On Tuesday 13th July our China Master Franchise Partner, Dash Brands and our Asian Regional Team had the special honour of hosting the NSW Premier Kristina Keneally on her first trip to China. The Premier visited our newly opened coffee house which is located on the famous Bund in Shanghai and met each member of the Dash & Regional Team.
The Premier was in China as part of a week-long tour, where she met with several NSW based companies doing business in China whilst promoting the state of NSW to China. Travelling with the Premier were also several other NSW Government Officials and Australian media representatives which totalled about 15 individuals. In addition to this there were also several journalists from local Chinese media channels covering the Premiers visit to Gloria Jean’s Coffees.
The visit started off with a tour of the coffee house followed by a coffee with Dash Brands Chairman & Founder, David Keir. The Premier then had a chance to practise her coffee making skills behind the espresso machine and was able to pour some latte art in front of the cameras. For all of the officials travelling with the Premier the visit was a welcoming start to their day as they enjoyed sipping on flat whites and ate sausage rolls for breakfast, a unique ‘Australian’ experience in China.
The event was a huge success as it generated an abundance of PR coverage not only in China but also in Australia where the visit featured in some of Australia’s major newspapers and TV channels, as quickly as later that evening! Infact, of all of the Premiers official meetings during her trip to China, it was actually the visit to Gloria Jean’s Coffees which created the most buzz and coverage!
The visit generated some great PR for our brands presence in China and below is a link to some of the new stories which featured the Premiers visit...click here.
Laservision along with a collection of celebrity chefs, leading fashion designers, luxury spa operators, musical stars and over 3000 international VIP’s recently launched the ‘World’s Most Expensive Casino Property,’ The Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort.
Designed by world renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the 2,560 room luxury hotel is equipped with a 120,000sqm convention and exhibition centre, designer shopping mall, restaurants, Art Science Museum, two theatres and a spectacular 340m SkyPark suspended 200m in the air with an observation deck set on top of the World’s largest public cantilever structure.
Laservision was engaged by the fortune 500 company - The Las Vegas Sands Corporation to conceive, design, produce and deploy a spectacular opening event to bring to life this iconic structure as night fell.
Laservision, well known for its son et lumiere’s worldwide, delivered the impact of Searchlights, Lasers, Architectural Lighting and Firepower to generate a high energy experience radiating across the bay.
The Convention and Exhibition Centre, Casino and twin Theatres massive concave roof are illuminated with over 1000 LED fixtures transforming the one kilometre of roofing into a vibrant live and colourful canvas. The LED fixtures give the hotel the ability to come to life at night in a wash of colours or alternatively create animated ethereal effects across the entire extent of the Integrated Resort. The use of state of the art LED technology returns high energy efficiency, long life and over 1 billion colours.
The Art Science Museum affectionately referred to by the Singaporean locals as the ‘Open Palm’ was brought to life with multiple searchlight beams extending from the water oculus up into the heavens. Fifteen meter high flame effects on the finger tips were used to create further positive energy.
The highly-anticipated Sands SkyPark, which sits 60 stories high and features a 150-meter long infinity-edge swimming pool was under-lit with a dramatic animated ‘water’ gobo lighting effect to further enhance the architects dream of a ship floating in the night sky.
Known for developing economic development through tourism, Laservision's has created world-renowned Number One night time tourist attractions in Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, India and Australia. These installations and many more can all be viewed at www.laservision.com.au
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has launched its 2010 review of the Generalized System of Preferences and has set an Aug. 3 deadline for requests to modify the list of products eligible for duty-free treatment under this program. Such modifications may include expanding GSP coverage to goods not already eligible and withdrawing, suspending or limiting eligibility for goods currently receiving duty-free treatment.
USTR is also inviting petitions requesting that specified products remain eligible for GSP treatment through waivers of the competitive need limitation. These petitions may be filed after Aug. 3 and are due no later than Nov. 16.
The world’s rich countries boosted government support for agriculture in 2009, according to a report that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released last week. The report, “Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: At a Glance 2010,” is part of the OECD’s annual effort to quantify and assess the support that its 31 developed country members provide to their agricultural producers.
The OECD found that the Producer Support Estimate (PSE) rose to US$252 billion dollars in 2009, which was the equivalent of 22 percent of total farm receipts in that year. In 2008, the share of farm receipts attributable to agricultural support was 21 percent.
The Producer Support Estimate measures the annual monetary value of gross transfers from consumers and taxpayers to agricultural producers, relative to a situation without those policy measures in place. It is one of the many indicators designed and used by the OECD for monitoring and evaluating the composition of government support for agriculture.
The support increase among OECD countries was primarily due to dips in agricultural commodity prices, which had been exceptionally high during the previous two years. Many of these subsidies are tied to prices, and tend to increase when prices drop. The global economic crisis also played a role in the up-tick in state support, as governments sought to shield their producers from the drop in global demand, especially for “higher value-added products,” such as meat and dairy. To read more click here.
Innovation and coherence in policy interventions can spur economic recovery and address global challenges such as climate change, according to the recently released “OECD Innovation Strategy” report. The main findings of the report were presented in Geneva on Tuesday by Andrew Wyckoff, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Director of Science, in a panel discussion. To read more click here.
Peter Campbell, Director of the Australian Institute of Export, recently met the new Prime Minister, The Hon. Julia Gillard, MP, at her first Sydney function since becoming Prime Minister of Australia. Mr Campbell took the opportunity to push for additional funding for the Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) Scheme which has recently suffered having its annual budget cut by $50 million. AIEx has been working assiduously to have the EMDG budget restored to $200 million and the meeting with Prime Minister Gillard was a valuable chance to push the case for Australia’s exporters.
The second round of TPP negotiations, held in San Francisco from 14-18 June 2010, resulted in significant progress on both the broad architecture of the agreement, and on a range of specific issues to be covered in the TPP.
As part of developing appropriate architecture for a high quality, comprehensive 21st century FTA, TPP Parties agreed that existing FTAs between TPP Parties would continue to co-exist alongside the TPP. This will allow businesses to choose to use whichever agreement provides the better treatment for their particular good, service or investment.
Solid progress was also made on how to approach the negotiation of market access outcomes and how to reflect those outcomes in the agreement. In order to lay the groundwork for positive outcomes on this issue at the third round of negotiations in October, TPP Parties agreed to meet intersessionally in Peru in August to further progress discussions.
Chief Negotiators also agreed in San Francisco on a set of cross-cutting 21st century issues to help guide the negotiations, such as:
-encouraging the participation of small business in trade;
-addressing behind the border issues like reducing customs paperwork;
-promoting regulatory coherence, including through encouraging cooperation between regulatory bodies;
-considering how best to enhance the competitiveness of TPP Parties;
-focusing on transparency in terms of regulation and administrative processes; and
-considering the needs of developing countries.
In addition, TPP officials made good progress on a wide range of more traditional FTA issues to be covered by the agreement including goods, services, investment, government procurement, intellectual property, technical barriers to trade, competition policy, legal and institutional issues; and capacity building. Discussions also focussed on what types of trade and labour and trade and environment provisions would be appropriate for the TPP.
TPP Parties agreed on a forward work program that will allow TPP Parties to be in a position to begin negotiating text for the agreement at the third round in Brunei on 4-8 October 2010. This includes preparation of elements papers for discussion, possible textual proposals, as well as information exchange on various topics.
TPP Parties also agreed on an intensive schedule of meetings for 2010-11 in order to make maximum headway in the lead-up to the APEC Leaders meeting in Honolulu in November 2011. However, no deadline has been set to conclude the negotiations.
The United States Trade Representative’s office made arrangements for accredited stakeholders’ attendance in the margins of the negotiations in San Francisco. Australian negotiators took the opportunity to meet with and attend presentations by some of these stakeholders.
That’s the goal of most exporters, to define tomorrow. Through export, businesses are able to impact the world. Think about it, the world. Not just NSW or all of Australia but the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa. An exporter’s reach is limitless.
And when you export, it’s not just product or services that are being moved, but culture as well. With each export, companies are sharing Australian values and business practices with the rest of the world.
Through this movement of culture- introducing Australian dependability, flexibility and adaptability- businesses are only enhancing their own value in the international marketplace; which means, their individual value to Australia has increased as well. When this is achieved, a company has successfully impacted the world. This implies a certain change to occur: defining tomorrow through today’s accomplishments.
The Premier’s NSW Export Awards wants to commend those who strive to impact the world, who take risks to spread the Australian name. Regardless of size or reach, if you’re in manufacturing, agribusiness or services, the Premier’s NSW Export Awards has a category or several, to fit your business.
This is an opportunity for your business’ individual value to be recognised. And not only do these awards serve as recognition for a job well done, but they also afford entrants a unique opportunity to share knowledge gained within a competitive environment.
It takes a lot to make a business grow, especially to make it grow within the global market. Drive. Determination. Sacrifice. Risk. In the end, there is a rewarding feeling when all that hard work pays off. Let NSW reward you as well.
Register for the Premier’s NSW Export Awards today, click here. Deadline is 22 August 2010.
That is what NSW Exporters do every single day, figuratively. Each and every export endeavour is a challenge but Australians continue to take the world head on.
Literally speaking, that’s Bega Cheese’s specialty! This local cheddar cheese manufacturing company has been doing business in Australia for over a century and is now distributing its product to over 50 countries around the world.
Its continued success comes from a demand-driven strategy; each export is individually tailored to fit the specific desires of the international marketplace. This adaptability and flexibility exhibited exposes the world to Australian business values.
Spreading these Australian business practices around the world only enhances our own value in the global market, thus increasing an individual business’ value to Australia. We want to commend those dedicated to the betterment of the Australian name. The Premier’s NSW Export Awards is a way to do just that.
Regardless of size or reach, if you’re in agribusiness or I.T., the Premier’s NSW Export Awards has a category or several, to fit your business. It takes a lot to make a business grow. It takes even more to make it grow internationally.
It takes drive. It takes determination. And it takes dedication. Now the question is: does your business have what it takes?
Register for the Premier’s NSW Export Awards today, click here.
This flexibility and inherent adaptability to be whatever consumers need is a leading characteristic of Australian business. It is also something the Sykes Group prides itself on. They design, manufacture, and distribute pumps of various shapes and sizes, covering a full range of capabilities. Standard or custom built, this business strives to meet any needs.
This determination to broaden Australia’s horizons is key to successful business practices in the future. Spreading the Australian name builds credibility, building credibility brings more business, more business increases Australia’s value. Each and every endeavour an exporter takes on does just this, making these businesses invaluable to Australia.
Regardless of the size or reach your business may have, if you’re niche is in manufacturing or legal services, the Premier’s NSW Export Awards has a category or several to fit your business. We want the opportunity to commend you for your hard work, and your dedication to the betterment of the Australian name around the world. It takes a lot of effort to make a business grow.
It takes an even greater effort to make a business grow internationally. Drive. Determination. Sacrifice. Risk. In the end there is a rewarding feeling when all that hard work pays off. Let NSW reward you as well. Register for the Premier’s NSW Export Awards today, click here. Deadline is 22 August 2010
Peter Campbell, Director of the Australian Institute of Export, recently met the new Prime Minister, The Hon. Julia Gillard, MP, at her first Sydney function since becoming Prime Minister of Australia. Mr Campbell took the opportunity to push for additional funding for the Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) Scheme which has recently suffered having its annual budget cut by $50 million. AIEx has been working assiduously to have the EMDG budget restored to $200 million and the meeting with Prime Minister Gillard was a valuable chance to push the case for Australia’s exporters.
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