TTGassociations Publications January 2019 | Page 3

EDITORIAL Karen Yue Group Editor ([email protected]) S Puvaneswary Editor, Malaysia/Brunei ([email protected]) Mimi Hudoyo Editor, Indonesia ([email protected]) Pamela Chow Reporter ([email protected]) Rachel AJ Lee, Yixin Ng Sub Editors ([email protected], [email protected]) Adelaine Ng Australia ([email protected]) Marissa Carruthers Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam ([email protected]) Prudence Lui Hong Kong/Greater China ([email protected]) Rohit Kaul India ([email protected]) Julian Ryall Japan ([email protected]) Rosa Ocampo The Philippines ([email protected]) Feizal Samath Sri Lanka/Maldives ([email protected]) Caroline Boey China & Special Projects ([email protected]) Paige Lee Pei Qi Assistant Editor, Special Projects ([email protected]) Redmond Sia, Goh Meng Yong Creative Designers Lina Tan Editorial Assistant SALES & MARKETING Pierre Quek Publisher ([email protected]) Ar-Iene Lee Senior Business Manager ([email protected]) Jonathan Yap Senior Business Manager ([email protected]) Shirley Tan Senior Business Manager ([email protected]) Ingrid Chung Business Manager ([email protected]) Cheryl Tan Corporate Marketing Manager ([email protected]) Kwek Wan Ling Marketing Executive ([email protected]) Delia Ng Digital Marketing Strategist ([email protected]) Cheryl Lim Advertisement Administration Manager ([email protected]) Carol Cheng Asst Manager Administration & Marketing (Hong Kong, carol.cheng@ttgasia. com) What rocks you? Wild whoops and energetic percussion beats interrupted polite chatter one early morning in a function room at Grand Hyatt Singapore, where the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) was hosting its Association Leadership Forum. And as the cheerful percussion band comprising youths from Urban Drum Crew Singapore marched through the room, it drew immediate silence and at- tention – and awe – from all delegates. It was a spectacular way to ‘wake’ delegates and kick off an intensive day of knowledge exchange among association chiefs and executives from around the way. Plus, I bet the amazing visuals from the band’s Laser Percussion Show must have gotten ASAE more than a couple of social media tags. But just as importantly, engaging Urban Drum Crew Singapore as the opening act for the two-day conference demonstrated to an international audience that Singa- pore can be fun and entertaining, and she has some creative folks in her midst. More than a decade ago, when I was a conference and event manager, I remem- ber having to reach beyond Singapore for quality acts whenever clients were not confident of seeing world-class local acts. Michael Chow Publisher Emeritus PUBLISHING SERVICES Jonathan Wan Division Manager Kun Swee Qi Publishing Services Executive Nur Hazirah Web Executive Katherine Leong Circulation Executive OFFICES Singapore TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd, 1 Science Park Road, #04-07 The Capricorn, Singapore Science Park II, Singapore 117528 Tel: [phone], fax: [phone], email: [email protected] Hong Kong TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd, 8/F, E168, 166-168 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: [phone], fax: [phone] TTG ASIA MEDIA PTE LTD Darren Ng Managing Director All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. MCI (P) 048/05/2018 Printed by Times Printers Pte Ltd 16 Tuas Avenue 5, Singapore 639340. Karen Yue Group Editor Back then, Australian acts were highly favoured. As impressive as they were, they were also costly, requiring flight and ac- commodation for all performers on top of their engagement fees. Fortunately, over time, Singapore acts polished up and many gained regional and international exposure. Urban Drum Crew Singapore, for instance, have performed more than 1,000 shows professionally since its formation in 2005. And it isn’t just Singapore acts that have gotten their act together. Across Asia quality event entertainment options are growing, to the benefit of planners taking events to this part of the world. Our team of writers have gone through their back- yard to identify a few interesting acts that work for a variety of event purposes. Besides those featured in this issue’s Guide to Inspiring Entertainment (pages 13-16), I would also like to urge you to consider performance groups belonging to schools and charity organisations, whose performers need and value opportunities to present their creative capabilities and to build their confidence. Most conven- tion bureaux will be able to recommend a few for you to consider and to help make initial connections.