Wednesday, May 24, 2017

City Beach working with Microsoft partner Sable37

City Beach is announcing the digital transformation they have undergone to enhance their customer experience, and become the agile company they need to be to thrive in the retail sector in the digital age.

City Beach's legacy infrastructure limited its ability to store customer data, which made it difficult to maintain relevance among its customer-base. In partnership with Microsoft Partner Sable37, City Beach has now been able to collect rich insights about their customers and refine its communications to be more customer focused through the implementation of Microsoft Azure and Dynamics 365.




City Beach transforms information systems with Dynamics 365 to deliver exceptional customer experience

Fashion retailer City Beach has no illusions about the disruption facing the retail sector: fashion conscious customers and fast-moving trends, its young frontline staff, and emerging online competitors are constant reminders of the sector's flux.

Established in 1985 – long before online retail and the internet were mainstream, the iconic brand now operates 62 physical sites, an ecommerce outlet, and manages 60,000 products – adding 300-400 new lines each week to ensure it remains relevant and fresh.

Chief operating officer Anita Dorwald has a clear view of the challenges ahead. "Our vision is a blend of continued growth and survival, and while the latter may come as a surprise we have seen the demise of many brands around us in recent years. We cannot afford to rest on our laurels or past successes. To trade on brand equity we need to maintain relevance now and in the future."

Dorwald notes as a privately held business City Beach is spared the bureaucracy and red tape that slows some rivals, and is able to be agile and responsive to rapidly shifting conditions.

Even so, when the company decided to overhaul its information systems it took a measured and careful approach. It wanted to deliver an exceptional customer experience instore and online, and to pave the way for a back office overhaul that would inject efficiency, boost productivity, and establish a robust and reliable infrastructure able to deliver the sort of agility needed by successful retailers in the digital age.

Dorwald explains key to success lies in the sort of business intelligence that allows City Beach to dynamically optimise its cost base and effectively curate the retail offering.

"For us the customer needed to be front and centre," which, she says, explains City Beach's decision to focus initially on a point of sale (POS) and customer relationship management (CRM) overhaul ahead of a back office core system revamp.

"We want to understand the customer journey and achieve a single view of the customer, to be able to interface with more agility around promotions and have an opportunity around loyalty programmes. That was what drove the decision to go front-to-back rather than back-to-front," she explains. It's a decision that is paying off in terms of business impact.

Leveraging Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Operations has delivered flexibility and scalability. For the present City Beach is operating a hybrid cloud and on-premise environment, but as it refreshes the back office legacy platform Dorwald says the company will take a cloud-first approach.

"Long term we see everything in the cloud," she adds.

Working with Microsoft partner and Dynamics 365 specialist Sable37, City Beach undertook a lengthy needs analysis and prototyping project to ensure the customer experience was right. "Central to our success is working with a partner that shared City Beach's vision, and from the get go Sable37 were on the same page as us. The focus was all on our success, and that provided a high level of trust and security at our end that Sable37 had our best interests at heart. For us both this is a long-term investment and I'm confident we're forging a partnership that will see us work together for many years to come."

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Operations has now been rolled out with full integration of the systems scheduled for early 2017, after the Christmas and New Year retail rush. One of the immediate signs the solution was right came from the retailers' own staff – most of whom come from the same youth demographic as City Beach customers.

"Dynamics' user interface was so intuitive and responsive to changing conditions that there was barely any change management required – staff just started to use the system," Dorwald explains.

"This represented the single greatest investment in technology in the last ten years – so there was a high level of nervousness," says Dorwald.  "The reality was the teams in store logged on and largely found their own way around – that ease of adoption bodes well for other changes we're looking to make."

Meanwhile Dynamics 365 is collecting rich insights about customers, what they were buying, how they shop and their interaction preferences, that can then be used to curate the City Beach collection and shape the retailer's roadmap for the future.

According to Dorwald; "I think our CRM allows us to validate what was a gut science. Dynamics allows us to gather data in a practical sense and really target our communications – EDMs and social interactions – and map out our website in 2017 to be more customer focused with that new insight."

Once the POS is fully integrated City Beach will offer a seamless retail experience and achieve a single view of the customer to enhance the shopping experience both instore and online.

With the front facing systems now operational and effective Dorwald is focussing her attention on the back office in order to streamline workflow and inject efficiencies. Instead of purely manual and labour intensive stock management and inventory checks, City Beach will deploy hand held scanners and a range of Microsoft technologies to streamline workflow and automate communications and information gathering.

Of technology transformation in general Dorwald says; "The key is that you have to have absolute clarity about what you are trying to achieve and your priority – that needs to guide your journey. You need to understand your capacity for change and the core objectives you want to achieve. That should drive the order of transformation – in terms of business outcome you achieve a far better result."

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Funny truth of Fijian Indians

  You know you are a Fiji INDIAN if...........
   
  1. You take roti parcel/ on the plane (and a few chilis)
   
  2. Your parents stock up on 2 litre bottles of cream soda,
  And brag about how good it tastes, and called it 'red la
  juice'
   
  3. You know what 'grog' or 'naquona' is.
   
  4. Every Fiji person you know... is somehow related to you.
   
  5. You know what and where Fijian Traders is.
   
  6. You know who is 'Mamu' a.k.a 'blood'.
   
  7. You always get re-fills @ McDonalds...
   
  8. Your parents talk soo damn loud on the phone...but yet
  they don't realize it
   
  9. Your dad has a lot of pride for soccer.
   
  10. You know someone with their name either on their belt
  buckle or their chain.
   
  11. You get 95% on a test....your parents ask
  you...'what happened to the other 5%'
   
  12. You know what 'Fiji Time' is.
   
  13. You go out somewhere with your cousins... for
  example....a restaurant or bowling alley...you argue with
  them who pays the bill.
   
  14. You have some sort of Fiji poster or a Fiji painting
  scenery picture
   
  15.. You been to a lovo in someone's backyard.
   
  16. You know or heard about the card game Thanee, 7 Hand,
  500 etc.
   
  17. You talk for an hour at the front door when leaving
  someone's house.
   
  18. after a hall party... You go back to the house of the
  person whose throwing the party and party some more and pack
  up the left over's to take home and eat the next day.
   
  19. You use your cell phone after 5 pm
   
  20. Your mom is a neat freak
   
  21. You like seafood, or you go crazy when you can purchase
  it for cheap
   
  22. Your kid's/siblings names have some kinda pattern
  to it
   
  23. You invest tons of money in remodeling your house
  rather then just buying new one
   
  24. If you're female ...you are obsessed with
  straightening your hair.
   
  25. You work out... but then you go home and load up on the
  rice, meat and beer
   
  26. You have played that cram board game ever in your life
  time
   
  27. If you have a dinner party all the children and women
  eat first and then the men eat after a couple of drinks.
   
  28. You boil dalo or cassera
   
  29. You hardly reach a relatives pooja.....but when they
  host a party...your 100% down.
   
  30. You have a pooja area designated to a closet in your
  house
   
  31. You eat New Zealand lamb at least once a month
   
  32. If males get together on weekends.  .they have
  'chaisa' with their drinks
   
  33. When you're at a party..... It is perfectly normal
  to eat (dinner) @midnight
   
  34. When you or your parents cook..... u don't use
  exact amount of ingredients.....u just 'throw in
  whatever u think is good'
   
  35. Your aunt tells you... don't drink milk when you
  are eating fish. [You know the consequences if you
  do....right???]
   
  36. You need English subtitles when you are watching Indian
  movies.
   
  37. You change into your home clothes soon as you come home
  from school/work
   
  38. You have a wall unit in the dining room filled with
  'good dishes'
   
  39. No matter where you live.. you find a place to get
  fresh 'khassi' or 'junglee murgee'.
   
  40. You are guaranteed to find some1 who is fijian...just
  by the way they are talking...at Wal Mart, Home Depot,
  Movies, Grocery Stores etc...
   
  41. Your parents don't realize phone connections to
  foreign countries have improved in the last two decades, but
  they still scream at the top of their lungs when making long
  distance calls.
   
  42. You walk out of customs with your trolley at the
  Airport and you see all twenty-five members of your family
  who have come to pick you up.
   
  43. At one point in your life your parents tried to get you
  into places half-price saying you were 12 ...when you were
  really 16.
   
  44. When guests come over to your house....you serve
  cookies, chaa and bhooja
   
  45. When you go to a wedding ...the men will bring daaru
  And keep it intheir car and every so often u find them
  missing from the function.
   
  46. You see someone you know more than 10 feet away, rather
  than just waving, or nodding, you yell 'OYE!' at the
  top of your lungs.
   
  47. When the music is playing at a party...every one makes
  sure you'reon da dance floor and if u sit down
  they'll grab U and make u dance wid everyone else on da
  dance floor
   
  48. Whether you board a plane or get off, your luggage will
  consist of at least one big cardboard box with masking tape
  around it, an possibly tied with 'rassi'.
   
  49. Ur at a fiji soccer party and your hanging with your
  younger cousins and fam friends, than ur hear a bottle break
  and turn around and notice your Dad and uncles and friends
  are
  fighting with each other! It's all about Soccer! Than
  when they finally break it up they make death threats to one
  another, only to hear a week later their drinking and
  playing thanee in someone's basement all together!
  'Bahoot dhaaru peeliya,' was their excuse!!!
   
  50. You arrive one or two hours late to a party and think
  it's normal.
   
  51. You go back to Fiji and people there treat you like a
  member of the royal family.
   
  52. You have never met half of your extended family.
   
  53. You bring a 'chatai' when you go to the
  beach/park with your family.
   
  54. You dip your bread/toast/bun/roti in your  tea or
  coffee.
   
  55. Some random Fijian person walks up to you somewhere and
  says...'you rememba me'....then proceeds to name
  names until you finally know one(usually the 14th name),
  then traces back the exact time, date and place of when they
  met and how you're all related.
   
  56. You go on a picnic the main food item is
  ' palau ' with tomato chutney and coca cola/pepsi to
  drink.
   
  57. You know Nadi is pronounced 'Nandi'.
   
  58. You know the words to 'Phulari Beena Chutney Kaise
  Bhani'
   
  59. Half your family is 10X darker than you.
   
  60. Your favorite quote is....SAAAA NAI SAKEH!
   
  61. You have to take a rest after every meal.
   
  62. You can out drink all of your gora friends!
   
  63. You hate telemarketers
   
  64. Your family says lolli instead of candy
   
  65. You call the hospital 'aspatal'
   
  66. You have tin mutton and tin mutcharee in your cupboards
   
  67. You are unpacking your baggage at the airport because
  We take more than were allowed
   
  68. You have a few BULA shirts with Hibiscus
  Flower patterns
   
  69. Almost every Fiji bhajan begins with
  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
   
  70. Before you are eating 'thaarcaarii', you better
  roll up your sleeve or else you will get a daagg
   
  71. Your idea of salad is sliced up onion, lemon juice, chili and cucumber

Going overseas for dental procedures


Dental Departures Reveals the Top Dental Destinations in Asia for 2017

The rapid growth of dental tourism in Asia over the past 3 decades has resulted in an abundance of state-of-the-art dental facilities springing up right throughout the continent, each of which offers outstanding dental treatments at a fraction of the prices being charged by Australian dentists. The sheer volume of clinics is mind-boggling, and choosing a reputable dental healthcare provider in a locale that's right for you can seem like an intimidating prospect. Read on to discover more about the top dental destinations in Asia, as well as finding out a little more about some of the world-class facilities that are waiting to exceed your expectations.

Bangkok, Thailand

Not surprisingly, Thailand's capital city is a veritable goldmine for modern, cutting-edge dental facilities. Dentists in Bangkok are amongst the finest in the world, with many having studied and trained abroad at some of the most prestigious educational institutes in countries such as Australia, the United States and Europe.

Their award-winning facilities include the Bangkok International Dental Center (BIDC), which became the first Joint Commission International (JCI) Accredited dental center in the whole of Thailand. This impressive 7-storey building is equipped with the very latest dental technologies and has its own on-site dental laboratories where they fabricate all their prosthetics, such as dental implants, porcelain veneers and bridges, using advanced  CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture) equipment and precision milling machines.

The state-of-the-art complex is dedicated to providing its international clients with the ultimate one-stop dental experience. There are a range of essential non-dental services available to make life as easy and stress-free as possible. Visitors have access to on-site banking facilities, not to mention a restaurant and various coffee shops that provide quality refreshments. The complex even has its own 30-room boutique hotel, the first of its kind in Bangkok, to make the visit as comfortable as possible for their overseas patients.

Phuket, Thailand

If the hustle and bustle of the capital city is not your scene, then maybe the island life is more your cup of tea. Phuket is one of Thailand's largest islands and is a mixture of lively, party-'til-you-drop beach resorts and rainforested, mountainous landscapes. Tourists have been migrating here annually for many years now to enjoy the many restaurants, spas and high-end seaside resorts that proliferate the western shores of the island.

For those seeking a more traditional Thai experience, Phuket City offers a blend of old shophouses and busy street markets, or there are all-inclusive tours available to explore Phuket and the surrounding islands such as Phang-nga bay, Khai island and Coral island.

If you're looking for some of the best dentists in Phuket, then Sea Smile Dental Clinic comes highly recommended. They offer a comprehensive variety of dental treatments, ranging from simple cosmetic services such as teeth whitening, to major surgical procedures that include root canal treatments or dental implants.

Their commitment to catering for the specific needs of overseas patients is illustrated in their additional services that include exclusive discounts and rates at variety of partnered hotels, and a complimentary pick-up service to transport you to and from the clinic.

Bali, Indonesia

Continuing with the island theme, Bali is an island province of Indonesia and has earned the nickname of "the Island of the Gods", mainly due to its unique blend of volcanic mountainous landscapes, rugged sandy beachfronts, impressive stepped rice terraces and ancient Hindu temples.

Bali is, quite literally, an island paradise and has been mesmerizing tourists for many years with its spectacular coral reefs that support over 5,000 different varieties of biodiverse marine species. For those of an active persuasion, there are a whole host of watersports activities to get involved in, such as canoeing, rafting, fishing, yachting and, for the more adventurous, freediving!

For those looking for more sedate pastimes, the island has a uniquely rich, artistic heritage that provides an eclectic blend of different cultures, including Chinese, Indian, Dutch and Portuguese influences.

Today, however, the quality of dentists in Bali is attracting a different type of visitor. Not only are people flocking to the island to enjoy the many wonders that can be experienced here, more and more tourists are making the trip to take advantage of the superior dental services that are readily available at state-of-the-art dental facilities such as the ARC Dental Clinic. ARC offers a complete range of cosmetic treatments and dental health services at affordable prices, whilst still maintaining the highest standards of excellence in patient care, hygiene and technology.

In Conclusion

Both Thailand and Indonesia, as well as other popular tourist destinations in the region, such as Vietnam and Malaysia, are all geared towards providing outstanding dental healthcare. Facilities and surgeon expertise are as good here as anywhere else on the planet, and treatments are readily available for a fraction of the prices being charged by your domestic dentists back home. So why not take advantage of the exceptional value for money that dental tourism in Asia can offer you today?

W: https://www.dentaldepartures.com/

Thursday, May 18, 2017

NSW bakery cafe installs the state's first solar air conditioning



Specialist bakery and café Brioche, is committed to changing the face of Sydney – and with more than just its baking. Already a city-wide favourite due to its gluten and preservative free treats, Brioche is now leading the way ecologically by installing the state's first solar air conditioner.

Using half the electricity of a traditional air-conditioning unit, Brioche's new system saves power, reduces the business' carbon footprint and is as easy to use for staff as a regular unit. Brioche owner Fiona Wilkinson says that the café's commitment to reducing its impact on the environment is an ongoing one.




"The unit uses the sun's energy in a heat exchange, which means the solar panels are not creating electricity, but capturing heat. It is an innovative method of cooling, perfectly suited to Australia."

Brioche is the first business in NSW to use the new technology, joining other homes and businesses across Brisbane, Central Queensland and Tasmania, but innovation is not new to Brioche. The café was founded to create food as organic and pure as possible due to Fiona's own food allergies and intolerances, plus Brioche bakes all of its organic breads and pastries on-site, eliminating the need for transport. The business also uses only recyclable plastic carry bags, and the entire bakery is geared towards low energy use, utilising natural gas ovens and refrigeration.

Brioche Organic Bakery and Café, 349 Darling Street, Balmain

www.brioche.net.au

Beat the flu: Best tips to avoid flu this season


It's brilliant
To avoid it...
Eat right!
Make sure you get your daily dose of fruit and veggies.


Take your vitamins and bump up your vitamin C.

Get plenty of exercise because it builds your immune system.

Walk for at least an hour a day, go for a swim,

take the stairs instead of the lift, etc.

Wash your hands often.
If you can't, keep a bottle of antibacterial stuff around.

Get lots of fresh air.
Open doors & windows whenever possible.


Try to eliminate as much stress from your life as you can.


Get plenty of rest.
OR
Take the doctor's approach.
Think about it...
When you go for a flu jab, what do they do first?
They clean your arm with alcohol...
Why?

Because Alcohol KILLS GERMS.
So...

I walk to the pub. (exercise)

I put lime in my vodka...(fruit)

Celery in my Bloody Mary (veggies)

Drink outdoors on the patio..(fresh air)

Tell jokes and laugh....(eliminate stress)

Then I pass out. (rest)

The way I see it...

If you keep your alcohol levels up,
flu germs can't get you!

REMEMBER: 'A shot in the glass is better than one in the ass!'


Monday, May 15, 2017

Event Tech Tribe launches two collaborative style conferences for event professionals

The Event Tech Tribe are announcing a series of can't-miss events for event marketing professionals. The two events will be held in New York City and Washington D.C on the 7th and 8th of June respectively.

The roadshow style event series are a deliberate adaptation of events that are typically put on for professionals in the industry. Aptly named 'Unite', the event series is all about bringing together members of the industry to collaborate and share insights.Organizers, the Event Tech Tribe, plan to coordinate and publish the findings, naming every attendee as contributors.

"We're a Tribe of best-in-craft event tech but we're also a tribe of event professionals," said Tribe leader and CEO of Swoogo, Leonora Valvo, "we know there's a lot of noise out there about data and ROI. Planners are told to collect data, tech suppliers provide numbers - but that's only half of the picture of what makes events awesome. We're expecting an immense amount of intel to come out of these events, which we will be furiously bringing together into a report to share with the industry," she continued.

The Event Tech Tribe is a newly formed collaboration of several 'best-in-craft' event technology providers. Swoogo, Hubb, Glisser, TRC, and ShowGizmo currently make up the Tribe; together they work together to help event organizers have more seamless tech experiences at their events. "We know the shared appreciation for collaboration is something that's not only important to us, it's also important to event professionals,"said Tribe leader, Marie-Claire Andrews, "So Unite is an opportunity for us all to share experiences for the benefit of the wider industry."

The events promise to inspire attendees and help re-define what it means to be an event professional in 2017. Both afternoons will include thought pieces from Tribe leaders and industry gurus, followed by intimate 'Tables of Interest': a fresh take on breakout sessions where attendees are encouraged to share stories, debate and challenge traditional opinions.

Registration for both events is free and is expected to sell out quickly. For more information and to register visit www.eventtechtribe.com/unite.

About the Event Tech Tribe: The Event Tech Tribe is a collaborative ensemble of best-in-craft event technologies that have chosen to work together technically, but more importantly to collaborate at a client level. We've brought together similarly minded companies and built a way of working that puts the customer first. Every member of the Tribe is run by an experienced event professional, culturally hard-wired to think like an event planner. 

About Unite: Our mission is to bring a community of event professionals together to discuss the state of events, collect and share insights, and come away with meaningful data and understanding

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