In a press release issued on Thursday, CPN said it is joining hands with Advanced Info Service. (AIS), The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Royal Thai Police, Toyota Motor Thailand, Chang International, Haad Thip, Plan B Media, GMM Grammy, the Ratchaprasong Square Trade Association (RSTA), Index Creative Village Plc and Channel 3 Thailand.

Visitors can enjoy a spectacular fireworks display and 360-degree light-and-sound show that will be echoing across the Ratchaprasong district and can dance into the New Year together with over 200 popular artists and Asia famous DJs.

Special shows from AIS presenters will be presented nationwide through live broadcasts of ‘AIS Bangkok Countdown 2019 @centralwOrld’ on 3SD channel from 10.30pm and also on 3HD channel from 11.30pm to 12.30am. The broadcast will be available through Multi View on the AIS Play application and AIS Playbox from 6.30pm to 12.30am on December 31.

Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, Executive Vice President of Marketing of CPN, said: “We have continuously been Bangkok’s greatest countdown landmark, which has helped to establish Bangkok’s reputation to the point where global news agencies such as CNN have chosen Bangkok as one of the world’s top 10 great destinations for New Year countdown and compared CentralWorld as the ‘Times Square’ of Thailand.

“With that in mind, this year, we are applying our ‘Realised Connection Experience’ strategy by focusing on providing the best experience right before people’s eyes. Joining hands with AIS and other partners, we are able to fully create the grand and amazing ‘Thailand & AIS Bangkok Countdown 2019’ to help spur local economy and tourism at the end of the year. CPN is investing over Bt400 million in marketing activities, special promotions and lighting decorations at all 32 CPN shopping centers nationwide, aiming to increase customer traffic at our shopping centres by 20% during the year-end period.”

Siwalee Buranasongkram, Head of AIS Brand Management of Advanced Info Service Plc (AIS), said: “AIS is delighted to help jointly create happiness at the ‘AIS Bangkok Countdown 2019@CentralWorld’ event. When we think about a countdown landmark that is very popular among Thai people for the New Year celebrations, CentralWorld has always been a symbol for those happy moments when people count down to the New Year. To make this event even more fun this year, AIS will bring special presents for Thai people presented by AIS presenters from the AIS family led by James Jirayu, Taew Natapohn, Peck Palitchoke, Bella Ranee, Toey Jarinpohn, and Put Puttichai, who will join the New Year countdown with everyone. In addition, those who are at home can watch live broadcasts of ‘AIS Bangkok Countdown 2019@CentralWorld’ with the Multi View feature through the AIS Play application and AIS Playbox to share this happy moment together worldwide from 6.30pm onward.”

Preeyaporn Tangpaosak, President and Executive Director of Alt Telecom (ALT) said that the free WiFi project has been conducted since the beginning of 2018 with Lotte, a strategic partner. The arrangement also involves future extension stations to provide free Wi-Fi service to all BTS users.

The company has also obtained the rights from VGI Global Media (VGI), which was directly granted the rights from BTS to manage commercial areas on all stations.

The company has also recently entered into a concession agreement with Spotwerkz (Thailand) (SWT), that possesses expertise and experience in service delivery and income generation management of fee WiFi service in major areas such as Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Pattaya.

The company is also in negotiations to provide service to 1-2 mobile operators. Such a WiFi network will be able to handle channels and increase service capacity of mobile operators, which will enhance the signal quality, especially during peak times when there is a large number of mobile users. It is expected that those negotiations will be completed in Q1/19.

The term of the company’s service contracts entered into with the customers and strategic partners will be for a period of 3-10 years as appropriate.

“Provision of free WiFi service in downtown areas is another stepping stone for the Company to become a key driver of the government policy and Thailand’s transformation into Thailand’s smart cities as part of the government’s Thailand 4.0 initiative,” said Preeyaporn.

The activity was organised to foster a volunteer spirit, and unite Nestlé employees to take care of the environment in the community and emphasise the Nestlé Purpose of “Enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future.”

The activity was part of Nestlé’s “Beat Plastic Waste” program, which starts with reducing the amount of plastic used in the office, turning large sugar bags shipped to the factory into DIY all-purpose bags, and educating employees about sorting plastic waste.

The goal is to reduce the amount of plastic waste from different sources that gets into the seas, oceans, and rivers, which is a good way to contribute to sustainable environmental conservation.

Sakol Laosuwan, President & CEO, Italthai Engineering Company Limited (ITE), said: “The company focuses primarily on large scale electricity generation and distribution system projects, renewable energy projects, MEP systems for high rise buildings, petrochemical infrastructure construction projects, as well as automated warehouses and factories that are now growing in Thailand.”

ITE’s services include general construction, and engineering, engineering design, project and construction management, operation and maintenance. ITE has also expanded its business to Myanmar under the name Italthai Engineering (Myanmar).

It is a wholly owned subsidiary catering to the Thai Investors exploring manufacturing and logistics opportunities, and other international investors who require experienced engineering contractors who can comply with international construction and engineering standards and deliver quality projects.

The company current backlog includes over 45 projects.

ITE’s strategies and business directions in 2019 will focus on exploring new business opportunities and business direction within the new S-Curve industries in line with the government’s Thailand 4.0 core industry plan, the company said.

The New S-Curve will be an extension of its core business and will include smart grid systems, electrical and mechanical system and advanced automated solution for telecommunication and transportation industry, factories and infrastructure utilities for industrial estates in EEC, automated warehouse and smart factories and other projects involving automation and integrating smart solutions.

The company also plans to expand its business to Cambodia and Lao PDR.

Ye Myat Min, co-founder and chief executive of Nexlabs, said in an exclusive interview that the firm is dedicated to helping businesses in Myanmar in their efforts to digitally transform, as their clients are eager to follow the global trends.

“For local businesses, it is time to move forward with the help of technology. Otherwise, they will be left behind in such a digital age,” he said.

Recognition of this led him to establish Nexlabs in April 2013 with a friend, Myo Htet Aung. The firm started with only four people including the founders, and later changed its name to Nexlabs, aiming to use technology to transform businesses in Myanmar. The firm has since expanded its headcount to 84.

 “Over the past five years, we have built a diverse team with both local and international experience, combining self-taught coding prodigies with seasoned professionals who have been well-trained and worked enthusiastically in Myanmar and abroad,” said Ye Myat Min.

The team has created innovative websites and world-class mobile applications, digitised traditional businesses, crafted client identities, and become a leader in creating effective integrated marketing campaigns.

“If businesses want to take on the future, they should get in touch with us because we have a proven record of successful transformation stories nationwide,” Ye Myat Min said.

“We help businesses get ready and succeed in the digital economy through a combination of data, marketing, creation, and technology.”

He said most of Nexlabs’ clients are fully locally owned, ranging from conglomerates to traditional businesses that are willing to embrace digital transformation for their sustainable growth.

“Whatever the type of project is, we get a buzz from transforming businesses with technology. If a business is set for its next big thing, we make sure we will come up with some innovative ideas to make it a reality,” he said.

Though it can provide innovative technological solutions for different lines of business, the firm mainly focuses on key sectors such as banking and finance, food and beverage, and retail and e-commerce.

“We also see room for improvement in other sectors such as insurance, healthcare, education, payments, and logistics, following the potential boom of our core areas over the next few years,” Ye Myat Min said.

He said the team usually takes time to fully understand the market including customers’ behaviour and experience. In this respect, the firm usually invests a lot in research about specific markets, thereby improving brand values and creating branding strategies through the systematic use of social media and other platforms.

“It is very easy to develop an application but it is so hard to make it persuasive to the target audience. We need to make sure the app is user-friendly and convenient. It usually takes time to meet our core dimensions,” he said.

“We usually take time to understand our clients and their customers, crafting impactful brand identities. Our strategists do proper research to fully understand the market and clients’ goals so that our creativity and innovation always come up with positive results.”

He takes pride in the firm’s success stories in conducting integrated marketing, innovative designs, developing websites and mobile applications, UX (user experience) consultancy, and shaping branding strategies of its clients. Nexlabs has been part of the transformation stories of Nescafe, City Mart Holdings, Gloria Jeans, Mingalar Let Phwet, and Wave Money.

In the light of Nexlabs’ success, Ye Myat Min and Myo Htet Aung were among the eight young innovators from Myanmar who made it into Forbes Asia’s first “30 under 30 Asia” list in 2014. The judges for the magazine selected talented young people from across the continent to represent 10 fields including enterprise technology, the arts and media.

This year, the firm attracted US$150,000 in investment in from London-listed Myanmar Strategic Holdings Ltd and received a six-digit equity injection from Singapore venture capital firm Vulpes Innovative Myanmar Investment Company.

“Our VC-backers in Europe and Singapore believe in our vision and capability to expand, train and mentor our next-generation rock stars and create genuine value in Myanmar and beyond,” said Ye Myat Min.

Last year, the firm enjoyed 140 per cent growth in revenue, and aims to sustain that kind of growth over the next few years. It posts annual revenue in the seven digits in US dollar terms, Ye Myat Min said.

Suphat Srithanatorn, executive vice president of food products at CP Vietnam, said the plants would produce goods that would also be exported to Japan and Europe. The firm expects to start exports of its chicken products to those markets in 2020, Suphat said.

The food company expects to introduce new ready-meal products, along with about 50 stock-keeping unit (SKU) codes, and set up around 150 new Five Star stores next year, he said.

Suphat said that Vietnam offers high growth potential, particularly for the teenager market. Around 60 per cent of the Vietnamese population is now under age 45. This presents a high opportunity to come out with new ready-meal products to support the behaviour of a new generation in the country.

Meanwhile, the country now has around 200,000 traditional shops, at 70 per cent of the total, and around 3,000 to 5,000 modern-trade shops making up the remainder of the retail channel nationwide.

The firm believes that in the next three to five years, the modern trade channel will reach to 60 per cent of the trade, and the traditional channel have declined to about 40 per cent, reflecting a major shift in customer behaviour and market demand in the digital era.

The country has GDP growth of around 6-7 per cent per year.

He said that by next March the firm will launch new processed ready-meal products meeting international standards and using advanced technologies. They will include sushi, dim sum, tofu and steamed buns. The firm expects to come out more than 50 ready-meal SKUs in the Vietnamese market next year, with the production capability reaching 1,500 tonnes per year.

“I think that the ready-meal products will match changing consumer behaviour and modern lifestyles, following a branding plan to become a recognisable brand, [and ensure] food safety for Vietnamese consumers,” said Suphat. Meanwhile, the firm has a plan to set up 150 new Five Star shops nationwide next year. It now has around 650 Five Star shops in Vietnam.

The firm will also re-positioning its current eight CP Fresh Marts as modern trade stores, and expects to set up another 10 new CP Fresh Marts by the end of 2019. It is now developing a local brand to take on the market-share fight for CP Fresh Mart, and expects to announce new local brand early next year.

In 2017, the overall food and beverage market in Vietnam was worth around $173 billion (Bt5.66 trillion), Suphat added. CP has currently achieved the No 1 rung with a 32 per cent market share for fresh chicken meat, and expects to reach 40 per cent next year. The retailer has also the No 2 market share for sausages, at 20 per cent of the market, and expects to take it to 30 per cent by the end of next year.