34th Hong Kong Book Fair attracts nearly 1 million visits

Jul 24, 2024 | Business

  • The HKTDC-organised Hong Kong Book Fair, Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks drew to a successful close today, attracting 990,000 –visits over a seven-day period
  • The World of Art and Culture featured renowned international film and TV literature; the Art Gallery showcased local literary works; and the seminars proved remarkably popular, in particular the Renowned Writers Seminar Series, attracting many Mainland China visitors
  • A surge in visitors from near and far over the weekend boosted local consumption
  • The average spending of Book Fair visitors reached HK$912, up 4.6% year on year, accounting for 74% of their annual print book expenditure
  • The Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks attracted enthusiastic crowds, demonstrating the synergy of three concurrent fairs to enrich the visitor experience 

HONG KONG, July 23, 2024 – (ACN Newswire) – The 34th HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair, 7th HKTDC Sports and Leisure Expo and 4th HKTDC World of Snacks, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), concluded today after a successful seven-day run that saw an enthusiastic response from the public, with the total number of visits reaching 990,000. The three cultural and leisure events featured 760 exhibitors, with diverse activities and interactive experiences at the Book Fair, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the enjoyment of reading, exciting sports experiences and mouthwatering global treats.

Sophia Chong, Acting Executive Director of the HKTDC, expressed delight at the strong industry and public support for the three summer events. “The Book Fair continued its tradition of bringing people together through literature, with seminars achieving remarkable popularity and attracting many visitors from Mainland China to participate. Books related to the events theme, Film and TV Literature, were particularly sought-after. The World of Art & Culture featured film and television exhibits from 31 countries and regions, complemented by diverse cultural activities and interactive facilities, allowing visitor to read the world from page to screen and further enhancing Hong Kong’s position as an East-meets-West Centre for International Cultural Exchange. The concurrent Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks, with a wide range of experiences and delicacies, also attracted visitors from near and far and helped to stimulate local consumption.”

Booklovers spent slightly more compared to 2023

The HKTDC commissioned a research institute to interview more than 820 visitors over the Book Fair period, providing an in-depth analysis of booklovers’ reading habits and spending preferences. The average spending of surveyed visitors at this year’s Book Fair was HK$912, up 4.6% year on year, and accounting for 74% of their annual print book expenditure. This highlighted the fair’s appeal as an important promotional and sales platform for the publishing industry. In addition, about 90% of exhibitors at the three fairs offered an electronic payment service, while 72% of interviewed visitors used electronic payments for their transactions.

The survey also showed that the most popular book categories among readers were fiction and novels (47%), comics (21%), children and youth-related books (19%), travel (18%), and literature (16%). In terms of e-books, 65% of respondents said they had read e-books in the past month with an average reading time of 16 hours. The main reasons for people visiting the Book Fair were to purchase newly released books (55%), enjoy discounts when buying books (53%) and to experience the cultural atmosphere at an international book fair (30%).

Cultural July continues to promote citywide joy of reading

To further promote a reading culture in Hong Kong, the Book Fair and Cultural July • Joyful Summer Reading have organised more than 600 events. Cultural July, with a range of author sharing sessions, storytelling performances, film-related activities, handicraft workshops and cultural sharing sessions across the city’s 18 districts, continues until 31 July. Details can be found at https://hkbookfair.hktdc.com/CulturalJuly/index.aspx.

Recordings of selected seminars are available online. Readers can revisit them on the Book Fair website or via other HKTDC online platforms.

Family fun with zipline experiences and snacks to beat the heat

The Sports and Leisure Expo featured a variety of sports and leisure products and new experiences, attracting visitors of all ages. Activities included the family-friendly zipline experience, demonstrations by the Tai Chi Robot, performances by mascots from the Japan Pavilion, and a mosaic photo wall to cheer on the Hong Kong athletes heading to the Paris Olympics. The World of Snacks, meanwhile, showcased more than 1,200 snacks, offering classic flavours, healthy options and taste sensations from across the globe, with cooling treats such as ice cream being particularly popular.

The three July expos kick off the second half of the HKTDC’s highlighted mega events in Hong Kong that aim to boost the local economy. August will see the staging of the Hong Kong International Tea Fair, Food Expo PRO, Food Expo, Home Delights Expo and Beauty & Wellness Expo, while September features the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, Salon de TIME, CENTRESTAGE and the Belt and Road Summit. October will see the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition), International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition) and Hong Kong International Outdoor and Tech Light Expo. Taking place in November will be the Hong Kong International Optical Fair and Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair, while December will feature HKTDC Entrepreneur Day to round off a busy and productive year.

Photo download: https://bit.ly/3YkJDTH

The 34th Hong Kong Book Fair concluded today. The seven-day event, which ran concurrently with the Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks, attracted nearly 1 million visits.

The three cultural and leisure events brought together 760 exhibitors, with the Book Fair drawing avid readers eager to browse and purchase their desired books and products.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan visited the Book Fair, purchasing popular science books to encourage children to boost their technology knowledge. He also bought local handicraft items to support Hong Kong’s creative talents.

The Eight Seminar Series at the Hong Kong Book Fair encouraged engaging interactions between authors and readers.

This year’s Book Fair featured many prominent Chinese and foreign-language writers.

This year’s Book Fair theme, Film and TV Literature, attracted numerous exhibitors to captivate readers through showcases of related publications.

The World of Art & Culture reflected the theme of the year with exhibits related to global film and TV literature, including a miniature of the Kowloon Walled City that drew a lot of attention.

The Art Gallery at the Book Fair featured a mini cinema that replayed selected excerpts from film and television works.

The zipline experience at the Sports and Leisure Expo proved very popular, providing a thrill for people of all ages.

Visitors at the Sports and Leisure Expo took photos which then went up on the large mosaic wall to cheer on Hong Kong’s Olympic athletes.

Jimi Hanako, Minister for the World Expo 2025 (fifth left), visited the Japan Pavilion at the Sports and Leisure Expo which highlighted the expo’s theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives“.

The World of Snacks gathered more than 1,200 snacks from around the world, offering visitors a diverse array of classic flavours, healthy options and international treats.

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organisers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.

Hong Kong Book Fair, Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks
Yuan Tung Financial Relations:
Anson Wong        Tel: (852) 3428 3413                       Email: awong@yuantung.com.hk
Agnes Yiu         Tel: (852) 3428 5690                       Email: ayiu@yuantung.com.hk
Tiffany Leung     Tel: (852) 3428 2361                       Email: tleung@yuantung.com.hk

HKTDC’s Communications & Public Affairs Department:
Hong Kong Book Fair
Snowy Chan        Tel: (852) 2584 4525                       Email: snowy.sn.chan@hktdc.org
Sunny Ng          Tel: (852) 2584 4357                       Email: sunny.sl.ng@hktdc.org

Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo, World of Snacks
Jane Cheung       Tel: (852) 2584 4137                       Email: jane.mh.cheung@hktdc.org

HKTDC Media Room: http://mediaroom.hktdc.com

About HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong’s trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. 


Topic: Press release summary

Go Hub Sets to Raise RM37.51 Million from Ace Market IPO

Jun 13, 2024 | Business

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12, 2024 – (ACN Newswire) – Go Hub Capital Berhad (“Go Hub” or the “Company”), a key transportation information technology (IT) solutions provider, is pleased to announce the Company’s launch of the prospectus for its upcoming initial public offering (“IPO”) on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad (“Bursa Securities”). Go Hub prides itself as a key transportation IT solutions provider in Malaysia, focusing on providing tailored IT solutions (encompassing customised software development systems and integration of hardware and software system) with an established track record in the bus and rail segments. Go Hub also extends its offerings to include maintenance and support services as well as terminal management services for the IT solutions that Go Hub delivers to its customers.

Mr. Tan Meng Kim, Managing Director of Capital Markets, UOB Kay Hian Securities (M) Sdn Bhd; Mr. Tan Cherng Thong, Executive Director / CEO, Go Hub Capital Berhad [L-R]

The IPO aims to raise RM37.51 million through the issuance of 107.18 million new shares. The proceeds from the IPO will be primarily allocated to the following:

  • Expansion of business operations and enhance operational capabilities, enabling Go Hub to scale up to cater for current projects and to enter new markets.
  • Continuous development of innovative solution offerings, focusing on technological applications and solutions that optimise and streamlines operations process flows efficiently.
  • Marketing efforts to increase brand visibility and customer engagement through targeted campaigns and industry events.
  • General corporate purposes to improve operational efficiencies.

Applications for the IPO have opened starting at 10.00 a.m. today following the Prospectus launch and will close on 20 June 2024.The targeted IPO listing date of the Company on the ACE Market is on 3 July 2024. At the IPO price of RM0.35 per share, Go Hub will have a market capitalisation of RM140.0 million ahead of its debut.

Mr. Tan Cherng Thong, Executive Director and CEO of Go Hub stated, “We are elated to have reached a new milestone with the Prospectus launch today, bringing us a step closer towards becoming a listed entity on the ACE Market of Bursa Securities. Having been in the transportation industry since 2011, our listing is in line with our growth plans and strategies to scale up our operations, expand our solutions offerings and expand our reach overseas. We are optimistic about the future and the opportunities this IPO opens for our company.”

Managing Director of Capital Markets of UOB Kay Hian Securities (M) Sdn Bhd, Mr. Tan Meng Kim expressed support, stating, “As we move into an era where digital transformation is crucial, Go Hub is well-positioned to meet these challenges head-on. Go Hub’s strategic vision, combined with their technological prowess, ensures their continued growth and leadership in the public transportation IT solutions sector.”

Go Hub has demonstrated consistent growth, underpinned by the Group’s expertise in developing and implementing comprehensive IT solutions for public transportation, including TOS, BOS, and Automated Fare Collection (AFC) systems. The Company’s commitment to quality, efficiency, and innovation has established it as a trusted provider in Malaysia.

UOB Kay Hian Securities (M) Sdn. Bhd. is the Principal Adviser, Sponsor, Underwriter and Placement Agent for Go Hub.

[L-R]Mr. Chew Boon Keat, Chief Financial Officer, Go Hub Capital Berhad
Mr. Eng Chee Seng, Chief Business Development Officer, Go Hub Capital Berhad
Mr. Hong Boon Huon, Chief Technology Officer, Go Hub Capital Berhad
Mr. Goh Yao Yen, Director, Co-Head of Corporate Finance UOB Kay Hian Securities (M) Sdn. Bhd.
Mr. Tan Meng Kim, Managing Director of Capital Markets, UOB Kay Hian Securities (M) Sdn Bhd
En. Zulkifly Bin Zakaria, Independent Non-Executive Chairman, Go Hub Capital Berhad
Mr. Tan Cherng Thong, Executive Director / CEO, Go Hub Capital Berhad
Ms. Lee Li Yee, Executive Director / Finance Director, Go Hub Capital Berhad
Cik Alwizah Al-Yafii Binti Ahmad Kamal, Independent Non-Executive Director, Go Hub Capital Berhad
Ms. Poh Zuan Yin, Independent Non-Executive Director, Go Hub Capital Berhad
Mr. Lee Yew Weng, Independent Non-Executive Director, Go Hub Capital Berhad
En. Mohd Aidy Hisyam Bin Abdullah, Head of Operation (Terminal), Go Hub Capital Berhad
En. Noor Rashid Bin Omar, Head of Operation (BOS), Go Hub Capital Berhad


Topic: Press release summary

Horus: Million Dollar Air-Mail NFT Drop on Base

May 17, 2024 | Business

Roughly a month ago, NFT LA teamed up with NFT Punks to honor the memory of Michael Brooks, affectionately known as “The Rook” with a limited edition commemorative NFT celebrating his contributions sponsored by aivp.ai.

This NFT drop became a landmark event, as it is the largest Air-mail NFT drop ever on the Base Chain, directly sent to our community via email. No wallet is required on your end, as one will be automatically generated for you through Horus Wallet.

What happened next was absolutely unexpected!

The NFTs started trading at 0.5 ETH each, putting the 823 NFT collection at 411.5 ETH with a value topping $1,200,000!

If you are one of the lucky ones, simply visit https://horuswallet.com/, log in with your email, and a new wallet will be created for you, enabling you to claim the free NFT.

In 2022, NFT LA was created to bring together the people who are at the foundation of creating the Web3 future. There is no time more important than now to inspire, connect, and educate each other and grow the Web3 future together. NFT LA was the place where we, as a community, do exactly that.

NFT Punks was established to think differently and bring utility to NFTs, we believe that blockchain is all about community.

About Horus Wallet INTERFACE

The ZeHorus Walletrion Interface consists of the Horus Wallet web-hosted user interface, available at https://horuswallet.com/, and the Horus Wallet mobile application, each of which allows you to connect the Horus Wallet or a third-party digital asset wallet to store and transfer certain supported digital assets (including cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens, digital asset indices, liquidity pool shares and staking tokens) in order to track and monitor a portfolio of digital assets as well as access and interact with certain supported decentralized protocols and decentralized applications (collectively “dapps”). Some of the dapps accessible using the Horus Wallet Interface may also involve accessing certain digital asset markets, boards, or interfaces allowing for complex financial transactions. In order to use the Horus Wallet Interface, you must already have a digital asset wallet that is supported in the Horus Wallet Interface. For more information, visit https://horuswallet.com/terms.

In an intense showdown, 15 qualified start-ups from around the world – Audax, Xaults Technologies, Monak E-Services, YABX, ALTPAYNET, APPRO, Libeara, Letbloom, Myzoi, Vault22, Lordsystem, MOIN, Alphastream.ai, Validus, and Namara – pitched at the FWC Grand Finale to a room full of global investors during the 2nd day of DFS.

While APPRO emerged as the Winner of FWC and secured on the spot investment commitment of USD 500,000, other startups like Finix196 received commitment of USD 5 million by Dhruv Management, Motive Partners committed USD 3 million to Alpha Stream and Validus got commitment of USD 750,000 by Aum Ventures.

Mohammed Saleem, Founder and Chairman of Trescon, stated, “We were thrilled to host the Grand Finale of our FinTech World Cup at the Dubai FinTech Summit. By joining forces, we created an unparalleled platform for FinTech innovation, providing participants with access to Trescon’s international reach, a regulatory environment that fosters growth and most importantly access to much needed capital. As an FWC Jury Member & a fellow investor, I commit to investing in some of these start-ups too to walk the talk, including the USD 500,000 for FWC Grand Finale Winner Appro.”

Naveen Bharadwaj, Group CEO of Trescon, said, “The FinTech World Cup is an opportunity to solve real-world challenges through collaboration and capital. In addition to the investments totalling worth USD 9.25 million that were announced, I’m happy to share that the winner & first two runner ups will also gain access to mentorship by the esteemed jury, Trescon Credits & Amazon credits – enhancing their resources for growth and development, global brand exposure, industry recognition and a path to success through strategic synergies and partnerships. We are committed to shaping an ecosystem that not only celebrates FinTech excellence but also propels the industry forward.”

The FWC jury was comprised of distinguished professionals from various sectors of the FinTech industry, including Nasir Zubairi, CEO at The LHoFT Foundation; Hugo Bongers, Partner at Motive Ventures; Sara Tabana, Senior Director of FinTech Innovation Strategy at Visa; Melissa Cannon Guzy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Arbor Ventures; Mohammed Saleem, Founder and Chairman of Trescon; Chetan Mehta, Founding Partner at AUM Ventures; Rana Abdel Latif, Partner at Speedinvest; Nacira Alioua, Head of FinTech Engagement at Emirates NBD; and Tunc Ozgul, Head of Startup and VC Ecosystem at Amazon Web Services.

The 2nd edition of the Dubai FinTech Summit was supported by global corporate partners, including Founding Partners VISA, Emirates NBD (ENBD), Etisalat & (E&) and Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD).

About Dubai FinTech Summit

Dubai FinTech Summit is an annual mega event organised by the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. The 2nd edition of the Dubai FinTech Summit will bring together over 8,000+ global industry leaders, 1,500+ investors and policy makers, signalling increased appetite for growth opportunities in the region.

Dubai FinTech Summit signals new wave of financial innovation, opportunity, transformation, and growth for the international financial services sector.  As a rising FinTech hub, Dubai is also spearheading the evolution of the financial services industry, with investments in FinTech projected to grow by 17.2 per cent CAGR to USD949 billion from 2022 to 2030. The Summit aligns with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33’s strategic goal of propelling Dubai into the ranks of the top four global financial hubs by 2033.

The expanded programme of Dubai FinTech Summit is set to exceed expectations by delving into key tracks, including the future of FinTech, embedded and Open Finance, climate finance, Web3 and digital assets. The summit stands as a thought leadership-driven platform, addressing industry challenges head-on and championing innovation.

Visit www.dubaifintechsummit.com

#Difc #DifcInnovationHub #DFS2024 #Fintech #FWC #DFS24 #Fintech #Difc #DifcInnovationHub #Trescon

For further enquiries, please contact:

Samia Ahmad Assistant Manager
Marketing at DIFC Innovation Hub
E: samia.ahmad@difc.com
Phone: +971 4 362 2657

Shadi Dawi
Director of PR & Strategic Partnerships
Trescon Global
Mobile: +971 55 498 4989
shadi@tresconglobal.com 


Topic: Press release summary

Sema4.ai Raises $30.5 Million to Bring Open Source Powered AI to Mission-Critical Enterprise Work

Jan 29, 2024 | Business

Acquires open source automation pioneer Robocorp to ignite a new era of intelligent agents for enterprise knowledge work.

Atlanta, GA – WEBWIRE –

Sema4.ai is on a mission to build intelligent agents that transform how knowledge workers collaborate with AI. Led by open source pioneers and fueled by $30.5M from investors, including Benchmark, Mayfield, and Canvas Ventures, Sema4.ai is poised to become the leader in the $88B autonomous agent market. Today, the company announced the acquisition of open source automation innovator Robocorp, accelerating their position to build, run, and manage intelligent agents for the enterprise.

For the worlds billion knowledge workers, the promise of AI has yet to be realized. Large Language Models (LLMs) can summarize vast amounts of information and converse with humans but struggle to support and streamline the complex end-to-end workflows of knowledge workers. Existing enterprise automation solutions are limited to simple, repetitive, point-to-point tasks because they lack the fundamental competencies for knowledge work, such as the intelligence and reasoning to manage ambiguity, and the ability to adapt to changing enterprise context and take real-time action.

Sema4.ai enables meaningful human-AI collaboration, supporting and streamlining the complex decision-making of knowledge workers. Customers can now leverage the power of LLMs safely and securely across their most mission-critical workflows moving from low-level, low-value automation to native, ground-up, AI-based agents.

Sema4.ais founding team is made up of proven industry leaders Rob Bearden, Ram Venkatesh, Suds Menon, and Paul Codding, with deep expertise and decades of experience spanning data management, distributed systems, application development, and open source from companies such as Cloudera, Docker, Hortonworks, SpringSource, and JBoss. With this acquisition, Robocorp founder and CEO Antti Karjalainen joins the founding team, adding further depth of experience in open source and automation.

Our founders each have a proven track record of building significant enterprise software businesses, said Rob Bearden, CEO of Sema4.ai. Our acquisition of Robocorp was borne out of a deep conviction that intelligence without action is incomplete, and action without intelligence is, at best, non-strategic. Together, were well-positioned to build category-defining intelligent agents that connect context to action, changing how work gets done in the enterprise.

Benchmarks relationship with Rob Bearden has spanned 20+ years of open source success stories with over $2B in current product revenue from JBoss to, more recently, Cloudera, said Peter Fenton, General Partner at Benchmark. The pillars of his leadership, open source AI, and the agent technology of Robocorp will allow major enterprises to safely build, run, and manage paradigm-shifting AI applications, with the potency of an open source foundation that will only grow in strength with time.

As a People First investor, it is an honor to partner with the experienced founding team behind Sema4.ai as they pursue a transformational GenAI opportunity to accelerate the $88 billion AI economy, said Navin Chaddha, Managing Partner at Mayfield. Our investment in Sema4.ai reflects our belief that plumbing layers drive enterprise adoption during paradigm shifts. In the age of AI, we think of this as cognitive plumbing, as models/middleware/tools, data, infrastructure, and semis/systems automate cognitive tasks to unlock new possibilities.

Sema4.ai also announced a community release of a new AI Actions framework that integrates directly with LangChain and OpenAI.

With Sema4.ais Python-based AI Actions framework, teams can create intelligent agents that act against their enterprise systems using LLMs. Intelligent agents transform LLMs from information processors to active participants in enterprise systems, enabling completely new and practical use cases for Generative AI.

We see Python as the language of choice for developing intelligent agents, and thats why we expanded the Robocorp platform to focus on automation as code, said Antti Karjalainen, founder and CEO at Robocorp and co-founder of Sema4.ai. Our new integration with LangChain makes it possible for AI developers to use LLMs to take direct action against their enterprise applications and data, closing the loop from conversation to action to get real work done.

Over the coming months, Sema4.ai will focus on growth and hiring for key automation product areas. Open positions are posted on LinkedIn.

About Sema4.ai

Sema4.ai is on a mission to define the future of knowledge work by building intelligent agents that transform how knowledge workers collaborate with AI. With a founding team of proven industry leaders from companies such as Cloudera, VMware, Hortonworks, and JBoss, and the acquisition of open source automation pioneer Robocorp, Sema4.ais category-defining intelligent agents connect context to action, changing how work gets done in the enterprise. Sema4.ai is where the promise of AI meets the potential of people.

WebWireID317127

Contact Information
Natalie Bartels
Media Contact
VSC on behalf of Sema4.ai
mayfield@vsc.co

This news content may be integrated into any legitimate news gathering and publishing effort. Linking is permitted.

News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.