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OKY and SUZUKI Guatemala form Strategic Alliance

OKY

OKY, a cross-border e-commerce fintech platform, and Suzuki Guatemala have announced the formation of a strategic alliance for the Guatemalan marketplace. Suzuki Guatemala, one of the country’s leading companies, will now be selling their products through OKY’s innovative platform. The addition of Suzuki to the OKY network of over 100 leading brands enables immigrants in the United States to purchase Suzuki motorcycles in Guatemala through a variety of payment options, including cash, credit card, or direct transfer from a banking account. In addition, this partnership allows OKY users in the U.S. to give their loved ones increased mobility which opens new opportunities for economic advancement. The alliance came into effect on July 16, 2021. To use the service, the user must download the application and create an account. Then, they can make a purchase directly through the application or go to one of the 1,380 points of sale in more than 250 cities in the United States and add funds with cash. Once the recipient in Guatemala has received their digital voucher, they can present it to a salesperson at their nearest Suzuki branch and choose from more than 30 motorcycle models Suzuki Guatemala offers. The entire process is safe and immediate. “As immigrants, we understand what the needs of the region are, the challenges they face, and the type of support that is required from family or friends who are currently in the United States,” said Víctor Unda CEO of OKY. “Through this alliance, Guatemalans abroad will be able to offer their loved one’s access to one of the most popular and important motorcycle brands in Guatemala. This collaboration between OKY and Suzuki is unique. We will be able to observe the positive impact of the application of technology as a tool to promote inclusion and provide a better quality of life for all,” he added. Beyond providing them access to an effective, safe, and less expensive method of transportation, the alliance between OKY and Suzuki Guatemala allows immigrants in the United States to offer an indispensable work tool to their parents, children, or friends. In turn, this will enable them to continue the path toward financial independence. OKY is the only fintech platform designed to give immigrant communities the ability to digitize cash and engage in cross-border e-commerce activities. Through OKY, users can send funds directly to family members in their home country to make purchases at participating retailers such as Suzuki. By removing these barriers, a motorcycle company like Suzuki can now sell products to Guatemalans in the United States who do not have access to traditional financial tools, making it a unique alliance for immigrants and their families in the region. This alliance not only adds a leading global brand to OKY’s network but also aligns itself with the mission of providing immigrants in the United States with a greater number of resources that contribute to closing the geographic divide with more appropriate and equitable financial solutions. Through OKY, users can continue to participate and contribute in a meaningful way to the lives of those they had to leave. “Suzuki is one of the most popular motorcycle brands in Guatemala, and we are committed to the progress and economic development of the communities we serve. We are proud to be a part of the OKY network,” said Ing. Balmory Leck, Suzuki Sales Manager in Guatemala. “The work and dedication of the immigrant community in the United States is admirable and we are confident that, together with OKY, we can continue to support and have a positive impact on the economic development and growth of their home countries,” he added. ABOUT OKY OKY was launched in the summer of 2020 for immigrants and by immigrants, with the vision of helping underserved communities achieve financial equity and overcome common financial barriers through the use of technology. OKY achieves this by enabling users to make e-commerce transactions without the support of financial institutions, which often impede the immigrant community from attaining financial stability. Today, OKY users across the United States and other countries have access to a marketplace that connects the Central American region including retail service providers in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and some offerings for México. For more information, please visit the company’s website, https://okyapp.com/en/ ABOUT SUZUKI SUZUKI, with more than 50 years in the Guatemalan market, currently being the leader of Motorcycles in Guatemala. It has the largest stock of Parts and Accessories in Central America. Its mission is to be a comprehensive and productive organization for Guatemalans, sell motorcycles and high-quality products with the best support, generating business opportunities through a network of employees, trade agents, and satisfied customers. Contact Details Julio Ligorria julio@balserapr.com Company Website https://okyapp.com/en/

September 15, 2021 01:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time

HOWES INDUCTS TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING INTO ITS HALL OF FAME

Howes

Today, the Howes Hall of Fame announced Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) as its first inductee to the class of 2021. A grassroots organization working tirelessly alongside truckers since 2009, TAT has taken a true stand against this appalling practice. TAT’s mission is to educate, equip, empower, and mobilize members of the trucking, bus, and energy industries to combat human trafficking. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that exists whenever people are bought and sold for forced labor or commercial sex. Though illegal, human trafficking is a growing criminal enterprise made up of individuals, groups, and even wide-spread trafficking networks. A worldwide operation, there are hundreds of thousands of victims that can be found in the US alone. Men, women, and children are all at risk for becoming victims. But sex trafficking victims are often female, many of whom are trafficked as children, with a disproportionate number consisting of women and girls of color. These people are prostituted out on the streets, in private homes, restaurants, motels, and truck stops. Acknowledging that truckers are the eyes and ears of our nation’s highways, Truckers Against Trafficking has been turning truckers into a trained and vigilant arm that can recognize the evils of human trafficking hiding in plain sight. They have developed a certification program to provide participants with the tools to recognize the signs of trafficking and safely report it via an anonymous hotline. This training can and has changed the fate of victims desperately in need. The hotline, operated by the nonprofit Polaris, is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it enables witnesses to report these crimes quickly, often right as they’re happening. This form of early intervention has put truckers in a unique position to close loopholes to traffickers seeking to exploit our transportation system for their personal gain. Having educated over 1.2 million truckers, TAT also works to build coalitions between managers of truck stops/travel plazas and the law enforcement that investigate trafficking cases on their lots. “We are truly honored and inspired by our induction into the Howes Hall of Fame,” said TAT Executive Director, Kendis Paris. “With more and more truckers getting involved each day, we genuinely appreciate the recognition by Howes as it shines a light that will serve to draw in even more drivers, growing our network of eyes and ears even further, in pursuit of our goal to eradicate human trafficking.” Truckers Against Trafficking has made becoming part of the solution a simple and easy process. For more information on how to get involved and become TAT certified, visit https://education.truckersagainsttrafficking.org/. “We are in awe of the incredible work being done by Truckers Against Trafficking and are truly honored to induct them into our Howes Hall of Fame,” commented Erika Howes, VP of Business Development at Howes Products. “With around 3,000 hotline calls having been made and over 1,300 victims having been identified so far, it is easy to see the real impact Truckers Against Trafficking is making. We invite everyone in the trucking and related industries to take action, get certified, and become an everyday hero.” The Howes Hall of Fame serves as a platform for Howes to acknowledge and thank all the great work that has, and does, go into the trucking and agricultural industries. With the goal of recognizing unique achievements across a broad spectrum of categories, the Hall provides a showcase that will live on for generations. The Howes Hall of Fame officially launched in 2020 as part of the Howes Family’s celebration of 100 years in business. It can be viewed now at www.howesproducts.com/HOF. ABOUT HOWES For over a century, Howes has been developing the highest quality additives and lubricants for a wide array of vehicles and equipment. Howes is committed to providing superior products that clean, protect, and always perform. Proven to work, and containing absolutely no alcohol or harmful solvents, Howes products are guaranteed to keep you moving. For over 100 years, Howes products continue to be Tested. Trusted. Guaranteed. ABOUT TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING Truckers Against Trafficking is a 501c3 organization working to build the largest mobile army of transportation professionals dedicated to discovering and disrupting human trafficking networks. Contact Details Brodeur Partners Dean Carney +1 646-746-5607 dcarney@brodeur.com Company Website https://www.howesproducts.com/

September 15, 2021 10:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

LIVERPOOL JOHN LENNON AIRPORT GETS ‘STATE OF THE ART’ COVID PCR TESTING LABORATORY

Test Assurance Group (TAG), Salutaris People, Source BioScience and Liverpool John Lennon Airport

TEST ASSURANCE GROUP (TAG) AND SALUTARIS PEOPLE PARTNERS WITH SOURCE BIOSCIENCE TO PROVIDE 3 HOUR RAPID PCR TESTING SERVICES FOR JOHN LENNON AIRPORT AIRLINE PASSENGERS ON SITE LAB WILL ERADICATE ‘UNCLEARS’ & ‘LOST TEST’ RESULTS Leading British healthcare and testing company Salutaris People - which operates the rapid PCR testing services for airline passengers at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, in partnership with Test Assurance Group Ltd (TAG(Official Covid-19 testing partner to Liverpool John Lennon Airport)- has today unveiled a brand new COVID testing laboratory at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The state-of-the-art facility is in partnership with Source BioScience - a leading international provider of laboratory services to clients in the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, clinical, life science research and biopharma industries - and Salutaris People in partnership with Test Assurance Group Ltd (TAG) are providing COVID and PCR testing at Liverpool John Lennon airport. The new laboratory has been designed to perform 500 tests per day but can easily be increased in scale to facilitate 1000 tests and beyond if required. Source BioScience are Accredited to ISO 15189: 2012 standards and is also a DHSC listed provider of COVID-19 testing. The service provided by TAG, Salutaris People,and Source BioScience enables airline passengers at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and those flying from other UK airports with a Rapid Fit to Fly testing service with a turnaround time of 3 hours, alongside a Standard 24 hour Fit to Fly testing service. Samples are also collected on site at Liverpool and processed at Source BioScience’s main laboratory in Nottingham enabling Day 2, Day 8, Test to Release and a diagnostic PCR COVID testing service for customers. Cliff Kirby Board Director of Test Assurance Group said: "We are incredibly proud to be working in partnership with Liverpool John Lennon Airport to support their testing needs. As a business located in the Liverpool City Region it is very important to TAG to ensure the service offered is best in class. Throughout the course of 2021 we have put the passenger first whenever there has been a change in legislation or entry requirements for travel has changed. In line with this it is brilliant for all concerned that Source BioScience have dedicated a facility to support the vision laid out between TAG and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. As we all start to accept and learn to live with COVID-19 we hope that our approach will make a real difference to those passengers who choose to fly from Liverpool John Lennon Airport." Ben Paglia MD of Akea Life, the clinical testing partner to Salutaris People said; “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Source BioScience to provide brand new state of the art facilities on site at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and to offer our customers the best-in-class when it comes to rapid PCR testing services. For airline passengers using Liverpool John Lennon airport, or any other UK airport for that matter, they can book a test with confidence, knowing their COVID test will be administered by trained healthcare staff and then processed on site within our laboratory, with results back in 3 hours or 24 hours depending on the service chosen. We offer a seamless and simple user journey experience for the customer, making this part of the travel process as simple and painless as possible from a trusted healthcare provider. More importantly with our lab facilities on site this eradicates test results going missing in the postal system and the huge amount of ‘Unclear’ test results that have originated from self-administered test kits provided by major airlines and travel operators as part of their testing regimes. This has caused a huge amount of disruption with passengers paying twice for testing kits and a huge amount of disruption to air travel and holiday plans. ‘Unclears’ and ‘lost test results’ continue to pose a major issue to airline passengers.” Salutaris People are committed to providing the best possible testing services to its customers from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to make the testing experience seamless, simple and easy to use. It has made a substantial investment into the onsite laboratory facilities at Liverpool John Lennon airport as European and International air travel strives to return to full flight schedules. Commenting on the new facilities at Liverpool John Lennon airport, Commercial Director Lucy O’Shaughnessy, said; “We are delighted to be the first airport in the UK to have such a unique facility and service. Liverpool John Lennon Airport can now provide our valued airline passengers with a state-of-the-art COVID testing facility on site here at the airport as we start to resume our flight schedules and have more passengers flying again. The airport continually strives to offer the best possible service for our customers at all times. Working in partnership with Test Assurance Group (TAG) / Salutaris People and Source BioScience enables us to offer a convenient and efficient PCR testing service operated by trusted healthcare providers.” Liverpool John Lennon Airport is one of the few airports in the UK to have such a dedicated facility. It is operated by four laboratory staff including a shift supervisor and has 8 PCR analysers on site, a Bio Molecular Systems liquid handler and a thermal cycler to offer a rapid real-time qualitative PCR method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Nick Bills Healthcare Director for Source BioScience said; “Source BioScience have worked together with EMS Mobile Healthcare to design and build a state-of-the-art mobile COVID testing laboratory for Salutaris People at Liverpool Airport. This laboratory will allow Salutaris People to offer the best-in-class testing services to airline passengers flying from Liverpool John Lennon airport. Source BioScience is a leading international provider of laboratory services to clients in the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, clinical, life science research and biopharma industries and our focus is on improving patient diagnosis, management and care.” Both Test Assurance Group and Salutaris People are DHSC listed COVID-19 test providers. Salutaris People also offer a testing suite at Wilmslow which is minutes from Manchester Airport. The TAG / Salutaris partnership nables them to offer their service to all passengers flying from either Liverpool John Lennon Airport or Manchester Airport, as well as airline passengers who live in Liverpool, North Wales, Manchester and Cheshire who may be flying from other UK airports to their holiday destinations. For more information on Salutaris People and to book a test, visit: www.salutarispeople.com For more information on Test Assurance Group and book a test visit: www.testassurancegroup.com/bookatest For more information on Salutaris airport testing, visit: www.salutarispeople.com/airport-testing/ For more information on Source BioScience please contact https://www.sourcebioscience.com ENDS For further information on Salutaris People, Akea Life, Test Assurance Group and Source BioScience Please contact Gerard Franklin - Head Of PR & Communications M: 07791 039636 e: gerard@i5media.co.uk NOTES TO EDITORS TEST ASSURANCE GROUP (TAG) TAG was formed at the end of Q1 2020 to address the inevitable need to provide end to end testing solutions supporting the national effort to help navigate a route through the COVid-19 pandemic. TAG take the view that the post pandemic World will be quite different to that of early 2020. To that end TAG take a very different approach and make best use of process and technology to build and deliver end to end testing solutions that deliver efficiencies to the market and enable an easier transition to a post COVID-19 market. The Core team at TAG bring with them over 200 years of business experience across all sectors from medical, legal, group ownership, and technology. However, TAG are very much a business that believe in partnership and work closely with the team at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Salutaris People. Outside of the partnership with Liverpool John Lennon Airport TAG are working with a range of community partners to bring forward Covid-19 testing solutions to the market to support a much wider community footprint. www.testassurancegroup.com SALUTARIS PEOPLE Salutaris People was formed in 2020 by healthcare entrepreneurs and disruptors Ross Tomkins CEO (Therapy Direct, Normedica) and Ben Paglia CEO (Akea Life) who wanted to combine their innovative healthcare businesses to develop a trusted healthcare brand. Its purpose was to fight the Coronavirus pandemic and become a trusted provider of Covid related medical services. Ross Tompkins and Ben Paglia decided to combine their expertise from three well established medical businesses with 30 years of healthcare experience to form the Salutaris subsidiary. The company provides a range of medical services including, PCR Covid 19 testing for businesses, private individuals and outbound airline passengers. It also supplies rapid antigen and rapid antibody testing for UK businesses and remote telemedicine services for business and the general public. Salutaris People is also one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of high-grade PPE, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to private businesses, primary care trusts, the public sector and Governments. It draws upon on the extensive background and expertise in medical services and healthcare derived from these companies www.salutarispeople.com AKEA LIFE – Clinical Testing Partner To Salutaris People AKEA LIFE is a CQC registered 5-star private GP medical business, providing the UK’s first fully private concierge medical service of private doctors, health care professionals and nurses. The practice also retains a Covid 19 Consultant Virologist to advise on all Covid 19 related matters. Its clients have ranged from football clubs such as Liverpool Football club, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, IAC Automotive, Lift Financial and Bentley Manchester. It has also provided private Covid 19 testing for several TV and film companies including a number of Hollywood actors filming on location in the UK https://akealife.co.uk AKEA LIFE - Consultant Virologist - Dr Brendan Payne Dr Brendan Payne is an honorary consultant physician in infectious diseases at the Royal Victoria Infirmary - Newcastle Upon Tyne. Dr Brendan Payne holds CCTs in both infectious diseases and virology and works jointly across both departments at the Newcastle Hospitals. He has particular interests in viral infections, especially in immunocompromised hosts, and is also the medical lead for the regional Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) service. Dr Payne is an honorary clinical senior lecturer at Newcastle University, where he is a Principal Investigator in the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research. His main research interests are focussed on HIV and ageing. He is also involved in clinical and diagnostic research studies for the Newcastle Hospitals. These include clinical trials in HIV, and more recently COVID-19. He is senior tutor for medical students intercalating into the MRes programme. Special interests • Complex HIV (particularly neurological, metabolic complications, and anti-retroviral resistance) • Infection in the non-HIV immunocompromised patient • Viral infectious diseases • Diagnostics of viral infections • Chronic fatigue syndrome • Clinical research SOURCE BIOSCIENCE Source BioScience is a leading international provider of laboratory services to clients in the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, clinical, life science research and biopharma industries and our focus is on improving patient diagnosis, management and care. Source BioScience are Accredited to ISO 15189: 2012 standards and also one a DHSC listed provider of COVID-19 testing. Professor William L. Irving, Professor and Honorary Consultant in Virology is part of the Source BioScience Scientific Advisory Board, see full profile here https://www.sourcebioscience.com/scientific-advisory-board/professor-william-l-irving/ Proud winners of the Medilink Midlands Business Awards 2021 ‘Delivery Innovation In To Health and Care’ Source BioScience services include: Healthcare Diagnostics – histopathology and clinical diagnostic services for the NHS and private healthcare providers across the UK and Ireland. Genomics – Sanger and Next Generation sequencing services for pharmaceutical and biotech industries, academia, CRO and other research groups in the UK, Europe and the US Stability Storage – controlled environmental storage and shelf life testing services and stability storage equipment for pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, contract manufacturers and analytical testing companies in the UK, Europe and the US Infectious Disease Testing – since May 2020, COVID-19 Antigen RT-PCR testing services to the NHS, private healthcare providers and private industry. More details can be found here: www.sourcebioscience.com MEDIA NOTICE Ben Paglia MD Akea Life & Cliff Kirby Test Assurance Group are available for media interviews B Roll footage shot at Liverpool John Lennon Airport Interviews and footage of the laboratory Source BioScience laboratory images interior /exterior and company logos Are all available to download here from WE TRANSFER https://we.tl/t-8gYR96awZA Contact Details Gerard Franklin +44 7791 039636 gerard@i5media.co.uk Company Website https://testassurancegroup.com/

September 15, 2021 03:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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The 2021 American Thoracic Society Virtual Event

Convey Services

In 2021 the American Thoracic Society hosted their annual conference as a virtual event. The ATS Virtual Conference provided both attendees and exhibitors with a virtual experience that would closely replicate the in-person environment. The ATS International Conference attracts pulmonary, critical care, and sleep professionals, from those in the earliest stages of their careers to those whose research or strides in clinical care has gained them international recognition. Each year, nearly 14,000 of these professionals choose to attend, present, and learn about the latest advances, meet with colleagues from around the world, and create new collaborations and connections. It is truly where today’s science meets tomorrow’s care. Download the case study for free at: Case Study in Virtual & Hybrid Events for Medical Organizations — The story of ATS 2021. “The MCI Group was tapped to be the event management company for the ATS virtual event, said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “MCI is a global engagement and marketing agency that creates human-centric touchpoints to unleash the power of people to deliver innovation and growth. Cloud Conventions was selected as the virtual technology platform to manage the ATS virtual event. Our solutions is a sophisticated enterprise platform that manages everything needed to execute a flawless virtual event, tradeshow or conference.” ATS Virtual Conference Goal The virtual conference was designed around three main elements to meet the goal: • Presentations & Sessions • CME/MOC Education • The Industry Solution Center for sponsors Attendees at the ATS Virtual Conference engaged through networking events featuring experts from the medical industry, attendee-to-exhibitor real-time chat, online discussion forums and “ Community™ ” featuring searchable attendee directories, profile cards for each attendee and instant messaging between attendees. The live portion of the virtual conference was held over a five-day period, and on-demand content was made available for ninety days. Click here to download: Case Study in Virtual & Hybrid Events for Medical Organizations — The story of ATS 2021 About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 14, 2021 04:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Cloud Conventions Creates DIY Playbook for Managing & Delivering Virtual Events

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today released a new Do-it-Yourself (DIY) eBook for associations, nonprofits, and businesses designed to reduce cost and increase efficiency with a self-managed program to create and deliver a virtual conference or trade event. It’s all outlined in “The DIY Virtual and Hybrid Event — Case Study,” available for free to download. Cloud Conventions is a sophisticated event management platform that redefines the attendee and exhibitor experience focused on delivering virtual and hybrid events for associations and business. “Most organizations with live events that were scheduled in 2020 and 2021 have now had the experience of staging those events virtually,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “Even though live events are returning, maintaining a virtual event option will be vital to your event strategy, even after all of the challenges of COVID have passed. To simplify and demystify the process, we created a DIY program for meeting planners that have gotten comfortable with virtual events but want to maximize their effectiveness, while managing more of the elements themselves to reduce cost and maintain more control.” The cost and effort to add virtual options to complement a live event or as a stand-alone event has been overwhelming for many organizations with limited staff or a tight budget. Cloud Conventions’ DIY Virtual Events offer a low-cost subscription to the event management platform and a step-by-step playbook to simplify planning, execution, and management. The DIY event program shows you on how to create a content and session strategy, a virtual exhibit option for sponsors, expanded attendee engagement strategies and a way to automate onboarding attendees and manage the platform. A DIY platform comes configured and organized, making it easy to brand and add other elements without technical expertise or programming. “We generated two of our own virtual events before we began delivering virtual events to clients,” added Bradfield. “We took the lessons we gained from our events and coupled them with what we learned from executing hundreds of events for other customers. We created an eBook that outlines 9 key steps for executing a successful DIY virtual event. In this eBook, we relate those steps to how we delivered Cloud Conventions 2021, a virtual trade event for the telecommunications and cloud sales channel in May 2021.” The Cloud Conventions technology platform is designed with the non-technical user in mind with self-help and user tips built into administrative routines. The platform comes with templates for email communication, virtual exhibitor booths, session and content posts, directories and pages. Customers can take advantage of built-in Zoom or BlueJeans by Verizon conferencing capabilities to broadcast video sessions and keynotes. Event planners can also use their own preferred video accounts such as Teams, GoToMeeting or GlobalMeet. Analytics and reporting are automated to give the event organizer and exhibitors a detailed view of all attendee engagement. Click here to download: The DIY Virtual and Hybrid Event — Case Study About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 14, 2021 03:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cloud Conventions Releases New eBook for Associations Detailing 2021 Virtual & Hybrid Event Outlook

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today released a new eBook exclusively for event planners of professional associations and trade groups entitled “2021 Virtual & Hybrid Event Outlook for Associations,” available free to download. It offers practical advice for associations to make their next live, hybrid or virtual event deliver the right experience for the organization, its members, and sponsors. The eBooks focuses on the business case for redefining online event experiences backed by research. “Professionals that manage live and virtual conferences for associations struggle with how they should engage their membership now that live events are starting to return,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “We assembled this eBook to look at research from well-respected sources to see how having virtual event options has impacted how members engage with associations before, during and after the pandemic. We look at how sponsors view their investment in virtual events, and what it tells us about how associations should plan their event strategy moving forward.” In 2020 the pandemic forced associations to cancel in-person gatherings and pivot to everything from webinars to multi-day virtual conferences. Scrambling to offer some sort of online experience to replace the much-anticipated live conferences represented a fundamental change in the way an association and its membership connected historically. The result was a lower revenue producing virtual option that represented a huge decline in the association’s bottom line. However, the upside of virtual events, when effectively done, has been a game changer for many associations leading to increased attendance, greater member engagement and additional sponsorship revenue outside of membership or attendance fees. “Now that live events are starting to return, associations have asked themselves if continuing virtual events are really worth it,” added Bradfield. “ The 2020 study of 1,000 respondents, ‘Association Trends: From Disruption to Opportunity ’ produced by Community Brands reveals that having a virtual option for membership participation has moved from a nice to have, to a must have. Recent cancellations of live events because of renewed COVID concerns scheduled for this fall is an indicator that the pandemic is far from over. Having a virtual or hybrid option still is the best insurance that the show will go on, no matter what.” Although 2020 was disruptive, in the last several years revenue from membership dues has declined for many associations, while revenue from other sources increased, accounting for over half of the funding for a given group. “2021 Virtual & Hybrid Event Outlook for Associations” reviews the value delivered to the membership and key factors behind increased participation when doing virtual or hybrid events. Cloud Conventions is an event management platform that redefines the attendee and exhibitor experience with a strong focus on delivering virtual and hybrid events for association and nonprofit groups. Click here to download: 2021 Virtual & Hybrid Event Outlook for Associations About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 14, 2021 03:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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How the Airbnb Community is Supporting Afghan Refugees

YourUpdateTV

Over the past several years, the Airbnb community has opened thousands of doors to those in need. Airbnb.org -- an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in moments of crisis -- has helped to shelter those displaced by natural disasters, and offered hundreds of thousands of places to stay and peace of mind to frontline workers at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, Airbnb.org Host and Member of the Airbnb Host Advisory Board, Susan Bailey, participated in a nationwide satellite media tour to discuss Airbnb.org and a new initiative aimed at helping Afghan refugees. Over the past few weeks, it has become abundantly clear that the displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees here in the United States and elsewhere is a significant humanitarian crisis -- and in the face of this need, the Airbnb community is ready to once again step up. The announcement builds on efforts that have already begun in support of Afghan refugees at Airbnb and Airbnb.org. Recently, Airbnb.org infused emergency funding and support to the International Rescue Committee, HIAS and Church World Service to provide immediate temporary stays for up to 1,000 arriving Afghan refugees. Airbnb.org also worked with partners to place refugees in safe housing shortly after touching down in the US. Airbnb and Airbnb.org also recognize that the situation on the ground is fast evolving. Airbnb.org will closely collaborate with resettlement agencies and partners to go where the need goes, and evolve this initiative and our support as necessary. Organizations that are interested in partnering with Airbnb.org to help resettle Afghan refugees can get in touch here. Over the past four years, Airbnb.org and Airbnb have connected approximately 25,000 refugees -- including hundreds participating in the U.S. Special Immigrant Visa Program -- to temporary housing. In addition, earlier this year, Airbnb.org announced the creation of the $25 million Refugee Fund, to further expand Airbnb.org’s support of refugees and asylum seekers worldwide. To learn more about Airbnb.org’s work to open homes to Afghan refugees, go to airbnb.org/refugees About Susan Bailey: Susan Bailey is an Airbnb.org host. Susan and her husband Steve have hosted seven refugee families from five different countries since 2016. She has been an Airbnb Superhost since 2013 and is currently a member of Airbnb's Host Advisory Board. She hosts listings in Denver, CO and Long Beach, CA. In addition to her own listings, Susan hosts for friends and family throughout Colorado and California. She has had a passion for hosting guests in need since she began hosting. Susan was a global sales and marketing executive in the technology industry for thirty three years before launching her second career as a management consultant and host. Susan enjoys supporting nonprofit organizations and currently serves as co-chair of the Colorado Ballet Board of Trustees and as development chair for Operation Warm, based in Chadds Ford, PA. Susan is married with two children and recently became a grandmother. Nine month old baby Lucy is the source of immense personal joy for Susan. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

September 14, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cloud Conventions Announces New Virtual Event Management Platform Capabilities

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today released a suite of new features and additional capabilities to improve the user experience for virtual or hybrid events, trade shows and association conferences. New features include integration with the BlueJeans by Verizon video conferencing platform, a new unique 2D Virtual Showroom and Virtual Booth display, additional exhibitor engagement capabilities and new session registration and notification options. These new capabilities further enhance Cloud Conventions’ position as one of the premier enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platforms that is redefining the exhibitor and attendee experience. “As we learn more about what drives attendee and exhibitor engagement, those insights direct us to add features and capabilities to address and improve the attendee and exhibitor experience,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “The 2D Virtual Showroom and Exhibit Booth customizes the look and feel of the exhibit hall and offers a more engaging experience. It serves as a central navigation point using a unique image with embedded links, graphics and videos overlaid. We integrated with BlueJeans by Verizon to offer a conferencing platform that delivers high resolution video and Dolby-quality sound while allowing the participant to enter any session or keynote without leaving the platform. We also can cap registration on any session, creating a wait list and automatic notifications when the attendee has been cleared to attend.” The 2D Virtual Showroom and Exhibit Booth provides a self-managed, totally customized experience by adding a library of unique exhibit hall or virtual booth images and then overlaying them with interactive zones that link to embedded videos, navigational buttons, images, badge scan and message icons that link to other locations on the platform. Virtual showrooms can appear on the event site homepage or attendee dashboard to direct the user through the event experience or can become the main virtual exhibit hall. 2D virtual booths can be added to templates providing silver, gold and platinum exhibitors each with a distinctive booth experience based on sponsorship levels. BlueJeans by Verizon has a unique iFrame capability that allows attendees to connect automatically to live or keynote sessions from any location on the Cloud Conventions’ platform. Their attendee information is automatically transferred to BlueJeans, and their activity is recorded and delivered back to Cloud Conventions’ event reports. BlueJeans offers the industry's highest fidelity audio and video performance, as well as suite of comprehensive security features. It can host live events with up to 50,000 attendees and 150 presenters worldwide. BlueJeans streams to Facebook Live for larger audiences to view the session as it happens. About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 13, 2021 04:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cloud Conventions Launches Virtual Event Network Solution for Enterprise Business

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today announced an enterprise virtual event management solution for Fortune 1000 businesses that need to manage both internal and customer facing events on a year-round basis. Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™ is a SaaS platform that manages and delivers multiple virtual or hybrid events with capabilities and engagement features beyond a simple webinar or streaming event. Cloud Conventions Enterprise onboards and manages attendees, controls sessions and content, provides engagement tools and analyzes all attendee interactions. The platform can be administered at a corporate level to support standardized event programming and maintain content libraries and business resources. It can be connected to other internal or external systems for onboarding attendees and data exchange. “Cloud Conventions Enterprise grew out of requirements from large global businesses to needed to control and manage their sales, marketing and technical events on a single virtual event platform or on a series of platforms connected into an event network,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “Cloud Conventions Enterprise is unique in that it integrates easily with other enterprise platforms that hold contact, digital content assets or learning management resources, managing a two-way dataflow of content and videos while monitoring and reporting on attendee engagement.” Cloud Conventions Enterprise is designed for organizations that need a solution for multiple events versus a single tradeshow or conference. The Cloud Conventions member API connects to internal systems to seamlessly add data records of staff or customer attendees and offers single sign-on from an enterprise application. The platform can be connected to marketing cloud solutions, digital content libraries, learning management systems or data analysis engines to deliver assets and receive transactional data from attendance at a virtual or hybrid event or conference. Groups using Zoom or BlueJeans by Verizon can connect their video accounts for use on the platform or can use other video solutions such as Teams, WebEx, GlobalMeet or GoToMeeting. “As a result of the virtualization of the workforce accelerated during the Pandemic, Cloud Conventions Enterprise is built to satisfy a growing need for virtual event options within an enterprise corporate environment,” added Bradfield. “Company meetings, internal or external trade events, user conferences, sales kickoffs, and even investor relations events or live virtual press conferences are all more streamlined with this platform. Using our proprietary Hub & Spoke™ capability, corporations can create a network of event platforms segmented by business unit or geography while still controlling access and brand identity from a centralized and monitored platform.” About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 13, 2021 03:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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