Pia, Gazini and Catriona headline the country's first online AIDS Candlelight Memorial

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Advocacy queens Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray will be leading side by side the first-ever online concert ceremony of the Philippine International AIDS Candlelight Memorial (IACM) on Sunday, May 17, at 4PM.

Dubbed as "Light Up," the online concert ceremony has two parts: Commemoration and Celebration.

UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach will head the Light Up's commemoration part alongside community movers, government officials, and private institutions. One of the highlights of the commemorative event is a ceremonial candle lighting to be led by Miss Universe - Philippines 2019 Gazini Ganados.

Staunch HIV advocate, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, will top bill Light Up's celebration part, showcasing a free online concert. Performing at the show are exceptional Filipino artists: Katrina Velarde, Nina, 4th Impact, Jed Madela, The Company, Ice Seguerra, Zeus Collins, Anna Ramsey, Phi Palmos, Adrian Lindayag, Addlib Divas, Nicole Asensio, Arman Ferrer, Globe Voices@Work, and drag queen performers and with special participation from Lea Salonga, Morissette Amon, Jed Madela, Radha, and many more.

Hosted by Tim Yap and Patrixia Santos, the Philippine IACM online concert ceremony will be live on Facebook at bit.ly/LightUpPH2020. The country's 2020 IACM shift to an online concert ceremony was in response to the government's imposition of social distancing protocols as the nation grapples with the COVID19 pandemic.

This year's celebration also includes a photo essay contest featuring the HIV story of any Filipino who is part of the advocacy. Interested participants may still join until May 15, at 6PM. Visit this link: bit.ly/LightUpMyHIVStory for the mechanics and win as much as PhP25,000.00. It will also benefit the Duyan Program of The Project Red Ribbon Care Management Foundation (TRR) that aims to provide care and support to children living with HIV in the Philippines.

The Department of Health (DOH) reported that since 1984, 3,730 Filipinos have died of HIV-related complications and 74,807 have contracted the virus. In the same DOH report, 3,029 newly diagnosed people living with HIV were recorded for the last quarter of 2019. It has to be noted that HIV testing and effective HIV treatment therapy are given by the government and community-based organizations for free.

Light Up is presented by the DOH, TRR, and The LoveYourself, Inc.; sponsored by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Camber Pharmaceutical Inc. by Hetero, Champion Community Centers, Frontrow Cares, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc., Premiere Condoms, Teleperformance Philippines, and Sustainability of HIV Services for Key Populations in Asia (SKPA); and supported by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, EON Foundation, the National Youth Commission (NYC), Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), PhilHealth, Positibong Marino Philippines, Inc., The Red Whistle, Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines, and UNAIDS.

The IACM happens every third Sunday of May to commemorate the courage of the people who succumbed to AIDS. It also celebrates the continuing battle by the people living with HIV and the progress the community has made through the years.

Digital Marketing Tools For Real Estate That Will Help You In 2020

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The real estate sector has grown tremendously in the last few years. Today, digital real estate marketing tools have become more important than ever. 

Not only do they highly simplify the marketing process, but also help your business grow at a higher pace. This is because digital marketing tools and techniques help you reach a broader consumer base.

One of the essential aspects of a real estate business is its ability to provide an entirely credible virtual experience of its offerings, such as videos, 360 degrees virtual tours, 3D models, and much more.

Some of the best digital marketing tools for real estate companies in 2020 are:

• InVideo
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Evite
• Placester CRM
• MailChimp
• YouTube
• DocuSign
• Realeflow
• RealScout
• Facebook
• 99Designs
• ScheduleOnce
• Fiverr
• Upwork

The above tools take care of a variety of digital marketing needs, such as establishing a mailing list, circulating invites for open houses and events, as well as providing virtual experiences, amongst much more.

Virtual Experiences

Virtual experience tools such as InVideo, Kuula, Envisioneer, and LiveTour allow real estate companies and agents to provide an immersive visual experience to buyers and investors. 

This helps them assess the size, plans, layout, and other design elements of the space. These are also perfect for reaching investors across the world, who may not always be able to visit the location immediately. It also provides a plethora of choices, animations, and designs. 

Besides being very easy to use, real estate companies can use them to create multilingual videos to access a wider client base. The templates are reusable and can be modified to suit a wide variety of requirements.

Marketing Through Emails

Another popular digital marketing technique in the real estate sector nowadays is through Email Marketing Services (EMS), such as MailChimp, which helps collate a comprehensive mailing list for companies. 

It helps them keep track of different lists, and groups and quicken the entire communication process. This can be used to notify existing, and potential clients about events, offers, promotions, and other relevant information. 

EMS also helps maintain client databases segregated according to geographical locations, linguistic needs, budgets, preferences, and much more.

Social Media Platforms

Additionally, real estate companies are also significantly increasing the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, to promote their projects better. 

These platforms help them arrange and display a wide variety of pictures, videos, posters, designs, and other visually attractive features. They also provide an easy and relatively informal way of getting in touch with clients, answering queries, and solving grievances.

Event Management and Organization Apps

One of the main aspects of any real estate company is to organize open houses and other social events, such as promotions and launches of new projects.

Event management and organization apps such as Evite, Eventbrite, and Boomset, help real estate companies better create, distribute, and keep track of all their social events. 

They also help them create distinct and personalized invites, which truly reflect the company’s persona. To help with better designing needs, 99Designs is a very popular option for graphics, logos, models, and more.

Collaboration Platforms

Collaboration platforms such as Placester CRM, Fiverr, Upwork, and more, help connect real estate companies with brokers, agents as well as clients. These can also be used for further marketing of jobs as well as projects, directly to prospective employees or clients. 

This helps better streamline the search process, by considering several criteria such as work experience, speciality, skills, and location, to provide a more holistic match between companies and agents, or clients. 

They also optimize the entire application process for agents to make it quicker, simpler, and much more transparent. Tools that offer a range of video templates are highly in-demand and very useful for the same.

Digital Contracts and Documents

Many real estate companies nowadays use apps such as DocuSign to easily and securely sign essential documents in the process of buying and selling property. 

These apps also allow the easy sharing, uploading, and editing of documents across a variety of platforms. This enables the easier distribution of marketing and promotional materials such as prospectuses and brochures as well. Furthermore, it speeds up the closing of deals and ensures transparency at all steps.

Property Search and Scheduling Apps

Real estate companies can use calendar and scheduling apps such as ScheduleOnce, to help their client’s book appointments, meetings, and property viewings with a range of brokers and agents.

This allows for easy cancellation and rescheduling, if needed, as well as provides a comprehensive platform to manage client meetings. 

Most of these scheduling apps also provide property search features, which allow clients to browse through a range of options, before scheduling a meeting or property viewing. Real estate companies can also create their own personalized websites, providing all the details of their various offerings and projects. 

This helps create a more credible image of the company and can be a one-stop solution for all client needs. It can also be used to create a stronger brand and product image for the company.

Oakwood Offers Spacious Retreats Away From Home

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With a domestic Stay Four Pay Three package including flexible check out time

With travel restrictions sweeping through the world, various public health measures are being undertaken by local authorities safeguard their communities. These measures created different needs where alternatives are required, be it a workspace away from distractions, stylish retreat for self-isolation or comfortable residential environment for travellers waiting to return home.

Committed to making the Oakwood experience as safe and enjoyable as possible, 19 participating properties* across Asia Pacific have curated special treats for guests to create their own residential experiences.

Oakwood’s Stay Four Pay Three offer is available for guests who book a minimum of three nights from now to 30 June 2020. In addition to Oakwood’s internationally acclaimed hospitality excellence, guests will enjoy a complimentary fourth night stay with a plethora of privileges such as:

·       Daily Breakfast

·       Welcome Fruit Basket

·       Curated Care Pack per person per booking

·       Dining credits or discounts per booking

·       Discounts on laundry services

·       Check-out anytime on departure day

·       24-hour cancellation policy (prior to arrival day by 1500 hours local time to avoid the one-night cancellation charge, inclusive of taxes)

To complement the benefits listed above, a couple of properties have included creative perks to differentiate their offers. Guests staying at Oakwood Residence Shanghai are entitled to special F&B and retail discounts at the connecting Imago Shopping Mall while Oakwood Hotel & Residence Sri Racha in Thailand will provide a complimentary upgrade to a One Bedroom Deluxe Apartment.

A total of 19 Oakwood properties across Asia Pacific are available for selection:

Australia	-	Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Brisbane
China	-	Oakwood Premier Guangzhou Oakwood Residence Hangzhou Oakwood Residence Shanghai Oakwood Hotel & Residence Suzhou Oakwood Apartments Sanya
Indonesia	-	Oakwood Premier Cozmo Jakarta Oakwood Apartments PIK Jakarta Oakwood Suites La Maison Jakarta Oakwood Hotel & Residence Surabaya Oakwood Residence Cikarang
Japan	-	Oakwood Premier Tokyo
Malaysia	-	Oakwood Hotel & Residence, Kuala Lumpur
Singapore	-	Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore
Thailand	-	Oakwood Residence Sukhumvit Thonglor, Bangkok Oakwood Hotel & Residence Sri Racha Oakwood Suites Bangkok
Vietnam	-	Oakwood Residence Saigon Oakwood Residence Hanoi

Package details for Stay Four Pay Three offer vary from property to property, please visit Oakwood.com/stay4pay3 for more information.