singapore

Jeff Hannah & Benedict Soh

Perspectives from an Industry Legend: Benedict Soh

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Age, Asia, Branding, China, Communications, Culture, Design, Europe, Graphics, Hong Kong, Japan, Language, Marketing, Middle East, North America, Podcast, Relationships, Singapore, Strategy, Taiwan, Thailand, Time, United States

Interview with Benedict Soh – Chairman of Kingsmen Creatives

This is an interview with an industry legend, Benedict Soh, Chairman and Co-Founder of Kingsmen Creatives Ltd., based in Singapore. In this episode, host Jeff Hannah and Benedict Soh discuss the return of the industry since the COVID-19 pandemic brought the exhibition industry to a complete halt over two years ago. Shows and events are recovering well, with a number of large corporations hosting their own private customer events and product launches. Ben talks about the importance of face-to-face marketing, and the need as an industry to demonstrate excellent ROI for the client stakeholders.

Ben talks about how the trade show industry has evolved over the years, and has excelled at integrating all of the other aspects of technology and marketing. He also talks about how business has changed due to the blending of cultures globally.

Jeff asks Ben about the challenges of running a large corporation with offices in many countries. Jeff asks Ben to give advice to people considering a career in this industry. He talks about mentors, sources of inspiration, and about how he got started in this industry. He also talks about the concepts of work/life balance and work/life integration. And, he talks about what he feels is his greatest achievement.

Benedict Soh is internationally known across the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry and amusement park industry segments. Benedict has been awarded the prestigious Hazel Hayes Award, as well as the Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism by the Singapore Tourism Board. Benedict co-founded Kingsmen Creatives over 45 years ago, and is also Chairman. Kingsmen has now grown to 21 offices across major cities in Asia, the Middle East, and the USA, with global headquarters in Singapore.

Kingsmen are creators of experience, harnessing the power of creativity and design to tell engaging stories that bring brands to life. Kingsmen delivers seamless, innovative and engaging experiences that connect, engage and empower. From conception to completion, their integrated capabilities built over the last 45 years have enabled them to be the one-stop creative solutions partner, delivering memorable, successful campaigns around the world.

This interview was recorded live in Singapore at the Kingsmen Experience, the global headquarter tower of Kingsmen Creatives Ltd., in the Changi District of Singapore, with host Jeff Hannah.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benedict-soh-819b614/

Website: https://www.kingsmen-int.com/

Jeff Hannah & David Hanger

David Hanger’s Best Places to Eat Around the World (Part 1)

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Asia, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Culture, Dubai, Ecuador, Europe, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, Latin America, London, Marketing, Mexico, Middle East, North America, Podcast, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Top Food & Activity Picks Globally by David Hanger 

This 3-part mini-series interview provides a wealth of solid insights and recommendations for restaurants, food, and excursions / activities in five international cities. This is quite different from most of our episodes. But, it’s extremely interesting – and provides an abundance of first-hand recommendations from David Hanger, whose reviews on TripAdvisor have been read by more than 100,000 people. Besides being a “critic of food,” David is an international business executive and consultant based in the USA. Host Jeff Hannah interviewed David during a trip to Singapore.

In Part 1 of this interview, David and Jeff focus on Singapore and Amsterdam. Part 2 of this series covers the Greek Island of Santorini, and the city of Shanghai in China. Part 3 of this series covers the cities of Prague in the Czech Republic, and the US cities of Chicago and Santa Barbara.

It’s quite important to ensure that any restaurant you choose for business meetings or entertainment are excellent choices – not only in terms of food quality, but in terms of atmosphere, location, service level, and cultural fit, to name a few. Hopefully this mini-series will be a great resource for those of you who may be planning shows, events, or personal travel in these cities.

Please feel free to connect with David Hanger if you would like to get other recommendations or information directly from him, as he is a tremendous wealth of knowledge for food and dining globally. His contact info is listed below.

Links to restaurants / activities mentioned in this podcast episode:

Singapore:

Fotia (Mediterranean / Greek restaurant)

Chao Chao Gyoza (Japanese restaurant)

NOX (total darkness restaurant)

The Other Room (speakeasy bar at Marriott Tang Plaza)

Club Street (restaurants / various types of entertainment / nightlife)

CBD (Central Business District)

Novena Square Area

KF1 (go kart circuit)

Singapore Grand Prix (Formula 1 night race)

Haji Lane (near Suntec City & Duo Galleria)

 

Amsterdam:

De Belhamel (romantic atmosphere with French & Italian cuisine)

Stubbe’s Haring (seafood street vendor / restaurant)

Vondelpark (nature park)

 

This interview was recorded at the Urbana Rooftop Bar & Pool at the Marriott Courtyard Singapore Novena Hotel in Singapore with host Jeff Hannah.

Email: davidhanger88@gmail.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidshanger/

Marina Bay Sands SkyPark - Singapore

Geoff Thatcher – Creating Experiences Globally (Part 2)

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Abu Dhabi, Asia, Bahrain, Best Practices, Branding, Branding, Brazil, China, Communications, Culture, Design, Doha, Dubai, Europe, Germany, Graphics, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, Language, Leadership, London, Marketing, Middle East, Non-Verbal Communications, North America, Podcast, Qatar, Relationships, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Storytelling, Strategy, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Verbal Communications

Engaging Globally Through Authentic Storytelling

In Part 2 of this captivating two-part interview with host Jeff Hannah, Geoff Thatcher discusses the use of authentic storytelling to reach audiences around the world. Geoff also talks about the evolution of the experience economy. Geoff shares his advice for clients. Jeff asks Geoff about how international travel has changed him over the years. And, they talk about the importance of maintaining your faith while being on the road.

Geoff Thatcher is Founder & Chief Creative Officer at Creative Principals. He has a tremendous amount of truly world-class experience – and is a brilliant thinker, writer, and creative director. Geoff believes that experiences are distinguished by great story telling. Geoff spent many years as Executive Creative Director at The Brand Experience. Recent projects include the grand opening of Warner Brothers World Abu Dhabi, a traveling exhibition for the King Abdullah Foundation in Saudi Arabia, a new lobby experience for Palo Alto Networks and new concepts for the executive briefing program at Dell Technologies.

Other highlights from his career include his work on the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health in Washington, DC, the Lockheed Martin Space Experience Center and Honeywell’s Industrial Safety Customer Experience Center (Shanghai & many other cities).

Geoff also served as Creative Director at the Tom Peters Company where he worked with many top industry leaders – and helped to facilitate leadership training within Microsoft, John Deere, Deloitte and The CIA.

He also worked for more than seven years as a writer at Jack Rouse Associates (JRA) – where he helped develop many experiences, such as the CNN Studio Tour (Atlanta), and the Battleship Missouri Memorial.

Be sure to listen to Part 1 of this interview with Geoff Thatcher.

www.creativeprincipals.com

Twitter: @geoffthatcher

Geoff Thatcher LinkedIn

Marina Bay Sands SkyPark - Singapore

Geoff Thatcher – Creating Experiences Globally (Part 1)

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Abu Dhabi, Asia, Australia, Bahrain, Best Practices, Branding, Branding, China, Communications, Culture, Design, Doha, Dubai, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, Language, Latin America, Leadership, London, Marketing, Mexico, Middle East, Non-Verbal Communications, North America, Podcast, Qatar, Relationships, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Storytelling, Strategy, Sydney, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Verbal Communications

Engaging Globally Through Authentic Storytelling

In Part 1 of this captivating two-part interview with host Jeff Hannah, Geoff Thatcher discusses the use of authentic storytelling to reach audiences around the world. Geoff also talks about the evolution of the experience economy. Geoff shares his advice for clients. Jeff asks Geoff about how international travel has changed him over the years. And, they talk about the importance of maintaining your faith while being on the road.

Geoff Thatcher is Founder & Chief Creative Officer at Creative Principals. He has a tremendous amount of truly world-class experience – and is a brilliant thinker, writer, and creative director. Geoff believes that experiences are distinguished by great story telling. Geoff spent many years as Executive Creative Director at The Brand Experience. Recent projects include the grand opening of Warner Brothers World Abu Dhabi, a traveling exhibition for the King Abdullah Foundation in Saudi Arabia, a new lobby experience for Palo Alto Networks and new concepts for the executive briefing program at Dell Technologies.

Other highlights from his career include his work on the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health in Washington, DC, the Lockheed Martin Space Experience Center and Honeywell’s Industrial Safety Customer Experience Center (Shanghai & many other cities).

Geoff also served as Creative Director at the Tom Peters Company where he worked with many top industry leaders – and helped to facilitate leadership training within Microsoft, John Deere, Deloitte and The CIA.

He also worked for more than seven years as a writer at Jack Rouse Associates (JRA) – where he helped develop many experiences, such as the CNN Studio Tour (Atlanta), and the Battleship Missouri Memorial.

Be sure to listen to Part 2 of this interview with Geoff Thatcher.

www.creativeprincipals.com

Twitter: @geoffthatcher

Geoff Thatcher LinkedIn