Handbell choir sparks student interest
Like their music, the members of the Notre Dame Handbell Choir are a study in balance.The choir is a mix of members with prior experience playing handbells and others who had never played before coming to Notre Dame.Senior and president of the Handbell Choir Delaney Pfister said some members have 10 years or more of experience, like herself, while other members have never even seen a handbell before.“All anyone needs is a willingness to learn,” she said.The Notre Dame Handbell Choir is holding auditions in room 328 of the Coleman-Morse Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight. Pfister said there will be another audition night on Thursday, September 4th.Karen Schneider-Kirner directs the Notre Dame Handbell Choir as well as other music ministries. The choir is comprised of Notre Dame undergraduate and graduate students who come from different academic and musical backgrounds, Pfister said. The handbell choir is primarily a liturgical choir and operates under Campus Ministry.The Notre Dame Handbell Choir performs about once every three weeks, said Pfister. During the 11:45 a.m. Sunday mass, the choir performs solo pieces as well as supplements to the mass parts. They also perform during vespers at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and at various locations in December for the holiday season.The Handbell Choir goes on domestic and international tours where they perform at various parishes to help raise money for the parishes’ underfunded music programs. In the last three years, they have been to Canada and Washington, D.C.Pfister said the choir currently has 15 members and is looking to add more. At the audition, musicians interested in joining jump right in and begin working on pieces while randomly dispersing throughout the choir. She said it is important to be able to read music proficiently, and it is even better if the auditionees are familiar with both the treble and bass clefs.“I have been a member of the handbell choir since I came to Notre Dame, so three years now,” Pfister said. “Being in the handbell choir has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. We all have so much fun in rehearsals learning the music.”The Handbell Choir will be present at Activities Night, and Pfister encourages everyone to speak with them at the fair.“My advice would be to give us a try if you are interested,” she said. “It can be difficult to determine which activities you want to be a part of on campus, so find things you are actually passionate about.”Tags: Handbell Choir, Music
Show Closed This production ended its run on Jan. 20, 2019 Star Files School of Rock – The Musical View Comments No matter which way you turn, you can’t stop the School of Rock! In anticipation of the new musical’s Broadway takeover at the Winter Garden Theatre, composer (that’s an understatement) Andrew Lloyd Webber just released an interactive, 360-degree music video of the head-banging number “You’re In the Band,” written by him and lyricist Glenn Slater. Take a look (either on your desktop in Chrome—or better yet—the YouTube mobile app; it’s fun!) as Alex Brightman and a host of talented tots rock out on location in every corner of a New York City classroom. We’ve scoured the clip at all angles; here are just a few key moments to look out for. Rock on! Related Shows Alex Brightman
Want to sing and play along? Just navigate up to the ceiling for the chords and lyrics! Not only are these kids good at shredding, they’re not too bad at catching either. Who needs a backpack? Screw backpacks! Wait, why didn’t our elementary school classrooms have flashing pink lights? Look at those kids go!Viewing Instructions:Desktop Users: For best experience, open “You’re in the Band” in your Chrome web browser to access the full 360° experience. Once playback begins, use the on-screen arrow keys or “click and drag” inside the frame to move around the classroom!Mobile Users: Open “You’re in the Band” in your YouTube App on your iOS or Android device (version 8+). Once playback begins, turn your mobile device in any direction or use your finger to move around the classroom!Catch School of Rock on Broadway beginning November 9! Everything’s more dramatic with a fog machine. That’s why whenever we break news, we do so in a cloud of smoke. The classroom is replete with hidden gems for theater geeks, including some chalkboard art of familiar Andrew Lloyd Webber tuners. Can you spot his picture on the wall? 
When it comes to new varieties, I generally feel like I am on top of things. Occasionally, there are those Rip Van Winkle moments. This is the case with the ‘NuMex Easter’ ornamental pepper. What a beauty! I’m embarrassed that I am just now growing this 2014 All-America Selections Winner.My apologies and my accolades now go to the breeding program at the New Mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute. Las Cruces, New Mexico, home of the best Mexican food in the country, is also home to some of the best pepper breeding. ‘NuMex Centennial’ and ‘NuMex Twilight’ are other drop-dead gorgeous peppers from the program that have garnered a lot of attention, but it is ‘NuMex Easter’ that captured the award.I love judging consumer satisfaction of plants via talks, photos and even in person. It’s fun hearing the oohs and aahs that tell me that a flower or, in this case, a fruiting pepper has “winner” written all over it. Such was the case recently when one of our horticultural staff created a container with blood bananas, ‘Intenz’ celosia, ‘Hot Pak’ marigolds and ‘NuMex Easter’ peppers.I’m a Nikon man when it comes to cameras, but this day I pulled out the old iPhone 6 Plus and shot a couple of photos of the container. The photo appeared on our Facebook page and it took off like a proverbial rocket. By the time the weekend was over, it was sitting in position as our No. 1 photo of all time.While I’ll admit that the combination is unique, I know that it’s the ‘NuMex Easter’ pepper that’s stirring the pot, so to speak. The clusters of peppers on the tips of each compact branch are an ever-changing array of Easter colors. You’ll see shades of lavender, yellow and orange on a plant that is tolerant of heat and humidity and perseveres in rain or drought. It is truly an All-America Selections Winner. The question is, how did it slip by me?‘NuMex Easter’ peppers are small, compact plants that reach up to 12 inches tall and as wide, but they load up with more colorful peppers than you would ever imagine for that size of a plant. They make great border plants for the traditional landscape and will dazzle in herb or tropical gardens.Many garden centers are loaded with peppers this time of the year, and they are sensational when grown alongside mums, marigolds, asters and goldenrods. They really bring a festive atmosphere. The oblong peppers are spicy but edible and will probably fire up a pot of red beans or corn salsa. Sample sparingly at first.Whether you plant now or in the spring, grow the ornamental pepper much as you would the bell pepper. Before removing the peppers from their containers, dig their holes in the garden soil. Gardeners know they can plant a tomato deeper than it grew in the container, but you must plant the pepper at the same depth it is presently growing.Feed your peppers with a complete garden fertilizer, preferably one that is higher in phosphorous, such as a 10-20-10. Scatter 2 tablespoons per plant at three- to four-week intervals. You can use dilute, water-soluble fertilizer every other week if you prefer or if you’re growing them in a container. Keep your plants watered and mulched and they will give you an unfailing performance all season.Ornamental peppers like ‘NuMex Easter’ are among the plants leaping off garden center shelves this time of the year. If you love them in the fall like I do, I promise you’ll treasure growing them all season long.Follow me on Twitter @CGBGgardenguru. Learn more about the UGA Coastal Botanical Garden at the Historic Bamboo Farm at coastalgeorgiabg.org.
State utility in India challenges extra fee for imported coal at Adani’s Mundra power plant FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享The Economic Times:Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVNL) has approached the electricity regulator to withdraw support of higher tariffs to Adani Power’s imported coal-based Mundra power plant, alleging a breach of terms in the relief package. The power distribution utility of Gujarat has also sought a refund with interest of excess power tariffs paid to Adani Power due to fuel cost pass-through.In its petition to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), GUVNL recalled the commission’s order passed on April 12, granting approval to the Mundra Thermal Power Station passing on the burden of imported coal costs to the consumer.CERC had approved the higher tariff by making provisions through new ‘supplementary agreements’ to the original power purchase agreements between Adani Power Mundra and GUVNL. Adani Power’s Mundra plant had signed two power purchase agreements (PPAs) of 2,000 mw with the Gujarat government in February 2007.GUVNL has asked CERC to declare that Adani Power has been in breach of the ‘supplemental agreements’ signed in December 2018 and also pronounce the two supplemental agreements ‘void’ and ‘not enforceable.’ The distribution company has alleged breach of the add-on contracts by Adani Power, which, after signing them, moved the Supreme Court to end one of the agreements. A senior GUVNL source said the discom has paid 90% of the revised tariff to Adani Power under the add-on PPAs.An Adani Power spokesperson declined comment. The company’s stock has more than doubled since October when a high-powered committee appointed by the Gujarat government recommended relief to three imported coal-fired plants in Gujarat. The share last traded at Rs 60.50 on the Bombay Stock Exchange against Rs 26 per share on October 3, 2018.More: Gujarat discom seeks to stop high Adani tariff
Congratulations to the top 10 winners of our #blueridgeoutdoors Instagram contest! Each winner will receive a Blue Ridge Outdoors T-shirt and, with our readers’ help, now has a chance to win an awesome gear package from SPY optics and others to help you go outside and play! From July 1 until July 14, the fate of this contest lies in YOUR hands. Help us choose the overall winner by voting for your favorite. CLICK HERE to go to the contest page. (Limit one vote per 24 hours.) Share your top pick to help spread the word! Like us on Facebook and stay tuned for our announcement of the grand prize.
After wading through a sea of great releases this year, here’s our top 10 list of albums from acts who hail from the Blue Ridge region.Drive-By TruckersAmerican BandThis poignant political record is easily the Drive-By Truckers’ best effort since the band’s early 2000s breakout period. Co-band leaders Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood are both at the top of their songwriting games, especially the latter in the soulful “Guns of Umpqua,” a simultaneously beautiful and terrifying song written about victims of last year’s mass shooting at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College.
Hiss Golden Messenger Heart Like a LeveeOn his band’s sixth album, Durham-based singer-songwriter M.C. Taylor spills honest musings about guilt and missing home during long stints on the road, while expanding the group’s sound within the roots lexicon. Throughout the record’s 11 tracks, a base of swinging alt-country that fits with Taylor’s nasally, Dylan-like enunciations, fluidly expands with touches of Southern funk, horn-driven Muscle Shoals soul, and uplifting gospel—facilitated by backing vocals from songstress Tift Merritt.
Car Seat Headrest Teens of DenialMuch like Pavement, Guided by Voices, and Weezer before him, Will Toledo, who records as Car Seat Headrest, turns witty angst into distorted glory. He built a cult following while growing up in Leesburg, Va., by self-releasing 12 albums he largely recorded by himself. Teens of Denial, with a full backing band, is full of seriously great rock and roll—fist-pumping anthems built from youthful confusion.
Margo PriceMidwest Farmer’s DaughterA hardworking East Nashville songwriter gets her due on this dynamic debut for Jack White’s Third Man Records. She has a voice that’s as sweet as Dolly’s, but her songs use traditional country as a base to get downright gritty, rocking, and soulful.
Angel OlsenMy WomanAsheville, N.C., resident Angel Olsen has received high critical praise for her third LP, My Woman, and it is definitely deserved. Her gift is a voice that can be equally graceful, powerful, haunting, and full of heartfelt fury. Here you get the full range through emotionally charged retro arrangements—from the jangly pop of “Never Be Mine” and urgent garage rock scorcher “Shut Up Kiss Me” to more drawn-out experiments like the slowly drifting, theatrically intense break-up song, “Sister.”
Sturgill SimpsonA Sailor’s Guide to EarthWith lofty expectations on his shoulders following the success of his cosmic country breakout Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, Simpson delivered by veering in a different sonic direction, filling A Sailor’s Guide to Earth with horn blasts and dusty soul grooves. Standouts include Simpson giving advice to his young son through the funk stomper “Keep It Between the Lines” and a haunting roadhouse reading of Nirvana’s “In Bloom.”
Band of HorsesWhy Are You OKA revitalized Band of Horses found the sweet spot between atmospheric indie fireworks and take-it-easy 70s folk-rock. Front man Ben Bridwell found songwriting inspiration in the mundane, meditating about family time through Floydian space in the opening “Dull Times/The Moon” and turning bad conversation at a “Casual Party” into a distortion-heavy dance tune. The gentle “Hag” has the ethereal flow of the band’s decade-old breakout single, “The Funeral.” Even in a dad-rock headspace the Charleston, S.C.,-based Bridwell found a way to recapture his early glory.
Lucinda WilliamsThe Ghosts of Highway 20The 63-year-old Americana icon took a trip down memory lane, revisiting her experiences growing up in the South through the common thread of Interstate 20. Williams uses her quavering voice to tell vivid stories through dusty roots-rock arrangements with experimental touches that give the record a cinematic quality. The meandering opener, “Dust,” is one of the album’s most poignant tracks, adapted from a poem by Williams’ father, the late poet laureate Miller Williams.
William TylerModern CountryNashville guitarist William Tyler has played with the likes of Lambchop and the Silver Jews, and he brings an indie aesthetic to this collection of captivating guitar-led instrumentals. With an impressive back-up roster that includes Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche and Brad and Phil Cook of Megafaun, Tyler explores a range of sonic landscapes through both acoustic and electric six-string dexterity, managing, without words, to evoke the feelings implied in titles like “Highway Anxiety” and “Gone Clear.” The closing track, the eight-minute “The Great Unwind,” travels between the experimental jazz flourishes of Bill Frisell and the emotional peaks of Explosions in the Sky.
St. Paul and the Broken BonesSea of NoiseFollowing up its hailed 2014 debut, Half the City, this eight-piece Alabama soul crew avoided the sophomore slump by adding some rock edge and honest social commentary to its impressive vintage revivalism. Front man Paul Janeway is a versatile vocal powerhouse. He both howls like a fiery preacher and croons like a tender-hearted lover, as tempos shift between the down-and-dirty funk of “Flow With It (You Got Me Feeling Like”), the moving retro ballad “Burning Rome,” and the gospel-rock unity anthem “All I Ever Wonder.”
Ready for the tunes? Give nine of these albums a listen below: 
By Dialogo October 07, 2013 For the second year in a row, the U.S. Southern Command’s Deputy J5 and members of the Political Military Affairs Caribbean Branch visited Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, from September 17-19 to meet with key leaders and planning staff from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) to foster greater collaboration and synchronization between both allies. The coordination visit focused, not only on current and long term Caribbean security cooperation planning between SOUTHCOM and CARICOM, but also on fostering discussion, collaboration, and joint planning on a number of events, strategies, initiatives, exercises and programs taking place or being developed in 2014. One of these is the CARICOM Caribbean Counter Illicit Trafficking Strategy (CCITS), a strategy involving the development of a joint, regional strategy to disrupt transnational organized crime networks that include the illicit trafficking of drugs, humans and weapons in the waters of the Caribbean. The framework for CCITS was discussed as a concept in last year’s Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC), but has now been developed and received the commitment of the 15 Caribbean nations to be fully implemented. The goal for CARICOM IMPACS is to have the proclamation officially announced at the 2014 edition of CANSEC scheduled for the last week of January 2014 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic . The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) is another program discussed during the coordination visit. Designed by the United States to ensure citizen safety and security throughout the hemisphere, it brings all members of CARICOM as well as the Dominican Republic together to collaborate jointly on regional security with the United States as a partner of choice. Interagency and international coordination to fully implement the initiative is ongoing through new forums that are being identified and activated. Mr Francis A. Forbes, IMPACS executive director, also confirmed their participation in Tradewinds 2014, a SOUTHCOM-sponsored annual exercise crafted to provide Caribbean nations training for the security requirements required for major events. The agency made a commitment to leveraging various CARICOM forums essential to achieve full implementation of the Cooperative Situational Information Integration system, or CSII, a web-based information exchange platform that uses state-of-the-art technology to make multinational cooperation faster, easier and more seamless for participating nations in the fight against trafficking and transnational organized crime. For their part, SOUTHCOM noted that IMPACS has grown significantly stronger and more stable in the last year, since instituting permanent leadership and receiving full endorsement of their core regional security missions and their proposed Regional Crime and Security Strategy by CARICOM’s political leaders. “IMPACS remains a strong partner for strengthening and expanding multi-lateral regional security cooperation in the Caribbean because it has a significant ability and potential to coordinate and gain military and political consensus from CARICOM member states on regional security issues,” said Steven Klingel, Caribbean Desk Officer at SOUTHCOM’s Political-Military Affairs Division. Following the success of the September visit, both parties committed to holding biannual coordination meetings from now on.
There’s no doubt that smartphones and mobile devices have changed the way that we interact with our finances. The best mobile banking apps can now give you access to services that were once only available at a branch, in many cases making the physical trip inside is not necessary. Mobile apps not only provide a convenience but also place your accounts at your fingertips 24/7. With the credit union industry heavily focused on fintech and the latest mobile developments, sorting through the competition and identifying the most successful mobile banking apps seems to be a daunting task. Based on the current marketplace and the rising Millennial and Gen X roles in the financial market, checking out where those populations are spending their time (and money) seems to be a great place to start, and a hot topic is budgeting.As noted in a recent article, MasterCard has ventured into the digital banking arena itself and is planning on offering digital budgeting tools integrated with financial products in an effort to attract the Millennial market. However, the question still remains – which are the best and most desired banking features? Budgeting has an important role no doubt, but there’s so much more to consider.Several things come into play when identifying and evaluating a successful app. Ease of use, frequency of use, and overall member satisfaction and preference. Is there a fee for certain mobile transactions or app use? Is there a monthly transaction limit (Reg E)? Technology requirements must also be considered as well as the ability of the app to work on multiple platforms (iPhone, Android, etc.). Credit unions need to be ready to incorporate a host of different capabilities and tools and have a core system that fully integrates with the mobile app in order to adapt to the ever-changing environment. With these ideas in mind, here are ten suggested ‘must-have’ mobile banking features you should have in place in order to capture the market’s attention. continue reading » 49SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr
When we talk about digital marketing, it’s always about social media ads as well as AdWords ads, but somehow in the background is Email marketing, which is much less written and talked about, and which certainly deserves much more attention. Especially in tourism where email marketing has always been present or from the very beginning, whether we are talking about hotels, hosts in family accommodation or travel agencies. Email marketing is closely related to tourism, has always been and always will be.But Email marketing will never be the same again. According to the new General Regulation on Personal Data Protection (GDPR), spears are currently being broken and there is panic, how to monetize the whole process of email marketing, what is allowed and what is not, what to do with current databases, how to organize newsletters…Namely, according to the GDPR, all entities that possess someone’s personal data (employees, customers, users, associates) are obliged to protect them and take the prescribed measures and procedures prescribed by law and the General Regulation – GDPR. Failure to comply with the new rules of the General Regulation (GDPR) can result in fines of up to € 20 million or 4% of annual turnover.Lots of questions, and little agreement, and even less time because the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) starts to apply from 25.05.2018. One thing is for sure, GDPR will affect email marketing and the way we use it the most so far.But, as in everything, good preparation is key, there is still time for good organization, and there are various experts who “graduated” on the impact of GDPR on email marketing and who offer solutions to problems. I talked about Email marketing in Croatia and the impact of the GDPR on the tourism sector with Martin Šepić Rumin , director of the company MailPlus Adria, the leading company in Croatia specializing in Email marketing.When we talk about marketing, online marketing through the media and social networks is constantly in focus, and marketing through newsletters is somehow on the sidelines, ie not in focus. What is the situation when we talk about newsletter communication. Is it rising or falling? What is the effectiveness of the newsletter and what is the optimal click-to-open rate to say how successful the campaign is? The popularity of social networks and advertising through that channel has certainly and obviously grown in the past few years, but that does not mean that this channel has overrun or even “killed” the email channel. Social networks are a simple and fast way to convey brand information to customers, but when we talk about the efficiency of the channel, then email is certainly much more specific and successful than its urban and modern “cousins” Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. The fact that the return on investment in the email marketing channel is 1:44, which means that for $ 1 invested, $ 44 is returned to you (according to the latest research) Campaign monitor) while for Social media (either organic or paid advertising) it is almost twice less (source; Optinmonster). The explanation lies in the fact that an email channel can reach a much higher conversion rate at a much lower cost than is the case with expensive social media ads.However, personally, I would not exclusively look at which channel is more popular and which is more profitable because I do not see them as enemies but on the contrary very close associates. In Omnichannel’s definition, which I hope every organization strives for today, the starting point is in the multi-channel approach to marketing, sales and customer service, all in order to create an integrated and cohesive user experience no matter how or where the customer learned about the brand . So if we translate that to the relation of social networks vs. email channels I would say that social media marketing strategy should be focused on brand awareness and building relationships with the target audience while email marketing strategy should be focused on generating traffic, direct conversions and maintaining customer relationships.When we talk about the success or failure of a particular channel and our efforts to use those channels, the numbers in the newsletter campaign report tell us everything and we need to know how to read them, read them regularly and learn from them for each subsequent campaign. The success of email marketing does not depend so much on the system used for email marketing activities, the biggest impact here is primarily “know-how”, and this includes not only knowledge of when and which campaign to send but detailed knowledge of your subscribers to the newsletter, but also the market. which you work with or your competition. So there is no one-size-fits-all XY% open rate indicator that anyone involved in email marketing can take as a ladder to reach or skip, or else be unsuccessful. Because each industry is specific, someone offers products of daily consumption while someone offers services such as holidays and it is actually an offer that is very limited in time and it is clear that then the strategy of communicating through newsletters is different.The big challenge is that businesses will potentially be left without a large part of their painstakingly and not very cheaply collected database of email subscribers.However globally there is still a benchmark across all industries that tells us that the average open rate is 21.73%. I will not mention specific names, but we have, for example, clients who use our newsletter system and the complete email marketing service we offer, which far exceed that benchmark, which can actually be attributed to our expertise in creating quality content (in this case specifically Subject line). ) which is why this newsletter is open in the sea of other emails that we receive in our inbox every day.A successful campaign is one that has achieved a conversion (either sales, participation in a prize game, membership in the loyalty program, registration for the event, additional likes / followers on social networks or any goal we set for ourselves to be realized by sending a newsletter) – very simple! If this happens and you still spend a minimum of money, because email itself is not an expensive channel through which you can communicate unlike the previously mentioned “relatives”, you get great results, a new or additional satisfied customer, satisfied boss and earn You get yourself a bonus for a job well done.Each newsletter campaign is different and there are many tactics, but can you recommend how, when and in what way it is best to communicate in the tourism sector?Email marketing does not consist only of newsletters and for a start the best tactic is not to limit the email communication channel only to the newsletter or sales emails. We communicate with subscribers via email at all points of his user journey, from the moment he first encounters the brand / product / service (awareness phase), then when he expresses interest in the product we offer (consideration phase), further when the subscriber has already made a decision and buys a product or service (decision phase) and no less important after the purchase it is necessary to maintain a relationship with the customer in order to repurchase the product or service (retention phase). So it is important to communicate with the subscriber via email in each of the mentioned phases. Customizing the content of the email at each of these stages is also an extremely important tactic, as different and customized messages are required at each point in the specified user journey. For example, in the tourism sector, a potential guest analyzes the offer of the hotel in which he will stay, and various channels are available for him to search for the ideal option. Let’s say that through a friend on Facebook he received an invitation to participate in the prize game, left his email address and gave consent for direct marketing communication, and although he may not be a lucky winner, he consciously expressed interest in our brand, then follows the first address to a new subscriber. foreign hotel group where we introduce him to the complete offer.Already through the statistics of the first email and its activity in the received email we can detect which level of service, ie product it is interested in (3, 4 or 5 * hotels), or which destination suits it and in the next email we serve only the content for which it is expressed interest. In this step, we make an effort to turn a subscriber who has been a potential guest so far into a guest (ie customer), of course these efforts still result best if there is a special offer and discount in the background. If after 3-4 days we find that for some reason the subscriber did not open the newsletter, we send him a new one with a more aggressive or attractive “Call to Action” email title and content. When he finally bought what he wanted and what we managed to persuade him in some way, the story is not over, because we want to make his stay in our hotel as meaningful and interesting as possible, and in this pre-stay phase is the right time to communicate via email additional content, trips, concerts, gourmet experiences with which he can enrich his stay and we actually serve him everything in his inbox and save him the time he would spend looking for the same things online in the sea of offers. After a quality stay, the mentioned retention phase follows, in which we express how valuable our guest is and invite him to join our “family” of VIP guests through membership in the loyalty program, examine his satisfaction with the stay, announce a new offer, all for the purpose of coming again. to the hotel.In my work, I often encounter a question from clients, what is the best time to send a newsletter in order to achieve increased conversion. There is no single recipe. It is best for shopping centers to communicate on Thursday or Friday because the weekend is approaching when people have more time to shop, and then (before the weekend) it is effective to communicate the weekend offer and actions of the shopping center. In the context of tourism, seasonality is what dictates to us in Croatia when is the best time to send a particular message or offer. But advanced email marketing goes to such a level that it takes into account even the current weather forecast in the target market and decides accordingly whether or not to send a newsletter. Let’s say by promoting a summer vacation characterized by sun, sea and high temperatures, you would agree that it makes sense to send a newsletter to Reiner in Germany who is currently sitting in the office looking out the window on a rainy and depressed day and fantasizing about vacation and sun, and in that second gets an email title containing one of the keywords he is currently fantasizing about “Summer, sun, sea, vacation…”. There is no doubt that interest has been created and that newsletter will be open.When we mention newsletter marketing, the global leader MailChimp comes to mind first. Why Mailplus Adria and not MailChimp? What are your strengths and how do you deal with this global competitor in our market? Personally, I really like the competition because it makes me be better, to develop, grow and learn a lot based on that “competitive” spirit. I would say a rough estimate that about 70% of the companies in the region we talk to are at some point or still use the MailChimp system to send newsletters, but with the advent of the GDPR, that is slowly changing. That which MailPlus Adria offers as a unique benefit to its customers is local customer support and partner in the true sense of the word, which instills security in our customers, but also a high level of know-how because we know our region best and how it works. When we talk about security, it is very important to our clients that our servers are within the EU, so the data about their subscribers to the newsletter is stored within the EU in accordance with the GDPR, and the software itself complies with all GDPR requirements.The MailPlus newsletter system is extremely easy to use. It makes life much easier for web shop owners because it allows very easy insertion of products from the webshop database into the newsletter, thus reducing the possibility of incorrect double entry of the price or product description because all of the above is automatically withdrawn from the web. Drag and drop technology works flawlessly without annoying “loading” circles, so you’re done with the newsletter very quickly.MailPlus user targeting according to their preferences, it simply turns your message into personalized content for each subscriber. The reporting functionality offered by MailPlus is very detailed, and it also offers the option of remarketing based on newsletter results. Why are we the best choice for any European? It is an important fact that the software is a Dutch product with servers in the EU and a high rate of email delivery (as much as 99.7%), which is a very important item for any business entity that invests in email marketing.At the end of this “self-promotion” part of this interview, I will emphasize once again what MailPlus definitely puts out of competition when it comes to choosing a system for sending newsletters, and that is definitely local customer support and a team of Email marketing experts. focus. At MailPlus, we educate and help the client not only if he or she gets stuck in connection with the creation of a newsletter or the use of MailPlus software, but we also provide advice related to email marketing based on the trends that surround us. In the true sense of the word, we are a partner to our clients and we try to be an “extended arm” of their marketing department at every step.How will the GDPR affect the tourism sector? So what is the function of private renters when it comes to GDPR? The GDPR obliges us to focus on developing a subscriber base management strategy and properly managing subscriber consent and rights. It is actually an opportunity for businesses to improve the quality of their subscriber base which will ultimately result in greater success of email marketing campaigns.On the part of us, vendors of software solutions, it is important that our internal processes, and the tool we offer, be GDPR ready by May 25.05.2018, XNUMX. All with the aim of being able to respond to all the subscriber rights that the GDPR brings us, such as; The right to erasure (forgetfulness), the right to correct the data of an individual subscriber, the right to access data, the right to information, the right to restrict processing, the right to transfer data to another controller and most importantly The right to object direct marketing communication or so-called OPT-out. With us in MailPlus Preparations for this big day began actively in the middle of last year and we are currently nearing the end of the process of implementing information security management system according to the requirements of EN ISO 27001: 2013 certification, but also the harmonization of all internal processes as processors with GDPR requirements.Regardless of which sector we are talking about all the above rights after 25.05. they should be known to every business entity that communicates with individuals and, of course, they should be able to transparently prove that they respect all the rights of EU regulations in their activities. In tourism as well as in the telecommunications sector, the largest number of data of service users, specific for tourism, is that most of the data are foreign citizens, some of whom are EU citizens, while some are not. The biggest challenge for the mentioned sectors is until 25.05. arrange all databases collected so far and harmonize them with the requirements of the GDPR.THE GENERAL REGULATION ON DATA PROTECTION GDPR SHALL APPLY FROM 25.05.2018.The big challenge is that businesses will potentially be left without much of their painstakingly and not cheaply collected email subscriber base. Why? If we do not have a clear record of each individual when the address was collected and whether the subscriber has explicitly given his consent and whether the consent was given for all purposes for which we plan to contact that individual after 25.05, then we must review the consent. Specifically, this means that a repeated email request will be sent to that part of the database to seek consent and consent, clearly stating all the purposes for which we will use the collected data. The purposes are in the tourism sector for example; notification of special benefits and novelties, customer satisfaction survey, marketing research, statistical data processing, communication with the subscriber in the pre and post stay phase, if he is a member of the loyalty program then in addition to sales and information messages we also send messages to maintain and nurture a special relationship with njime etc.….For now, the regulations have not clearly defined whether all requirements set for B2C communication also apply to B2B, ie it is allowed to communicate with a business entity whose email address is publicly available without prior consent to contact. However if that email address consists of name.surname@tvrtka.hr, in that case we still know the personal data (name and surname) and then we can not just handle that data, but there must be consent or agreement with the business entity in which the communication between the two entities is defined, and for B2B addresses special records should be kept separate from B2C addresses.Private renters cooperate on the one hand with agencies (B2B) that “fill” their accommodation capacity, with which they have a regulated relationship by contract, and on the other hand with guests. The most sensitive part where we come into contact with the personal data of the guest is the check-in itself, where in order for the guest to use the accommodation service he is obliged to provide his personal data through a valid identification document otherwise he cannot use the service. The landlord has a legal obligation to register the guest and the basis for the processing of personal data in this case is the law that has “supremacy” over the regulations. In the process of registering a guest, I personally witnessed a situation when a private renter took a picture of all passports with a mobile phone during check-in and later entered the application in eVisitor. This can be very risky because it poses a risk that the personal data of these guests will end up in unwanted hands if the cell phone is lost.Therefore, any taking or photocopying of personal documents for the purpose of fulfilling the legal obligation to report a guest to the Ministry of the Interior is not allowed because it poses a danger in terms of personal data protection. What is allowed and what larger hoteliers, who have hundreds of guests at the same time at check-in already have in their practice, is the use of software solutions that scan the ID card to automatically enter only relevant data into the reception system or eVisitor. These software applications are still welcome after 25.05. but their functionalities must be within the limits defined by law as permissible and binding, ie for which the respondent has given consent. The same rules apply to private renters when it comes to the guest and the privacy of his data as it applies to large hotel groups, there is no tolerance.In the tourism sector, newsletter campaigns are mostly used by the hotel industry, what are your tips on how to best use the communication channel? How much does the Croatian tourism sector use newsletter campaigns in relation to the competition, ie Europe? Are we lagging behind or are we ahead?The tourism sector does not only include the service of providing accommodation and for that reason I am sorry that in other service activities the email channel is not more represented. For example, restaurants that also have their own base of loyal guests, which also have a diverse offer, which also “suffer” seasonality, but also different intensity of consumption of their service during one day, I see no reason why restaurants would not introduce a newsletter in addition to Facebook posting. marketing. You can communicate and target so much through the newsletter, which you can’t do through social media to such an extent. Most of them are blocked by the fact that they do not have their own website, but that must change because today, if you do not have a website, you are not alive, you practically do not exist. Luckily, there are various partners with affiliate programs, so service providers are somehow “dragging” through the partner communication channel. But the question is how long it will be profitable for them.Although a year ago I physically “came out” of the largest and leading Croatian hotel group, I still follow with all my senses what is happening in tourism and continue with education and specialization in this sector, both privately and professionally. Namely, my current clients are active players in the tourism sector, so because of my personal satisfaction and because of quality consulting with clients, I am constantly at the source of information and trends when it comes to email marketing and marketing in tourism in general.However, if I talk about email marketing in the hotel industry, I am generally very satisfied with the use of this communication channel in Croatia, compared to Europe. Of course, Croatian hotel leaders are leaders in that sense as well, but the rest follow them very well. In the last two or three years, more and more hotel companies are introducing serious CRM systems into their business, strategically planning marketing activities according to the Omnichannel principle and everyone is turning to the simplest possible user experience and faster and shorter booking process. all this strategy has long been transferred to mobile devices. But in addition to this, additional advice would be “Meet your subscribers” starting from the level that you know which of them prefers a vacation in the peak season, and who is more interested in a late summer vacation.Small hoteliers lag behind the previously mentioned leaders, which is indisputable, both because of the budget and because of the lack of human potential that could bring it all out. That is why we all need to work together to extend the tourist season so that our budgets are no longer a limiting moment for investing in marketing, specifically email marketing, and we should rely on the right partners who will contribute to the tourism sector to be even more successful year after year.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;<br /><br />
“Even though we haven’t made fuel price adjustments, we are offering this 30 percent discount,” said Pertamina president director Nicke Widyawati.The company has also provided a 50 percent cashback for angkot (public minivan) drivers and app-based ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers for purchases through the MyPertamina app.The promotion is limited to the first 10,000 transactions daily, while the cashback is capped at a maximum of Rp 30,000 and Rp 15,000 for angkot and ojek drivers, respectively.Pertamina’s clarification on the promotion also came as customers took to social media over the weekend to express their confusion over the terms and conditions required to receive the discount.Responding to the comments, Fajriyah reemphasized to reporters at a press conference on Sunday afternoon that the discount was in the form of a cashback on LinkAja and not a straightforward discount. Initially, Pertamina’s discount, given as a cashback within the e-wallet, was limited to a daily quota of 2,000 buyers of Pertamax, Pertamax Turbo and Pertamina Dex.Pertamina spokeswoman Fajriyah Usman said on Sunday that the promotion was “expected to reduce the economic burden on citizens affected by the COVID-19 pandemic”.Pertamina initially announced the promotion on Friday amid public pressure to lower fuel prices, among other reasons. The company’s prices have not changed even as prices in other Southeast Asian countries crumbled as the crude oil price crashed.The promotion’s end date was previously set for May 23. Topics :
Indonesia’s top fuel distributor, state-owned Pertamina, is offering a Ramadhan holiday fuel promotion for purchases of unsubsidized fuels amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted people’s purchasing power.Pertamina’s latest promotion, which will run until May 31, grants customers a 30 percent discount of up to Rp 20,000 (US$1.32) when paying for unsubsidized fuels using LinkAja, an e-wallet app partly owned by Pertamina.To be eligible for the discount, customers also have to register with the MyPertamina app prior to purchasing the fuel. Furthermore, the discount only applies to 3,666 gas stations listed within the app, as explained by the company in a statement released Sunday.