Latest news with #vandeVen
HKFP
4 days ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong Ghost Signs project launches interactive map, invites public to contribute
The Hong Kong Ghost Signs project has invited members of the public to contribute to their collection on their new interactive online map. The interactive map, launched last month, was created by data scientist Mart van de Ven in collaboration with the founders of the Hong Kong Ghost Signs project, writer Billy Potts and photographer Ben Marans. According to the Hong Kong Ghost Signs project's Instagram page, 'ghost signs' are 'fading signage from times past, leaving a rare, tangible trace of the communities and businesses that have changed or disappeared amidst Hong Kong's rapid development.' Potts told HKFP on Friday that his fascination with ghost signs first started when he was around 13 years old. He noticed a large fading sign on the side of a cold storage building in Aberdeen. 'It's just this massive, massive sign, right up the entire building. I could barely see it, it was just very faint [and] I could tell there were a few characters,' he said. 'I looked at it for a very, very long time and then realised that it was actually an ad for a cigarette brand.' The Hong Kong Ghost Signs project was launched in May 2022, with Potts and Marans documenting over 300 ghost signs all over Hong Kong. Its official Instagram page has over 2,500 followers. Potts said that ghost signs do not hold any status as historical artefacts and cannot be easily preserved, leaving photography as the best medium to keep a record. He hopes that through the map, more people will be aware of ghost signs and take the initiative to record and preserve them through photography. 'Hong Kong is redeveloping at such a rapid pace, so, like, we're bound to miss something, and you know, and it's demolished and it's gone forever,' he said. Users can add their discoveries to the Hong Kong Ghost Signs collection by accessing the online map on their mobile phones and clicking the plus sign icon in the bottom left corner. When speaking to HKFP on Friday, van de Ven said this design choice was because 'a mobile phone is something that people always have in their pockets,' and 'if they want to contribute to the map, they can do it there and then.' He described ghost signs as 'an imprint on the city that was,' hoping that through the map, Hongkongers could reframe how they view the city and what it has to offer. 'I think Hong Kong has so many wonderful things to offer,' van de Ven said, but 'it's not always as visible or accessible or as known.' Potts echoed a similar view. 'I want to get people to start getting an understanding that actually, the city around them [is] basically like a museum or like a gallery.' As it is the first time the map is going public, Potts also hopes that people will try it out and provide feedback on how to improve the experience. While the Hong Kong Ghost Signs collection is the first on the map, van de Ven hopes that more people will start their own collections or projects on the wider map. 'I'm really excited to have a wide range of collections on the platform, but for the ghost signs, it's particularly interesting cause these things are often very ephemeral,' he said. 'Being able to document them before they disappear is really… a group effort.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
📸 We've found the funniest tifo of the season 🤣
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here. They are very good. This Wednesday evening, the first leg playoff for promotion to Ligue 1 2025-2026 between FC Metz and Stade de Reims took place at Stade Saint-Symphorien. Trailing 1-0, the Reims team managed to secure a draw, 1-1. Everything is still to play for! As the players entered the field, a particularly unique tifo was displayed by Horda Frenetik, one of the two ultra groups of the Moselle club. A choreography full of self-mockery depicting an elevator taken by a Metz supporter, going up one floor, from Ligue 2 to Ligue 1. And this message: "Priority to regulars." A reference to an image used to mock FC Metz, the "elevator club," regularly relegated from L1 to L2 in recent years. 📸 JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN - AFP or licensors The numbers indeed do not prove the Metz supporters wrong: since 2000, the Lorrains have experienced eight relegations to L2, with seven promotions to L1. An eighth next Thursday, after the return leg played on the field of Stade de Reims? - 📸 Own goal, rain of fouls...: banter session on the Europa League final - 📸 C3 Final: the incredible save by van de Ven on his line - Ronaldinho's strong revelations 📸 JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN - AFP or licensors
Business Recorder
02-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Dubai: tech promises to change holiday experience at Arabian Travel Market
DUBAI: For most tourists, travelling is about creating memories and telling and retelling stories from their adventures. That's why the travel industry is turning toward technology to enhance their experiences. Many such technologies were on display at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025, which took place in Dubai from April 28 till May 1. The event observed the theme 'Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow's Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity'. Keeping this theme in mind, The Klick Agency set up an innovation zone in Za'abeel Hall 1 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Tourism contributes 12% to UAE's GDP in 2024, surpassing US and Europe 'We are showcasing a variety of experiences that highlight storytelling and destinations,' said Klick Agency's chief technical officer Bram van de Ven, talking to Business Recorder on day two of the event. 'We've got some augmented reality (AR) experiences that allow you to step into a destination. We are really trying to use technology to bring stories to life.' This technology was giving visitors the ability to step into different worlds using virtual reality (VR) demos. These kinds of close-to-life experiences enhance the journey before it even begins, said van de Ven. 'I think it helps with the travel experience, because people get a much better sense of the destination that they are experiencing,' he explained. 'For example, you can actually step into a hotel room and you can visualize it. You can see what it looks like, and get a much better feel than you would get by just looking at pictures or a description online.' It's all about adding value to a traveller's experience, said van de Ven, adding that Klick's AR and VR add-ons are currently offered through digital and social platforms, such as Snapchat, TikTok and websites. 'Our approach is to try and stay away from apps,' he said, adding the company also knows not everyone has access to a VR headset. 'We try and keep everything web-based. You scan a QR code, it opens up a web page, and right then and there, you can experience what you want to see.' Unlike Klick's technology that is front and centre with customers, IDeaS Revenue Solutions offers more behind the scenes remedies for the travel industry. 'We've been in the business of helping hotels with automating their pricing for 35 years,' said Klaus Kohlmayr, the US-based company's chief evangelist and development officer. The industry leader, he said, works with 35,000 hotels around the world, one of them being the Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts chains, which has two locations in Pakistan. 'We take in external data from various sources, and we feed that into our system,' explained Kohlmayr. 'Then, together with data from the property management system and the central reservation system, we run that through our algorithms and mathematics and determine what should be the optimal pricing for hotel rooms for the next 12 months or 24 months ? by segment, by length of stay, by room type, and many other variables.' These prices, he said, are displayed on any third-party platforms the hotel is affiliated with and also on their own websites. Some data points used include prices set by competitive hotels, reviews, flights and weather. The company's latest product will go beyond pricing. 'We've just launched a new product where marketing people can look at a dashboard, which will tell them where the 'need periods' are [specific times when demand for certain is typically low] and what return they could expect if they would spend marketing budgets for those periods,' explained Kohlmayr. However, all these services are only useful if hotels are occupied, for which travellers need visas. That's where One Vasco comes in. Much like the previous two vendors, it is also trying to leverage technology as best as possible. 'We have recently launched our app, where you can search for visa requirements based on your nationality and apply online,' said Arshad Shaikh, senior manager sales for One Vasco's Dubai hub. Right now, said Shaikh, their AI use is limited to administrative tasks, such as capturing data from passports and filling out relevant fields on forms. In the future, one of the tasks that AI could help with is aggregating information on visa requirements from various government websites and information portals to track changes and update their websites as soon as they happen, he said. Shaikh said his company had seen good return on investment last year from ATM, giving him reason to return. According to a press release, ATM 2025 featured more than 200 speakers and hosted over 55,000 travel professionals from 166 countries. 'ATM has firmly established itself as a key event on the global tourism calendar,' said Dubai's Crown Prince H.H. Sheikh Hamdan. 'This year's ATM once again reflects the UAE's role in bridging global markets and shaping the future of global travel,' he said, adding that 'the exhibitions and conferences sector is a vital engine of the UAE's economy. It plays a crucial role in attracting investment, enabling knowledge exchange, and creating high-value opportunities across a wide range of industries. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
02-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Arabian Travel Market: tech promises to change holiday experience from door to destination
DUBAI: For most tourists, travelling is about creating memories and telling and retelling stories from their adventures. That's why the travel industry is turning toward technology to enhance their experiences. Many such technologies were on display at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025, which took place in Dubai from April 28 till May 1. The event observed the theme 'Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow's Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity'. Keeping this theme in mind, The Klick Agency set up an innovation zone in Za'abeel Hall 1 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Tourism contributes 12% to UAE's GDP in 2024, surpassing US and Europe 'We are showcasing a variety of experiences that highlight storytelling and destinations,' said Klick Agency's chief technical officer Bram van de Ven, talking to Business Recorder on day two of the event. 'We've got some augmented reality (AR) experiences that allow you to step into a destination. We are really trying to use technology to bring stories to life.' This technology was giving visitors the ability to step into different worlds using virtual reality (VR) demos. These kinds of close-to-life experiences enhance the journey before it even begins, said van de Ven. 'I think it helps with the travel experience, because people get a much better sense of the destination that they are experiencing,' he explained. 'For example, you can actually step into a hotel room and you can visualize it. You can see what it looks like, and get a much better feel than you would get by just looking at pictures or a description online.' It's all about adding value to a traveller's experience, said van de Ven, adding that Klick's AR and VR add-ons are currently offered through digital and social platforms, such as Snapchat, TikTok and websites. 'Our approach is to try and stay away from apps,' he said, adding the company also knows not everyone has access to a VR headset. 'We try and keep everything web-based. You scan a QR code, it opens up a web page, and right then and there, you can experience what you want to see.' Unlike Klick's technology that is front and centre with customers, IDeaS Revenue Solutions offers more behind the scenes remedies for the travel industry. 'We've been in the business of helping hotels with automating their pricing for 35 years,' said Klaus Kohlmayr, the US-based company's chief evangelist and development officer. The industry leader, he said, works with 35,000 hotels around the world, one of them being the Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts chains, which has two locations in Pakistan. 'We take in external data from various sources, and we feed that into our system,' explained Kohlmayr. 'Then, together with data from the property management system and the central reservation system, we run that through our algorithms and mathematics and determine what should be the optimal pricing for hotel rooms for the next 12 months or 24 months ? by segment, by length of stay, by room type, and many other variables.' These prices, he said, are displayed on any third-party platforms the hotel is affiliated with and also on their own websites. Some data points used include prices set by competitive hotels, reviews, flights and weather. The company's latest product will go beyond pricing. 'We've just launched a new product where marketing people can look at a dashboard, which will tell them where the 'need periods' are [specific times when demand for certain is typically low] and what return they could expect if they would spend marketing budgets for those periods,' explained Kohlmayr. However, all these services are only useful if hotels are occupied, for which travellers need visas. That's where One Vasco comes in. Much like the previous two vendors, it is also trying to leverage technology as best as possible. 'We have recently launched our app, where you can search for visa requirements based on your nationality and apply online,' said Arshad Shaikh, senior manager sales for One Vasco's Dubai hub. Right now, said Shaikh, their AI use is limited to administrative tasks, such as capturing data from passports and filling out relevant fields on forms. In the future, one of the tasks that AI could help with is aggregating information on visa requirements from various government websites and information portals to track changes and update their websites as soon as they happen, he said. Shaikh said his company had seen good return on investment last year from ATM, giving him reason to return. According to a press release, ATM 2025 featured more than 200 speakers and hosted over 55,000 travel professionals from 166 countries. 'ATM has firmly established itself as a key event on the global tourism calendar,' said Dubai's Crown Prince H.H. Sheikh Hamdan. 'This year's ATM once again reflects the UAE's role in bridging global markets and shaping the future of global travel,' he said, adding that 'the exhibitions and conferences sector is a vital engine of the UAE's economy. It plays a crucial role in attracting investment, enabling knowledge exchange, and creating high-value opportunities across a wide range of industries. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
