another record high Monday of $119.93 per barrel.
Inflation will calm by the end of the year, the EU said, but it will stay well above the European Central Bank's guideline rate of 2 percent -- adding pressure on the bank to steer clear of rate cuts even as the economy slows.
The EU warned that global trade is slowing markedly and major exporters face significant difficulty.
''The expression 'unusually uncertain' describes the current economic situation and outlook particularly well,'' it said in a report. ''The global economy is cooling and, in particular, the U.S. economy is on the brink of a recession.''