Tag: workshops

  • Jewelry firm PNJ eyes 15-pct post-tax profits growth

    Jewelry firm PNJ eyes 15-pct post-tax profits growth

    At its annual general meeting Saturday, it also announced a revenue target of VND21 trillion, up 20 percent.

    But Phu Hung Securities Corporation has forecast revenues of VND18.4 trillion and profits of VND1.09 trillion, explaining that the volatility in gold prices and consumers’ increasing preference for imported jewelry would keep numbers down.

    BSC Securities expected the jewelry industry to recover this year, and forecast PNJ a 22 percent rise in profits to VND1.3 trillion on revenues of VND19.8 trillion (up 13 percent).

    PNJ chairwoman Cao Thi Ngoc Dung said the targets are achievable since the pandemic would be contained this year and the economy would recover.

    The company aims to open 40-45 stores in 2021 and buy machinery for its jewelry workshops.

    Its CEO, Le Tri Thong, said demand for jewelry among young people in major cities is high, and this would boost the company’s revenues and profits. Smaller cities and rural areas too however show promise, he said.

    Last year, revenues edged up 3 percent to VND17.5 trillion, but Thong pointed out though the growth was lower than the average of 32 percent in recent years, the fact that PNJ managed to grow its revenues amid the pandemic was a success for it.

    It opened 29 stores and closed 36 existing ones in 2020, most of them were silver jewelry stores in shopping malls with modest business and high rentals.

  • First Binance Blockchain Week Set for Singapore Next Month

    First Binance Blockchain Week Set for Singapore Next Month

    About 2,000 people from around the world are expected to attend the inaugural Binance Blockchain Week in Singapore on Jan. 19-22. The conference, which will take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands, is presented by Binance, the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange.

    The high-profile event will serve as a platform to bring together regulators, investors, academics, entrepreneurs and technologists to discuss the current blockchain ecosystem and encourage sustainable growth in the industry.

    Binance Blockchain Week will feature more than 70 speakers, including thought leaders, top executives, academics and heads of state in a productive, yet exciting program filled with keynote speeches, panel discussions, fireside chats and exclusive networking events.

    Confirmed speakers include Changpeng Zhao, the founder and chief executive of Binance; Genping Liu, partner at Vertex Ventures; Justin Chow, head of business development, Asia at Cumberland; and Sonia Bashir Kabir, managing director of Microsoft Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and Laos.

    “We are thrilled to host the first ever Binance Blockchain Week in Singapore, the finance and technology hub of Asia. Gathering the most notable players and thought leaders in blockchain, this will be a defining event. We look forward to many thought-provoking discussions and debates on how we can further work together to move the industry forward,” Zhao said.

    There will also be an expo featuring more than 50 booths for sponsors to showcase the best blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies.

    Secure Asset Funds for Users Hackathon

    The inaugural Binance SAFU Hackathon, which aims to seek innovative blockchain solutions to secure crypto assets, will take place at the offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers Singapore in Marina One East Tower on Jan. 19-20.

    The panel of judges includes PwC, blockchain accelerator program Tribe Accelerator and Binance Labs. Participants will have the opportunity to receive mentorships from senior leaders at companies such as the Ethereum Foundation, Primitive Ventures, Earn.com, Binance Labs and IDEO CoLab.

    Individuals and teams interested in participating in the event can submit their applications between Dec. 10 and Jan. 6.

    Twenty developer teams will be selected via pre-hackathons and direct registration on the event website. Pre-hackathons will be held around the world between December and early January.

    Only winning teams will qualify for free passes to the final SAFU Hackathon in Singapore.

    The teams winning the final will share a prize pool of $100,000 in Binance Coin (BNB) courtesy of Binance.

    For more information, check out the Binance Blockchain Week Facebook page or the cryptocurrency exchange’s Twitter profile.

  • VivoCity hosting food workshops for children

    VivoCity hosting food workshops for children

    VivoCity will host two food workshops for children next weekend led by Chef Mong from team-building company Cookyn and food artist Shirley Wong, also known as “Little Miss Bento”.

    Each workshop is limited to 30 teams comprising a parent and a child, and is available on a first-come, first-served basis (registration has opened). Participants will take home their masterpiece and a goodie bag worth more than SG$20, with two teams judged top in each workshop each winning $250 Mapletree vouchers.

    Entry is open to VivoCity customers who have spent $50 during the promotion period, with a registration fee of $10.

  • DHL, UN hold airport disaster preparedness workshops in Indonesia

    DHL, UN hold airport disaster preparedness workshops in Indonesia

    Germany’s Deutsche Post DHL Group and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are once again conducting their joint preventative training, known as Get Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD), at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, Lombok International Airport and Selaparang Airport in Lombok.  Indonesia was the pilot country when the program was implemented globally in 2009 — in Makassar and Palu.

    Deutsche Post DHL Group and United Nations Development Programme Hold Airport Disaster Preparedness Workshops in Bali and Lombok. L-R: Teguh Pratomo (MoT); Medi Herlianto (BNPB); Christian Usfinit (UNDP); Welani Widjaja, Managing Director, DHL Global Forwarding Indonesia; Chris Weeks, Director of Humanitarian Affairs, Deutsche Post DHL Group.

    Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire where several continental plates collide. As a result, the chain of islands is at frequent risk of earthquakes, tsunamis and active volcanoes. Additionally, Bali and Lombok are categorized as high risk areas in the Indonesian Disaster Risk Index (2013). Airports in both provinces experienced operations shutdown due to volcanic eruptions from nearby Mount Rinjani.

    The multi-day workshop involves over 50 participants — including representatives from the airport operating company, aviation safety experts, national and regional Disaster Management Planning Agencies, Indonesian Red Cross, immigration authorities, the military and the police force — who will be trained to handle the high volume of incoming relief goods and increasing number of passengers during the aftermath of natural disasters.

    “Following natural disasters, airports become vital hubs for the processing of incoming relief supplies,” says Christof Ehrhart, Head of Corporate Communications and Responsibility at Deutsche Post DHL Group. “With sound processes in place at the airport and with the relevant agencies, relief goods and aid can be channeled through airports to reach the affected communities quickly and efficiently. This program continues to help improve disaster management in this geologically high-risk region.”

    “Often airports are unprepared to manage large disasters or humanitarian crisis and as a result, assistance gets slower in getting to those most affected. GARD is working specifically with all partners on the ground to solve any potential bottlenecks that could impede fast response to save lives. I praise the Indonesian government for its commitment to preparedness and the airport authorities for their risk informed management,” says United Nations Resident Coordinator in Indonesia, Douglas Broderick.

    The training includes evaluation of the airports’ capacities for processing high volumes of passengers and cargo and warehousing relief supplies. Location-specific disaster plans are drawn up as well.

    Since 2009, GARD trainings have been held in eight airports in Indonesia, namely Sultan Hassanuddin Airport in Makassar (2009), Mutiara Airport in Palu (2009), Ngurah Rai Airport (old airport) in Denpasar (2011), El Tari Airport in Kupang (2011), Polonia Airport in Medan (2012), Sultan Iskandarsyah Airport inBanda Aceh (2012), Fatmawati Airport in Bengkulu (2012) and Minangkabau Airport in Padang (2013).

  • DHL and UN Development Programme Hold Airport Disaster Workshops

    DHL and UN Development Programme Hold Airport Disaster Workshops

    Germany’s Deutsche Post DHL Group and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are once again conducting their joint preventative training, known as Get Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD), from September 5 to 9 at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, Lombok International Airport and Selaparang Airport in Lombok. Indonesia was the pilot country when the program was implemented globally in 2009 – in Makassar and Palu.

    Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire where several continental plates collide. As a result, the chain of islands is at frequent risk of earthquakes, tsunamis and active volcanoes. Additionally, Bali and Lombok are categorized as high risk areas in the Indonesian Disaster Risk Index (2013). Airports in both provinces experienced operations shutdown due to volcanic eruptions from nearby Mount Rinjani.

    The multi-day workshop involves over 50 participants – including representatives from the airport operating company, aviation safety experts, national and regional Disaster Management Planning Agencies, Indonesian Red Cross, immigration authorities, the military and the police force – who will be trained to handle the high volume of incoming relief goods and increasing number of passengers during the aftermath of natural disasters.

    “Following natural disasters, airports become vital hubs for the processing of incoming relief supplies,” says Christof Ehrhart, Head of Corporate Communications and Responsibility at Deutsche Post DHL Group. “With sound processes in place at the airport and with the relevant agencies, relief goods and aid can be channeled through airports to reach the affected communities quickly and efficiently. This program continues to help improve disaster management in this geologically high-risk region.”

    “Often airports are unprepared to manage large disasters or humanitarian crisis and as a result, assistance gets slower in getting to those most affected. GARD is working specifically with all partners on the ground to solve any potential bottlenecks that could impede fast response to save lives. I praise the Indonesian government for its commitment to preparedness and the airport authorities for their risk informed management.” says United Nations Resident Coordinator in Indonesia, Douglas Broderick.

    The training includes evaluation of the airports’ capacities for processing high volumes of passengers and cargo and warehousing relief supplies. Location-specific disaster plans are drawn up as well.

    Since 2009, GARD trainings have been held in eight airports in Indonesia, namely Sultan Hassanuddin Airport in Makassar (2009), Mutiara Airport in Palu (2009), Ngurah Rai Airport (old airport) in Denpasar (2011), El Tari Airport in Kupang (2011), Polonia Airport in Medan (2012), Sultan Iskandarsyah Airport in Banda Aceh (2012), Fatmawati Airport in Bengkulu (2012) and Minangkabau Airport in Padang (2013).