Singapore Press Holdings Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报 Trade Event –
A Forum/Dialogue Session with the Editorial and Sales Teams
The Grand Ballroom @ The Ritz-Carlton
20 Mar 2014 (Thu)

Singapore Press Holdings’ Chinese papers Lianhe Zaobao had a special trade event for clients and potential advertisers presented entirely in English.

It was a good opportunity for all guests to get up close and personal with the editorial teams and the sales representatives to better understand possible collaborations and available opportunities with the new branding of Lianhe Zaobao and new launch of Zaobao Sunday.

Danny Yeo was specially selected by Singapore Press Holdings to host the Lianhe Zaobao Trade Event and to facilitate a forum session during which guests can have a dialogue with representing editors and sales team members. Danny has a longtime relationship with the Chinese papers, being a media personality and a contributing writer to Lianhe Zaobao’s columns. This event was hosted entirely in English to reach out to potential clients and advertisers who wanted to learn more about Lianhe Zaobao’s new strategies and packages.

Starting off the morning programme, Ms Elsie Chua, SPH Head of Integrated Sales, gave a warm welcome to all guests present. Editor of Lianhe Zaobao Mr Goh Sin Teck then provided a glimpse of the workings in a newsroom. The trade event then featured the five key sections of Lianhe Zaobao – Business, News, China, Lifestyle and Crossroads. The editorial team and brand personalities gave a short presentation of each section.

Advertisers were able to participate in the forum through an interactive mobile system. A unique app allowed them to send in their questions through their mobile phones and even vote on questions which appealed to them. Danny Yeo helped to chair the dialogue session and directed questions to the panelists while navigating through an interface projected on the big screen.

The panelists for the forum were:
Mr Goh Sin Teck, Editor of Lianhe Zaobao,
Ms Elsie Chua, SPH Head of Integrated Sales,
Mr Peter Ong, Associate Editor of Lianhe Zaobao, and
Ms Maureen Ho Shueh Fern, ZBSunday News Editor & Special Projects Editor.

Some of the interesting and insightful questions included:
Any 
reason behind the choice of Zaobao’s 5 key pillars?
What do ZB readers look out for? What interest them?
How can advertisers work with the editorial teams?
How do we leverage on ZB’s content to attract & 
capture readers’ attention?
If we were to send in PR releases, should they be in Chinese or English?
How can advertisers better pitch their stories to editorial newsroom? 
What are some of the tips to increase the chance of being featured?
If we are running an advertorial, is it possible to know in advance the stories 
lineup, so that advertorial content can be crafted closer to main stories?
Is it possible for advertisers to have more engagement with readers through 
contests? Can advertiser sponsor prizes?
Apart from advertising, are there other opportunities or platforms to engage readers?

All guests were treated to a sumptuous lunch specially prepared by the chefs at The Ritz-Carlton. Even the vegetarian selections were extremely delicious! Advertisers and clients also had a representative from either the editorial team or the sales team attending to them at each table, helping to answer questions as well as directing concerns to relevant departments.