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WHAT IS BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015?
BookFest@Singapore 2015 is the largest books and stationery festival in Singapore, featuring leading publishers and distributors from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. It is a one-stop venue for a comprehensive range of the best and latest publications, together with stationery,electronic peripherals and educational aids.
This year’s theme “treasures” is a tribute to the importance of lifelong learning, translated from the well-known Chinese proverb, “书中自有黄金屋”, signifying how success comes from knowledge through books. It is also symbolic of reading as a key to unlock the powerful treasures of knowledge and creativity and the vital role it plays in empowering and inspiring individuals and enriching communities.
“BookFest@Singapore 2015 is meant for the local community, to encourage people to read more books because after all knowledge is one’s greatest treasure,” Ms Lim Lee Ngoh, Executive Director of POPULAR said. “POPULAR believes in promoting a reading and learning culture as well as encouraging creativity in our youth. We hope many can enjoy with their loved ones, activities we have planned and arranged.”
WHO IS BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015 TARGETED FOR?
Children and Teens – The Journey Book Colouring Contests, National Chinese Creative Reading Competition Ceremony.
Mothers and Cooking Enthusiasts – Cookout Day complete with live cooking demonstrations from renowned chefs sharing their famous recipes.
Fathers and Techies – Electronics devices and appliances will also be available during the festival.
Health and Fitness Buffs –Fun group workout with AMORE during the event with genres to suit and excite anyone Cardio/Latino, Zumba, FunkBlitz and Kickbox.
Foodies – A titbits carnival taking up a 20,000 sq ft. area showcasing imported, organic snacks as well as local products and delicacies.
WHERE IS BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015?
Suntec Singapore Convention Centre, Hall 401 to 405
WHEN IS BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015?
4 – 13 December 2015
HOW TO FIND OUT LIVE UPDATES ON BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015?
Radio stations LOVE 97.2FM and 95.8FM will also be broadcasting live at BookFest.
WHY SHOULD I GO TO BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015?
New to the festival this year is the inclusion of a Household section where POPULAR partners Oster, Honeywell, 3M (DIY stuff), and Philips to provide a holistic shopping experience. Look out for our stationery housebrand as they will be placed in one area for easy shopping. POPULAR will also be dedicating a section to feature an array of Malay books to serve the Malay community in Singapore.
They are also introducing a new concept- Titbits Carnival, located on Level 3 concourse, taking up a space of 11,000 sq ft. Showcasing imported, organic snacks and local products, this food retail experience is a fresh component to the fair and is designed to meet the increasing needs of consumers.
In conjunction with SG50, POPULAR joins hands with Mediacorp 97.2FM to publish a cookbook, “LOVE 97.2FM爱的食堂, 妈妈的菜” [In Love with Mum’s Recipes], featuring tantalizing recipes contributed by 10 DJs from Love 97.2FM and Chef Eric Teo. Selected customers who purchase the cookbook and vote for their favourite recipe and story will be invited to the prize giving ceremony and attend a cooking demonstration by Chef Eric Teo at BookFest. Furthermore, three lucky voters will win a dinner date with the top three DJs with the highest votes. DJs from Love 97.2FM will also be at the festival for an autograph session on 12 December 2015.
There will also be other award winning chefs on 12 December:
1. Chef Patsie Cheong, “Traditional Handmade Recipes” – Over 40 years of experience and published close to 30 cookbooks.
2. Chef Lin (Norzailina Nordin), “101 Traditional Family Recipes” – Published over 32 cookbooks.
3. Chef Hanieliza, “1 Hari 1 Resipi” – Sold over 300,000 copies within 3 years.
4. Shirley Wong (Little Miss Bento), “Kawaii Deco Sushi” – Award-winning bento artist and blogger.
WHAT ARE THE PERKS OF BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015?
POPULAR celebrates the 25th anniversary of its hugely successful membership programme this year. To commemorate this significant milestone, POPULAR presents a Limited edition Card and welcome voucher booklet with savings over $2300. Members will also have a dedicated pavilion filled with special buys with offers up to 60%.
As the saying goes, “good things come in pairs”. POPULAR will be having two lucky draws this year instead of one to reward customers for their unwavering support. The Win-Win Lucky Draw will take place on 6th December where 25 winners will walk away with $10,000 worth of cash and prizes. Also, in sync with this year’s “treasures” theme, winners of The Grand Draw on 13 December 2015, will be showered with gold bars instead of cash prizes worth $10,000.
WHO IS BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015 PARTNERING WITH?
BookFest@Singapore 2015 is partnering Citibank, POSB and NETS to give customers more savings. The following promotion will be given to customers during bookfest:
1. Citibank SMRT card members will receive 10% rebate.
2. POSB Everyday card members are entitled to 10% cash rebates.
3. Customers who download the NETS Savers App will receive a $2 BookFest cash voucher.
In addition, customers who spend a minimum of $50 at BookFest will receive vouchers from partners such as Alive Museum, Explorer Kids, Emi Cakes and more.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL TURN UP FOR BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015?
This year’s Bookfest aims to see 700,000 participants over the ten days at Suntec Convention Centre.
WHAT ARE THE EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS OF BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015?
1. The Journey Book Colouring Contest on Friday, 4 December 2015 from 12.30pm – 5pm
The purpose is to encourage creativity in young children. The contest is open to children aged 9 and below. Registrations are processed at any POPULAR store or school bookshops for a fee of $8. All participants will receive a goodie bag worth $26. 18 lucky participants stand a chance to win over $300 worth of prizes. Registration will close on 20 November 2015. The top three winners will stand to win POPULAR Gift Vouchers and attractive hampers. There will also be fifteen consolation hampers to be given away. To register for the colouring contest, visit POPULAR’s bookstores or website for more details.
2. Readers’ Choice Awards 2015 Ceremony on Saturday, 5 December 2015 from 10am – 12pm
Each year, POPULAR honours local authors for their contribution to the literary scene in Singapore through the Readers’ Choice Awards. This year, 30 local authors and their works are nominated for the Readers’ Choice Awards and readers can vote for their favourite authors in various categories. The top three nominees with the most votes can win prizes of up to $1000 cash, a plaque and certificate.
3. Amore Mass Workout on Sunday, 6 December 2015 from 4.30pm – 6pm
Gearing towards healthy living and lifestyle, POPULAR partners AMORE for the first time ever to conduct a mass workout in the midst of the bookfest. Participants aged 14 – 60 years old are welcome to join in the fun. The genre of workouts are CardioLatino/Zumba,FunkBlitz and KickBox. Registration is free and is on a first-come-first-serve basis.
4. National Chinese Creative Reading Competition Ceremony on Tuesday, 8 December 2015 from 2pm – 5pm
The National Chinese Creative Reading Competition aims to promote Chinese language learning and mastery and to increase students’ awareness and understanding of the rich Chinese culture and heritage. The competition has three categories – lower primary, upper primary and secondary. Participants can choose among 50 books from each category to compete in this challenge. To sign up, visit POPULAR bookstores or visit the website for more information. Registration ends on 31 October 2015. The final competition will take place on 8 December 2015 at BookFest@Singapore 2015.
5. Love 97.2FM Cookbook Cooking Demo and Book Autograph session on Saturday, 12 December 2015 from 4pm – 6pm
A jointly published book, LOVE 97.2FM“爱的食堂, 妈妈的菜” [In Love with Mum’s Recipes] between POPULAR and Love 97.2 FM will be launched during the event. In conjunction with SG50, the cookbook showcases 50 recipes contributed by the 10 Popular DJs and Chef Eric Teo. There will be a voting contest to see which recipe and story are the most popular and winners stand a chance to win a dinner date with the top three DJs with the most number of votes. Purchase the Love 97.2FM cookbook to join the contest. Participants from the voting contest will be invited to catch Chef Eric Teo conduct a cooking demo where he will be preparing the winning dishes from the cookbook.
6. Win-Win Lucky Draw on Sunday, 6 December 2015 from 3pm – 4pm
This year, POPULAR’s Win-Win Notebooks have been designed in line with the rising popularity of colouring books. The books will feature 6 colouring pages, 2 x $5 vouchers and a lucky draw slip to take part in the Win-Win Lucky Draw. The notebooks will be sold in POPULAR stores from 21 October 2015 – 31 December 2015. 25 winners will stand a chance to walk away with $10,000 worth of cash & prizes.
7. Grand Draw on Sunday, 13 December 2015 from 3pm – 4pm
In line with the BookFest theme- treasures, “书中自有黄金屋”, winners will be treated to gold bars instead of cash prizes. To qualify for the draw, customers must spend $100 at the BookFest@Singapore 2015. Citibank-SMRT cardmembers get double the chances. There are 10 gold bars worth up to $10,000 to be won.
[ 10 THEMED DAYS OF FAMILY FUN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON AT BOOKFEST@SINGAPORE 2015 ]
Timeless Treasures (December 4) marks the start of the festival with the Opening Ceremony. The Journey Book Colouring Contests aims to encourage creativity in young children. This is followed by an autograph session by Mediacorp artistes from part 3 of the hit series, “The Journey” 《我们的家园》 (Our Homeland). There will also be a book sharing and signing session by overseas authors Grace Su (苏绚慧) and Chok Yen Hau (卓衍豪).
Localicious (December 5) includes POPULAR’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2015 Prize Presentation Ceremony, “Growing Up With Lee Kuan Yew” Book-Signing Session by Author Lawrence Koh, New album launch and signing session by Love 972 DJ and song writer- Wallace Ang 洪圣安 《同名创作专辑》, “Larger Than Life” Book Launch by MediaCorp Artiste and Author Belinda Lee, Faber Castell Connector Pen Craft Workshop, “Colouring Lion City” Meet & Greet Session by Author William Sim, and Crazy Auction!
Localicious (December 6) includes “ Teochew Heritage Cooking”, Cooking Demonstration by Celebrity Chef Eric Low, Book sharing and signing session by翁添保 Weng Tian Bao, for his new comic book 《又是这一班5》, Listen to the soundtrack of the new TV show “起飞”, Win-Win Lucky Draw, FUN ACTIVITY: Fitness Workout with Amore Fitness and “Show Me The Money” Book-Sharing Session by author Teh Hooi Ling.
Kids Rock! (December 7) celebrates the passion to learn in children, bringing in a myriad of scholastic activities that encourage learning in an entertaining way, and colouring demonstrations. There will also be book sharing and signing sessions by local cartoonist Nixon Siow for his book “Like That Also Can ah?” and Malaysian author 林金城 for 《知食份子》. To celebrate SG 50 and thank our pioneers for their effort and creativity, POPULAR is increasing the prizes for the Adult Colouring Contests from 10 to 20 prizes. The prize giving ceremony will be held at 4pm. Additional 10 prizes includes a $50 BookFest voucher which will be awarded to the best artworks from 10 senior citizens and the remaining 10 winners will receive a Staedtler Karat Aquarell Premium Watercolor Pencils and a $50 POPULAR Voucher.
Stories Come Alive (December 8) showcases National Chinese Creative Reading Competition 2015 (2015 年全国中小学创意阅读比赛) which features students from Primary to Secondary levels competing for the top prize. During Stories Come Alive, we will also see renowned Taiwanese artist, Amily Shen as she shares more about the inspiration for her adult colouring book, Alice in Wonderland《奇幻梦境》, which went viral on social media.
Family Fun Treasures (December 9) is a day of talks that engage the whole family. There will be a Faber-Castell Connecter Pen Workshop and the Crazy Auction. For students who are looking to refine their exam taking techniques, Patricia Koh will also be sharing tips on how to ace the General Paper.
Opens Your Mind (December 10) presents engaging studying strategies including how to solve math equations and techniques to answer physics and chemistry exams. Education Publishing House aims to share Chinese based techniques and games that are both fun and educational. After all that studying, catch Taiwanese best-selling author 女王 as she holds a book signing and sharing segment for her new book《相信你值得幸福》.
Summer Reading Fun! (December 11) presents a rare opportunity to attend an “Early Learning” workshop by Dr. Robert C. Titzer, a recognisable expert in the area of infant learning who helps parents develop their young children’s early learning abilities, ideal for new or expecting parents. For the health conscious, Taiwanese health expert 黄木村 will look at ways to stay fit and healthy.
Bon Appetit @Cook-out Day (December 12) will whet the appetite of food lovers. Love 972 DJ Fen Ying and Celebrity Chef Eric Teo will have a live cooking demonstration in conjunction with the book launch, “LOVE 97.2FM爱的食堂, 妈妈的菜” [In Love with Mum’s Recipes]. Co-published by POPULAR, the book showcases recipes from the DJs of Love 972 and Chef Eric Teo. Chef Eric Teo will also be joined by acclaimed regional chefs including Chef Patsie Cheong, Chef Lin and Chef Hanieliza, who will be demonstrating recipes from their cookbooks. Local Bento Artist, Shirley Wong, will also be teaching the art of “Kawaii Deco Sushi”.
In a World of Dreams (December 13) concludes BookFest@Singapore 2015. There will be a Crazy Auction! as well. Shoppers stand a chance to win gold bars worth up to $10,000 in the Grand Draw, this unique prize is in conjunction with the main theme “Treasures”. As part of the 25th Anniversary of POPULAR’s membership programme, there will be a FROZEN Sing-along Party with free cake pops and sculptured balloons. Catch popular local singer, Jiu Jian (玖健), as he performs songs from his new album, 《玖逢知己》. Be sure to catch famous Taiwanese comic book author H.H 先生 as he shares more about his comics that are widely famous on Facebook.
ADMISSION IS FREE FOR ALL BOOKFEST ACTIVITIES.
For a detailed event schedule, please visit http://www.bookfestsingapore.com/exhibition-highlights/event-schedule/.
Thanks for reading!