Singapore to showcase Asian fashion to the world

Singapore will launch trade fashion show "Blueprint" this month, showcasing 50 mostly Asian designers to an international audience and shoppers from the general public.

Organizers hope the event will become the basis of the Asian Fashion Exchange (AFX), Asia's answer to New York and Milan's Fashion Weeks.

Singapore seems a fitting location for the event, with the city-state opening a raft of famous brand and designer stores and attracting shoppers from across Asia over the past years, despite poor economic conditions. These shopping travelers have been arriving in increasing numbers recently; their spending an indicator of better things to come.

While Singapore is not yet famous as a fashion capital, AFX organizers hope a growing annual event featuring the region's best fashion talent will put it into the league of cities like New York and Tokyo.

source & article: Reuters (via Yahoo)

Restore workers' wages after recession: Singapore minister

Singapore's Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong has called on successful companies to acknowledge the sacrifices made by their workers during the global financial crisis by restoring wages and pay rises.

Several companies asked their workers to accept pay cuts or salary freezes from 2008 in desperate attempts to survive the recession. Companies that managed to prosper should now reward workers in order to retain them and move forward, Mr. Gan said.

He also announced new initiatives to encourage older workers to rejoin the workforce and remain there past age 55, including offers of extra training and upgrading of workplaces to make them more friendly to older employees.

source & article: The Straits Times

Science & Technology entrepreneur workshops

The National University of Singapore Faculty of Science will hold a number of workshops for entrepreneurs in late April.

Guest speaker at the events will be Dr. Gunther Festel of Festel Capital, an investment firm specializing in environmental, health, energy, materials and nutrition technologies. Topics will cover the importance of entrepreneurs and start-ups in innovation, an introduction to start-ups and practical advice on getting things going.

article & source: SG Entrepreneurs

Ernst & Young seeks Singapore entrepreneurs

Accounting firm Ernst & Young is seeking nominations for its Singapore Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) Award.

Candidates will be judged on their entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, personal integrity or influence, strategic vision, and their companies' financial performance and global impact.


E&Y's Country Managing Partner, Steven Pham, hopes the award will "inspire more local SMEs to think beyond traditional constraints... to expand their businesses abroad". Nominations will be open from now until 30 June 2010.


article & source: Straits Times


(NB: E&Y also operates the EOY Award in other countries across the region, including Mayalsia and the Philippines.)

Singapore the cheapest financial center for office rents

Singapore is the cheapest major financial center in which to rent office space, according to a study, making the city-state more attractive to business start-ups.

The study, published by consultants Colliers International, put Singapore's average annual office rent at US$53.71 (S$75) per square foot, far below nearby Hong Kong at US$161.14 ($225).

Though the pace has slowed recently, Singapore's office rental costs have continued to decrease. The first stage of the new Marina Bay Financial Centre (1.6 million square feet) is already fully leased, and another 6 million square feet of space is planned for the Central Business District.

Although Singapore's position on the list was 24th most expensive, it remains cheaper than any other city regarded as a major financial center. The top three positions were filled by Hong Kong, Tokyo, and London's West End.

article & source: channelnewsasia.com

Singapore is World's Best Airport

Asian airports have shone in the 2010 Skytrax World Airport Awards, taking out six of the top 10 places and all of the top three, with Singapore's Changi Airport returning to World No.1.

South Korea's Incheon International and Hong Kong International took the silver and bronze places respectively. Kuala Lumpur came 5th, Beijing 8th and Bangkok 10th.

The World Airport Awards™ are based on the results from 9.8 million questionnaires completed by airline passengers in 2009/2010, covering more than 210 airports worldwide. The survey evaluates traveller experiences across 39 different airport service and product factors -  from check-in, arrivals, transfer through to departure at the gate. 


source: Skytrax