With the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO), the Copenhagen Dragon Boat Festival 2024 was held June 22 and 23 (Copenhagen time) in Copenhagen, Denmark; and the 2024 UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival was held June 8 and 9 (London time) in Manchester, United Kingdom (UK).
At the Copenhagen Dragon Boat Festival 2024, around 30 teams from the Danish community competed in over two days of racing. Beyond the thrilling on-water competition, sports enthusiasts and families enjoyed music performances and immersed themselves in a variety of cultural experiences along the shores of Copenhagen. The event was graced by the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Ms Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, and other esteemed guests.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Copenhagen Dragon Boat Festival 2024, the Director-General of the London ETO, Mr Gilford Law, encouraged the audience to visit Hong Kong and experience the dynamic atmosphere of the city. “The Dragon Boat Festival is widely celebrated in Hong Kong, showcasing our city’s energy and vibrancy, as well as our deep Chinese cultural heritage. In particular, the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races at Hong Kong’s iconic Victoria Harbour vividly demonstrates the city as a dynamic hub with a unique fusion of tradition and modernity where we celebrate Eastern and Western festivals with equal enthusiasm,” he added.
The festival was also celebrated in Manchester, UK, where over 80 teams participated in races of various categories during the two-day 2024 UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. Martial arts, lion dance and dragon dance performances were staged alongside the exhilarating dragon boat races.
In celebration of Internal Audit Awareness Month, the IIA San Jose Chapter held an event that gathered professionals and volunteers to recognize the significant role of internal auditors in ensuring integrity, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency in various industries.
Supervisor Otto Lee from California’s County of Santa Clara and Board Member David Coulombe from IIA San Jose Chapter delivered keynote speeches highlighting the importance of IIA in promoting organizational resilience and sustainability in dynamic business landscapes.
The event culminated with the presentation of a proclamation letter from Supervisor Otto Lee, acknowledging the vital contributions of internal auditors in promoting trust and economic stability.
Board Member and Advocacy Chair, David Coulombe, accepted the proclamation on behalf of the chapter and volunteers, recognizing the exceptional contributions of various individuals, including Sakthiswaran Rangaraju, Mellanie Ong, DJ Mai, Meetu Gupta, Yiru Zhou, Mia Grosul, Dorothy Xiao, Lin Zhao, Jing Tan, Swati Daniel, Calli Carson, Tanvi Joshi, Sumit Pal, Lady Michelle Valdez, Alex Kim, Richard Mu, Saradha R., Sherly Dapito, Lav Pachauri, Sonay Pais, Jonathan Liu, Paul Baysa, Wickey Wang, Lisa Lichtwardt, Albert Bletran Jr., and Natasha Fernandez.
The IIA San Jose Chapter took the opportunity to thank its volunteers for their dedication and support in organizing the event. Their contributions and commitment to advancing the field of internal audit are truly commendable.
The IIA San Jose Chapter remains committed to promoting internal audit excellence, with the support of its chapter sponsors, including AuditBoard, Workiva, Crowe, RGP Grant Thornton LLP, CrossCountry Consulting, and SOAProjects, Inc.
The Board Members of IIA San Jose, including Alisanne Allen, Jonathan Jayasinghe, Carol Lee, Charles Joseph, Katerina Delgado, Urmi Vora, Parth Jhaveri, Grace Wu, Jonathan Jayasinghe, Ray Cheung, Farah Faruqui, Charmaine Wilson, Gennadiy Vernikov, Colin Onita, Emre Alpargun, Jonathan Healey, Andrew Wheatly, and Shakeel Khan, reaffirmed their commitment to promoting internal audit excellence and fostering trust across industries.
IIA San Jose DJ Mai 669-216-7090 www.theiia.org/en/chapters/united-states/california/san-jose/
Since its inception, Roof Rescue has been dedicated to giving back to the community by providing free or greatly discounted roofs and repairs to those in need, including individuals, churches, and non-profit organizations. This commitment to service has been at the core of Roof Rescue’s mission, thanks to the continued support and patronage of the communities it serves.
As Roof Rescue marks this significant milestone, it reaffirms its commitment to community support with “Operation Roof Rescue.” This event will serve as a culmination of a decade of giving back, providing an opportunity to further assist individuals facing roofing challenges.
Mark Franklin, founder of Roof Rescue, expressed his gratitude to the community, stating, “Our communities have blessed us with continued business, and we appreciate the support. ‘Operation Roof Rescue’ is our way of giving back and expressing our gratitude for the trust and loyalty we’ve received over the past 10 years.”
“Operation Roof Rescue” aims to provide much-needed assistance to those experiencing roofing issues coupled with financial strain. Inspired by nominations from the community, Roof Rescue will be selecting one teacher, one military member, one first responder, and one individual who does not meet those categories to receive a premium replacement roofing system at no cost to them.
Roof Rescue invites the community to join in celebrating its 10th anniversary and the launch of “Operation Roof Rescue.” Together, let’s continue to build a stronger and more resilient community.
For more information about Roof Rescue, please visit www.roofrescueusa.com or www.facebook.com/watertightpeaceofmind or contact Roof Rescue at 208-932-8178.
Roof Rescue Mark Franklin 208-932-8178 www.roofrescueusa.com
As SMEStreet marks its 10th-year milestone, we reflect on a journey filled with remarkable achievements, unwavering dedication, and countless moments of inspiration. What began as a vision a decade ago has blossomed into a thriving community, serving as a beacon of empowerment for small and medium enterprises across the globe.
Over the past ten years, the platform witnessed the transformative power of entrepreneurship, small businesses’ resilience, and innovation’s impact on economic growth. “Through our platform, we’ve championed the voices of SMEs, providing them with invaluable insights, resources, and networking opportunities to navigate challenges and seize opportunities in an ever-evolving business landscape,” commented Faiz Askari, Founder of SMEStreet.
“As we commemorate this significant milestone, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our loyal readers, partners, contributors, and supporters who have been instrumental in our journey,” he says, “At this juncture, we at SMEStreet are set to focus on resolving real Business challenges like Access to capital, access to technology, business development and business impact.”
Over these last 10 years, SMEStreet have also transformed into a stronger MSME ecosystem from being born as a simple media interface. Recently, we started SMEStreet Membership Offerings and have established collaborations with experts and service providers who are working in their respective streams of enabling the MSME ecosystem.
Top Milestones of SMEStreet’s MSME Engagement
Total Unique MSMEs Connects – 1.2 Million (12 Lakhs Plus)Monthly Unique Readers – Over 3 Lakhs Weekly Active Readers – 1,00,000 (Approx)SMEStreet Newsletter Subscribers – 4.6 Lakhs Social Media Followers (including Facebook /Instagram/ Linkedln /Youtube ) – 1,64,155 Ek Nayi Udaan – SMEStreet-DealPlexus Collaboration
A few months ago, SMEStreet announced a strategic collaboration with DealPlexus to deliver services that are designed to solve MSME needs for growth such as access to finance, management of finance, Business insurance and several other services that can ensure ease of doing business for any entrepreneur. “We are thrilled to formulate this groundbreaking collaboration between SMEStreet and DealPlexus, which is designed to help MSME/SME entrepreneurs to continue their chase for business growth and profitability. This collaboration shows our commitment of empowering businesses and fostering growth opportunities,” said CA Deepak Maheshwari, Co-Founder of DealPlexus. This collaboration is announced as ‘Ek Nayi Udaan’ where SMEs can explore a wide array of strategic partnerships, investment opportunities, and business synergies.
“This collaboration is aimed to create a dynamic MSME ecosystem with diverse capabilities to serve the MSME sector. We at SMEStreet are working towards completing a comprehensive coverage of business-oriented services. Our collaboration with DealPlexus is clear evidence of creating a comprehensive MSME ecosystem. From just content sharing, we have evolved as a Pro -MSME Ecosystem- committed to enhancing the MSMEs’ growth,” says Faiz Askari of SMEStreet.
On the occasion of the 10-year milestone, SMEStreet is excited to announce the expansion of SMEStreet’s engagement and services for the MSME sector.
The 2024 & Beyond Journey
From 2024 onwards the platform is shaping up as a more dynamic, more engaging services provider for MSMEs who wishes to grow to the next level.
Last 15 years in India have witnessed a great upsurge of MSMEs. This sector have taken a strong and visible space in the policymaking. This phenomenon of Indian economic growth is leading towards a global success story, and SMEStreet would like to contribute in the form of catalyzing MSMEs’ contribution in India’s development story.
Looking ahead, while entering into the next decade of innovation, growth, and success, “SMEStreet will remain committed to the mission of empowering SMEs, fostering collaboration, and driving sustainable growth. Your unwavering support and trust have fueled our passion to continuously strive for excellence and drive positive change in the MSME ecosystem,” Mr Askari said.
Upcoming Events & Activities on 10th Year Anniversary
SMEStreet Team is working on organizing events and forums both in online and offline formats on various business-sensitive issues related to MSMEs.
About SMEStreet
With an urge to serve the much-needed service to the Indian SMEs, SMEStreet.in is created to become a dynamic knowledge-sharing platform for SMEs. A platform on which SMEs can not only expect valued content for their business growth but also network with experts who can guide them to achieve growth.
As part of Vertical Business Media Pvt. Ltd. SMEStreet.in is an initiative dedicated to contributing to Indian MSMEs’ growth.
SMEStreet @ Social Media Facebook Youtube Linkedin Instagram
The Intellectual Property Department (IPD) today (April 26) hosted a reception to celebrate the World Intellectual Property (IP) Day 2024. The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, attended the reception and officiated at the toasting ceremony.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) set the theme of this year’s World IP Day as “IP and the Sustainable Development Goals: Building our common future with innovation and creativity”. At the reception, Mr Chan said that the Government will work with the industry and the community to promote the development of Hong Kong into a regional IP trading centre, so that Hong Kong will maintain its competitive edge in the global market and embrace a more flourishing future.
Mr Chan also elaborated on a number of initiatives pursued by the Government in this regard. They include grooming a talent pool of patent examiners equipped with technological and professional knowledge; planning for regulatory arrangements on local patent agent services; setting up a WIPO Technology and Innovation Support Centre; implementing the “patent box” tax incentive to encourage commercialisation of research and development outcomes, etc.
In his welcoming remarks, the Director of Intellectual Property, Mr David Wong, said that the measures to develop Hong Kong into a regional IP trading centre, as outlined in the Policy Addresses and Budgets of the current-term Government, required the support and co-operation of the IP industries and various stakeholders. The first trade mark was registered in Hong Kong 150 years ago to cater for commercial needs at the time, leading to the beginning of the local IP system. “We have come a long way, and the best is yet to come,” he said.
About 150 guests including stakeholders from the legal community and IP-related associations, academics, consulate representatives, government officials and representatives from the public and business sectors attended the reception. Displays at the venue highlighted notable features and achievements in different categories of IP, viz. patents, trade marks, copyright and registered designs.
Celebrated annually on April 26, the World IP Day aims to increase general understanding of IP, pay tributes to inventors and creators, and explore how IP helps shape the world. The IPD promoted the World IP Day and related activities through various channels, including sponsoring the “Licensing Academy”, a programme of the Asian Licensing Conference to offer industry players insights into new developments in IP licensing.
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