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The State of Our Schools: The Nation’s Public School Facilities in Crisis

YourUpdateTV

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/g7dJiz_7fRI Living through a pandemic has heightened the awareness for many parents around the issues of health and safety in the schools their children attend. As school districts across the U.S. prepare for and begin a new academic year, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), along with 21 st Century School Fund and the National Council on School Facilities, is releasing a new report that takes a comprehensive look into the current state of our nation’s school facilities funding and draws attention to the disparity across the U.S. in funding efforts. Ending disparities in facilities conditions and quality by income, locale and race, must be prioritized as these gaps will not be closed without an aggressive and an intentional plan to eliminate them. IWBI is working to ensure the health, safety, education suitability, and environmental sustainability and resilience for our students, teachers and staff now and for the future. The 2021 State of Our Schools Report puts a white-hot spotlight on the fact that severe and chronic underinvestment – to the tune of $85 billion a year – is eroding the country’s ability to provide safe, healthy and sustainable schools. Every day, nearly 60 million people—students, teachers and staff—walk through the doors of our country’s nearly 100,000 PK-12 public schools, which represent the second largest sector of U.S. public infrastructure spending after highways. States and local school districts do their best to increase their efforts to maintain and invest in their school facilities when funding is available, but they are falling further and further behind. For more information visit: wellcertified.com About The International WELL Building Institute: The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world’s leading organization focused on deploying people first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilizes its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and the WELL Health-Safety Rating, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and well-being everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here. International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL Portfolio, WELL Portfolio Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Health-Equity, WELL Performance Rating, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Performance, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

September 23, 2021 09:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Pearson and Knowledgehook collaborate to enhance blended learning and increase math support in schools

Knowledgehook

Pearson and Knowledgehook are collaborating to bring two mathematics resources together in a way that brings Canadian educators and students the best of two worlds. The two companies bring shared aspirations, common approaches, and complementary products that enhance mathematics education in Canada. Starting today users of Pearson’s Mathology.ca (Grades 3-6 ) will have access to integrated Knowledgehook activities from within specific lessons. This integration allows students to interact with mathematics through games and activities housed within Knowledgehook’s proprietary Instructional Guidance System and provides teachers with additional ways of providing insights into student progress. Users of Mathology.ca will continue to have access to the comprehensive set of tools designed to support the teaching and learning of math in today’s classrooms. Knowledgehook and Pearson’s collaboration began with a mutual exploration of blended learning approaches and opportunities that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on teachers and students. The two companies are aligned in their mission to provide full and responsive support for mathematics education and intend to expand their collaboration in response to educator feedback. For Teachers: Complementary curriculum-aligned digital products provide a double benefit for teachers. Teachers have access to Mathology’s comprehensive plans, assessment tools, and student lessons as well as interactive Knowledgehook activities and its underlying Instructional Guidance System which, together, help teachers assess student progress and assign relevant, engaging next steps. For Students: Students have more ways to do math with purpose. Linking Knowledgehook activities directly to Mathology lessons, students will have access to in-the-moment gamified learning that will increase engagement, confidence, and success. What is Mathology? Pearson Canada’s Mathology is a comprehensive classroom resource currently available for Kindergarten to grade 6. Built on academic and classroom research for the diversity of Canadian classrooms, it is designed to unlock the joy in learning math by engaging students and teachers with materials that: help teachers gain a deeper understanding of student thinking and determine the next best steps; meet students and teachers where they are at in their math learning journey and build teacher capacity. The central hub is Mathology.ca, an online teacher resource that allows any subscribed teacher access to the entire family of Mathology resources, from Kindergarten to grade 6. A variety of complementary print resources are available and in development. What is Knowledgehook? Knowledgehook’s proprietary technology harnesses the power of data to track where students are on their math journey. Their solution connects a child’s in-school education to their at-home learning, providing real-time insights and expert-designed remediation tools to teachers on student learning gaps. This empowers teachers to develop an understanding of the math concepts related to their students’ challenges, enabling them to adjust instruction and monitor student progress. Beverley Buxton, General Manager of Pearson Canada School Division commented: “At Pearson we believe that every child has the right to a strong math foundation, to feel confident in their mathematical abilities, and to have the necessary tools to take on everyday challenges. And we believe in teachers and their abilities to help their students develop happy, empowering, and positive math stories. We are constantly seeking and testing new ways to respond to teacher and student needs, and our collaboration with Knowledgehook, a company that shares our underlying goals, is a unique example of that. We believe that bringing our respective strengths together is in the best interests of teachers and learners and we are eager to build on the community’s response to this collaboration.” “This partnership presents the future of classrooms around the world. Knowledgehook has built a suite of resources for teachers and students that transform the blended learning environment” added Bruce Rodrigues, former Deputy Minister of Education in Ontario, Knowledgehook advisory board member, and former CEO of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). “Knowledgehook really brings content to life and this Pearson integration will enable more teachers and students in Canada to benefit” Qamar Qureshi, President and Chief Business Officer of Knowledgehook commented: “Our mission has been to equip teachers with the tools to be confident educators and to give them pathways to help students be confident math learners. Having successfully launched across Canada, we have been steadily building up our presence around the world in the UK, Australia, and recently in Mexico. The Knowledgehook solution is fully translated into Spanish and French. Through the collaboration with Pearson, we will be able to reach more math teachers who are searching for innovative, efficient ways to support not only their own learning but also their students’ learning”. “Having the right, personalised guidance makes all the difference, and our goal is to ensure every student has a teacher who has access to the best pedagogical tools, and parents who have insights into their child’s learning. Our platform pulls together a comprehensive and adaptive view on a student’s learning journey, enabling those around them to support and improve their educational experience and outcomes.” About Pearson Learning is the most powerful force for change in the world. More than 20,000 Pearson employees deliver our products and services in nearly 200 countries, all working towards a common purpose – to help everyone achieve their potential through learning. We do that by providing high-quality, digital content and learning experiences, as well as assessments and qualifications that help people build their skills and grow with the world around them. We are the world’s leading learning company. About Knowledgehook Knowledgehook, a leading educational technology company, empowers hundreds of thousands of teachers and parents to collaboratively support the mathematics learning journey of millions of students worldwide. Winner of Google’s Game Changer Award and named Top Disruptor by BNN, its platform analyses student understanding through engaging assessments, providing real-time personalised solutions to close learning gaps between classroom teaching and at-home learning. Designed by leading numeracy and research experts, Knowledgehook’s Instructional Guidance System is known for reinventing how online technology supports education and educators, while inspiring the problem solvers of tomorrow. Knowledgehook is backed by UCL’s VC fund Discentia Capital, Mesoamerica’s Alexandria Corp., Nelson Education and John Abele’s North Point Ventures. Contact Details Knowledgehook Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com

September 21, 2021 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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College of DuPage Named Among Forbes America’s 2021 Best In-State Employers

COD Newsroom

College of DuPage has been named to Forbes Magazine’s prestigious list of America’s Best In-State Employers for 2021, ranking 47 th among the 100 honorees. COD, the only community college to make the list, outranked several four-year institutions, including University of Chicago (50 th ), DePaul University (64 th ) and University of Illinois (89 th ). Forbes previously listed the College among America’s Best Midsized Employers. Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to compile the list by surveying 80,000 individuals working for companies with at least 500 employees. Participants were asked to rate their willingness to recommend their own employers to friends and family, and to nominate organizations other than their own. The ranking is divided into 25 categories including education, automotive, banking, insurance, government services and restaurants. “Despite being among the hardest hit by the pandemic, employers in health care, education and retail dominated the rankings, accounting for 41 percent of the 2021 (overall) list, up from 38 percent last year,” said Forbes Senior Contributor Edward Segal. COD President Dr. Brian Caputo expressed his gratitude for the recognition, which he said directly reflects the institution’s dedication to student success. “It is an incredible honor to receive this recognition and to be named alongside large corporations and four-year institutions,” he said. “The College’s employees are dedicated to helping students achieve their goals. Their commitment to the College’s mission and the amazing work they do on behalf of this institution contributed much to this achievement.” View the full list of America’s Best In-State Employers. Contact Details Jennifer Duda dudajen@cod.edu

September 20, 2021 11:00 AM Central Daylight Time

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Knowledgehook enters Mexico to level up math attainment

Knowledgehook

Knowledgehook, the world’s most comprehensive mathematics learning platform, has launched in Mexico as the country fights back from the devastating impact of COVID-19. It is now available to schools across the country for children in Year 3 to Year 9 classes, through RadIx Education, a change consultancy working with local governments and schools across Mexico. Knowledgehook’s proprietary technology harnesses the power of data to track where students are on their math journey. Their programmes connect a child’s at-home learning with in-school education, providing real-time insights to teachers on learning gaps. The platform empowers teachers to develop an understanding of the maths concepts related to their students’ challenges, enabling them to adjust instruction and monitor student progress. The launch of Knowledgehook in Mexico comes at a time when Mexican teachers and officials are working hard to improve math outcomes for their students. Math achievement is at a low ebb with 35% of 15-year-olds not achieving the minimum level of proficiency in math, according to the recent International Student Assessment (PISA) 1. Indeed, Mexican 15-year-olds rank last among students in the 36 OECD member countries in mathematics, reading and science, according to a recent International Student Assessment (PISA) survey. Moreover, UNICEF reported that, on average, schools in Latin America were closed longer than any in any other region as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qamar Qureshi, President of Knowledgehook, commented:“This is an amazing opportunity for everyone involved in education in Mexico to turn the tide and accelerate change in math outcomes for young people. Having the right, personalised guidance for teachers makes all the difference. Every student deserves to have a teacher who has access to the best pedagogical tools, and parents who have insights into their learning. Our platform is not a game, it pulls together a 360 view on a child’s learning journey, enabling people around them to improve the child’s math experience and outcomes”. Knowledgehook’s AI-enabled platform has grown to support schools across the US, Mexico, and the UK. It is designed to scale across multiple countries and languages, developing teacher capacity while engaging students and providing actionable insights for parents. Over the years, Knowledgehook’s research-based solution has garnered industry-leading partnerships and investments from the most recognised global education bodies, notably from the University College of London (UCL), the global leader in education research. In launching Knowledgehook across Mexico, Erik Ramírez Ruiz, founder of Radix Education, commented: “Despite the historical lows in math attainment levels for Mexican children, we know that the gap between the top and bottom performers in math and science has shrunk over time. It’s now time to accelerate this change and move the needle further. Knowledgehook has proven across the world it makes a difference. We have already seen this first hand during the testing phase and are optimistic the technology will help teachers and improve the life chances of many young people ''. Knowledgehook actively collaborates with governments around the world while also working directly with schools and their suppliers, to offer curriculum-aligned solutions. The company currently empowers teachers in more than 100,000 schools. In 2021, it is anticipated the solution will reach 50,000,000 students globally. Launching Mexico is the first time Knowledge will be available in Spanish. The solution is also available in French. We have received growing interest for our technology and expertise to be applied to other subjects and we look forward to expanding our solution to empower more educators and support the learning of students to become the problem-solvers of tomorrow,” Qamar Qureshi added. Ends 1 Based on the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey. It is conducted once every three years and is the most extensive and widely accepted measure of academic proficiency among lower secondary school students around the world. About Knowledgehook Knowledgehook, a leading educational technology company, empowers hundreds of thousands of teachers and parents to collaboratively support the mathematics learning journey of millions of students worldwide. Winner of Google’s Game Changer Award and named Top Disruptor by BNN, its platform analyses student understanding through engaging assessments, providing real-time personalised solutions to close learning gaps between classroom teaching and at-home learning. Designed by leading numeracy and research experts, Knowledgehook’s Instructional Guidance System is known for reinventing how online technology supports education and educators, while inspiring the problem solvers of tomorrow. Knowledgehook is backed by UCL’s VC fund Discentia Capital, Mesoamerica’s Alexandria Corp., Nelson Education and John Abele’s North Point Ventures. Contact Details Knowledgehook Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com

September 15, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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The 2021 American Thoracic Society Virtual Event

Convey Services

In 2021 the American Thoracic Society hosted their annual conference as a virtual event. The ATS Virtual Conference provided both attendees and exhibitors with a virtual experience that would closely replicate the in-person environment. The ATS International Conference attracts pulmonary, critical care, and sleep professionals, from those in the earliest stages of their careers to those whose research or strides in clinical care has gained them international recognition. Each year, nearly 14,000 of these professionals choose to attend, present, and learn about the latest advances, meet with colleagues from around the world, and create new collaborations and connections. It is truly where today’s science meets tomorrow’s care. Download the case study for free at: Case Study in Virtual & Hybrid Events for Medical Organizations — The story of ATS 2021. “The MCI Group was tapped to be the event management company for the ATS virtual event, said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “MCI is a global engagement and marketing agency that creates human-centric touchpoints to unleash the power of people to deliver innovation and growth. Cloud Conventions was selected as the virtual technology platform to manage the ATS virtual event. Our solutions is a sophisticated enterprise platform that manages everything needed to execute a flawless virtual event, tradeshow or conference.” ATS Virtual Conference Goal The virtual conference was designed around three main elements to meet the goal: • Presentations & Sessions • CME/MOC Education • The Industry Solution Center for sponsors Attendees at the ATS Virtual Conference engaged through networking events featuring experts from the medical industry, attendee-to-exhibitor real-time chat, online discussion forums and “ Community™ ” featuring searchable attendee directories, profile cards for each attendee and instant messaging between attendees. The live portion of the virtual conference was held over a five-day period, and on-demand content was made available for ninety days. Click here to download: Case Study in Virtual & Hybrid Events for Medical Organizations — The story of ATS 2021 About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 14, 2021 04:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cloud Conventions Creates DIY Playbook for Managing & Delivering Virtual Events

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today released a new Do-it-Yourself (DIY) eBook for associations, nonprofits, and businesses designed to reduce cost and increase efficiency with a self-managed program to create and deliver a virtual conference or trade event. It’s all outlined in “The DIY Virtual and Hybrid Event — Case Study,” available for free to download. Cloud Conventions is a sophisticated event management platform that redefines the attendee and exhibitor experience focused on delivering virtual and hybrid events for associations and business. “Most organizations with live events that were scheduled in 2020 and 2021 have now had the experience of staging those events virtually,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “Even though live events are returning, maintaining a virtual event option will be vital to your event strategy, even after all of the challenges of COVID have passed. To simplify and demystify the process, we created a DIY program for meeting planners that have gotten comfortable with virtual events but want to maximize their effectiveness, while managing more of the elements themselves to reduce cost and maintain more control.” The cost and effort to add virtual options to complement a live event or as a stand-alone event has been overwhelming for many organizations with limited staff or a tight budget. Cloud Conventions’ DIY Virtual Events offer a low-cost subscription to the event management platform and a step-by-step playbook to simplify planning, execution, and management. The DIY event program shows you on how to create a content and session strategy, a virtual exhibit option for sponsors, expanded attendee engagement strategies and a way to automate onboarding attendees and manage the platform. A DIY platform comes configured and organized, making it easy to brand and add other elements without technical expertise or programming. “We generated two of our own virtual events before we began delivering virtual events to clients,” added Bradfield. “We took the lessons we gained from our events and coupled them with what we learned from executing hundreds of events for other customers. We created an eBook that outlines 9 key steps for executing a successful DIY virtual event. In this eBook, we relate those steps to how we delivered Cloud Conventions 2021, a virtual trade event for the telecommunications and cloud sales channel in May 2021.” The Cloud Conventions technology platform is designed with the non-technical user in mind with self-help and user tips built into administrative routines. The platform comes with templates for email communication, virtual exhibitor booths, session and content posts, directories and pages. Customers can take advantage of built-in Zoom or BlueJeans by Verizon conferencing capabilities to broadcast video sessions and keynotes. Event planners can also use their own preferred video accounts such as Teams, GoToMeeting or GlobalMeet. Analytics and reporting are automated to give the event organizer and exhibitors a detailed view of all attendee engagement. Click here to download: The DIY Virtual and Hybrid Event — Case Study About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 14, 2021 03:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cloud Conventions Releases New eBook for Associations Detailing 2021 Virtual & Hybrid Event Outlook

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today released a new eBook exclusively for event planners of professional associations and trade groups entitled “2021 Virtual & Hybrid Event Outlook for Associations,” available free to download. It offers practical advice for associations to make their next live, hybrid or virtual event deliver the right experience for the organization, its members, and sponsors. The eBooks focuses on the business case for redefining online event experiences backed by research. “Professionals that manage live and virtual conferences for associations struggle with how they should engage their membership now that live events are starting to return,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “We assembled this eBook to look at research from well-respected sources to see how having virtual event options has impacted how members engage with associations before, during and after the pandemic. We look at how sponsors view their investment in virtual events, and what it tells us about how associations should plan their event strategy moving forward.” In 2020 the pandemic forced associations to cancel in-person gatherings and pivot to everything from webinars to multi-day virtual conferences. Scrambling to offer some sort of online experience to replace the much-anticipated live conferences represented a fundamental change in the way an association and its membership connected historically. The result was a lower revenue producing virtual option that represented a huge decline in the association’s bottom line. However, the upside of virtual events, when effectively done, has been a game changer for many associations leading to increased attendance, greater member engagement and additional sponsorship revenue outside of membership or attendance fees. “Now that live events are starting to return, associations have asked themselves if continuing virtual events are really worth it,” added Bradfield. “ The 2020 study of 1,000 respondents, ‘Association Trends: From Disruption to Opportunity ’ produced by Community Brands reveals that having a virtual option for membership participation has moved from a nice to have, to a must have. Recent cancellations of live events because of renewed COVID concerns scheduled for this fall is an indicator that the pandemic is far from over. Having a virtual or hybrid option still is the best insurance that the show will go on, no matter what.” Although 2020 was disruptive, in the last several years revenue from membership dues has declined for many associations, while revenue from other sources increased, accounting for over half of the funding for a given group. “2021 Virtual & Hybrid Event Outlook for Associations” reviews the value delivered to the membership and key factors behind increased participation when doing virtual or hybrid events. Cloud Conventions is an event management platform that redefines the attendee and exhibitor experience with a strong focus on delivering virtual and hybrid events for association and nonprofit groups. Click here to download: 2021 Virtual & Hybrid Event Outlook for Associations About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 14, 2021 03:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Hong Kong-based EdTech Company Preface Sees 500% YoY Surge in Revenue, Overcoming Impact of Pandemic

Preface

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 14 September 2021 - Preface, the Hong Kong-based EdTech company, has announced the completion of its Series A funding from prominent investor Sunlink Holdings (H.K.) Limited. Preface aims to tackle the issues raised by Hong Kong's traditional education model, cultivate future global talents and promote coding as the world's universal language, facilitating Hong Kong to strengthen its connection with the world. Tommie Lo (front row, second left), Founder and CEO of Preface, and the Management Team The global EdTech industry is worth more than US$100 billion. It is expected that the number of people learning coding in Hong Kong will reach one million in the coming five years [1]. Despite the impact of the ongoing pandemic, Preface has seen a continued improvement in its performance, with year-on-year revenue growth of 500% over the past 12 months under its unique “Decentralised Classroom” delivery model, highlighting the growing momentum. Tommie Lo, Founder and CEO of Preface, said: “Coding is the foundation for all kinds of modern technology and will become the universal language of the future. Trusted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and UNESCO in the provision of programming education, Preface offers award-winning programming curricula to global academia and leading multinational corporations. Through the high-mobility classroom model we are initiating, coding education has been rapidly popularising in Hong Kong. Our goal is to equip future talents in Hong Kong and around the world with this key language.” “We are very excited to support Preface in its Series A round of funding. In the digital transformation era, education has become one of the fastest-changing landscapes and we see enormous potential for the business. We trust that a forward-looking company like Preface can revolutionise the education industry through their innovative approach,” said Angus Chan, COO and CFO of Sunlink Holdings (H.K.) Limited. With the digitisation of society, cultivating global coding talents has become the responsibility of education A study [2] indicates that over 64% of international companies and 51% of small and medium-sized enterprises in Hong Kong have encountered difficulties in hiring innovative and technological talents. Nearly 80% of Hong Kong companies need to strengthen the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and related professional knowledge for their employees, showing that there is significant demand for training courses. “Hong Kong is in danger of falling behind the rapid growth in technology globally. Nearly 30 countries around the world have included coding education as compulsory courses to enhance their international competitiveness. However, Hong Kong’s education is limited by its traditional framework, with coding education still being regarded as extracurricular study rather than a core education subject. Hong Kong’s students will lag behind in the digital world which will reduce their competitiveness in the market,” Tommie explained. As the first Asian teaching platform to win an award at “EdTech Summit in Europe”, the world’s largest education process programme, Preface Coding by Preface is committed to nurturing talents and cooperating with universities around the world, such as MIT and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Preface has also designed official coding courses for top-ranked universities in Hong Kong and co-organised seminars and workshops with multinational technology companies and non-profit organisations. Preface has now trained more than 10,000 students around the world. Decentralised Classroom – solving issues raised by the traditional education model and fuelling innovation technology Preface's innovative teaching concept provides a solution to tackle issues raised by the traditional education model. Its "Decentralised Classroom" delivery model emphasises that students can learn from daily life, and that education should not be restricted by time and place. Students from Preface are able to choose how and where to attend coding courses as they prefer, receiving teaching materials according to real-time analysis and being matched with teachers through AI technology. The traditional education model is limited in its approach. Hong Kong, for example, is still using the "one-to-many" classroom design that is an outmoded education concept from the 19th century. Preface believes that future education should no longer be restricted to one-way delivery; rather, the learning and teaching process require innovation to ensure that the ultimate goal of education – teaching students in accordance with their aptitude – can be achieved. Preface will use the latest round of funding to further develop its business in major cities including Hong Kong, Tokyo and London, with a determination to popularise coding knowledge and make it a universal language. The company aims to equip the new generation with this key language for a better future. [1] Calculated based on internal data, the numerical conclusion is for reference only. [2] Google Hong Kong “Smarter Digital City - AI for Everyone”: https://forhongkong.withgoogle.com/intl/zh-HK/acceleration-digital-transformation/ About Preface Founded with a vision that personalised education is for all, EdTech company Preface is committed to liberate knowledge and promote coding as the future’s universal language. As an award-winning coding education company, Preface reshapes both the teaching and learning experience by providing personalised classes. Our businesses are across Hong Kong, Tokyo and London, with a focus on the coding education platform Preface Coding and F&B and lifestyle concept space Preface Coffee & Wine. Stay up to date at www.preface.ai About Preface Coding Preface Coding by Preface specialises in delivering personalised coding courses. Powered by an artificial intelligence (AI) data analysis system and teacher-student matching technology, Preface provides tailor-made course materials to teach students in accordance with their aptitude. Adhering to the concept of breaking the inherent framework of traditional classrooms, we are committed to introducing award-winning coding curricula and training for MNCs, academia, secondary and primary schools in Hong Kong. Our programs are trusted by authoritative international institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and UNESCO. About Preface Coffee & Wine Preface Coffee & Wine by Preface is an F&B and lifestyle concept space that brings together a quality coffee and wine store with a free learning space, where customers can enjoy quality food and beverages and learn about knowledge related to technology and coding at the same time. The space also hosts regular seminars and exhibitions about science and technology with international companies and organisations from different industries. The concept space is currently located in Tin Hau and Central. A flagship store in Causeway Bay opens later in 2021 Quarter 4. High-resolution images are downloadable here. #Preface Contact Details 5ives Communications Alice Ma alice.ma@5ivescommunications.com Chloe Chan chloe.chan@5ivescommunications.com

September 14, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cloud Conventions Announces New Virtual Event Management Platform Capabilities

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today released a suite of new features and additional capabilities to improve the user experience for virtual or hybrid events, trade shows and association conferences. New features include integration with the BlueJeans by Verizon video conferencing platform, a new unique 2D Virtual Showroom and Virtual Booth display, additional exhibitor engagement capabilities and new session registration and notification options. These new capabilities further enhance Cloud Conventions’ position as one of the premier enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platforms that is redefining the exhibitor and attendee experience. “As we learn more about what drives attendee and exhibitor engagement, those insights direct us to add features and capabilities to address and improve the attendee and exhibitor experience,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “The 2D Virtual Showroom and Exhibit Booth customizes the look and feel of the exhibit hall and offers a more engaging experience. It serves as a central navigation point using a unique image with embedded links, graphics and videos overlaid. We integrated with BlueJeans by Verizon to offer a conferencing platform that delivers high resolution video and Dolby-quality sound while allowing the participant to enter any session or keynote without leaving the platform. We also can cap registration on any session, creating a wait list and automatic notifications when the attendee has been cleared to attend.” The 2D Virtual Showroom and Exhibit Booth provides a self-managed, totally customized experience by adding a library of unique exhibit hall or virtual booth images and then overlaying them with interactive zones that link to embedded videos, navigational buttons, images, badge scan and message icons that link to other locations on the platform. Virtual showrooms can appear on the event site homepage or attendee dashboard to direct the user through the event experience or can become the main virtual exhibit hall. 2D virtual booths can be added to templates providing silver, gold and platinum exhibitors each with a distinctive booth experience based on sponsorship levels. BlueJeans by Verizon has a unique iFrame capability that allows attendees to connect automatically to live or keynote sessions from any location on the Cloud Conventions’ platform. Their attendee information is automatically transferred to BlueJeans, and their activity is recorded and delivered back to Cloud Conventions’ event reports. BlueJeans offers the industry's highest fidelity audio and video performance, as well as suite of comprehensive security features. It can host live events with up to 50,000 attendees and 150 presenters worldwide. BlueJeans streams to Facebook Live for larger audiences to view the session as it happens. About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 13, 2021 04:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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