Citi® Campaign Brings to Life More Music, Sports and Dining for Credit and Debit Card Customers

New York – Have you wondered what it would be like to cook alongside a celebrity chef or hear your favorite music live from VIP seats? Citi® Private Pass®, an entertainment access program, offers access to thousands of events each year including presales, preferred seating and VIP experiences. Citi® credit or debit card customers can purchase tickets through www.citiprivatepass.com, and some events are complimentary. The experiences offered across sports, dining and music are illustrated in the new Citi advertising campaign, “MORE” and broadcast commercial, “The Ex.”

The “MORE” campaign shows the special access for Citi credit and debit card customers, by highlighting musicians, athletes, chefs and more. Each of the celebrities featured in the campaign has been or will be part of a Citi Private Pass event, including: Alicia Keys, Rickie Fowler, David Ortiz, Cal Ripken Jr., the Fresh Beat Band, Gladys Knight, Santana, Daniel Boulud and Giada De Laurentiis.

“Whether our customers want to see their kids’ joy in playing with baseball legends or seeing their favorite band, we’re offering exclusive access to experiences of a lifetime,” said Ralph Andretta, Head of Co-Brands and Loyalty at Citi Cards. “These ads show how anyone with a Citi credit or debit card can get more music, sports and dining.”

As part of the campaign, a new television commercial, “The Ex” gives the audience a view of the type of intimate experiences offered to Citi Private Pass customers. The storyline shows a man rebounding from a relationship breakup by enjoying an art gallery, cooking with Giada De Laurentiis and meeting Alicia Keys after a performance. Alicia Keys’ first single from her upcoming album, Girl on Fire, is featured in the broadcast commercial.

Added Giada De Laurentiis, “It was fun to show the kind of intimate and interactive culinary experiences Citi customers can enjoy. I’m always excited to share my passion for food, favorite recipes and techniques in the kitchen.”

Citi Private Pass offers customers access to events where they can experience the best sports, dining and music. Citi is expanding VIP experiences this fall, including some events where customers can interact with their favorite celebrities. Upcoming events include watching a Sunday football game in John Madden’s production facility and an exclusive culinary experience at Restaurant Daniel prepared by Chef Daniel Boulud.

The Citi Private Pass campaign is brought to life in a breadth of channels, including television, print, digital, events and advertisements at New York City's Bryant Park, The Grove in Los Angeles and Ogilvy Station in Chicago. While this is a national campaign, there will be significant focus on key markets through advertisements in Citibank branches.

“Citi’s access to the best in dining, sports and entertainment enables us to tap into our customers’ passion areas and earn their loyalty,” said Vanessa Colella, Head of North America Marketing at Citi. “This multifaceted campaign uses a variety of channels to engage customers and illustrate how we are providing them with unforgettable experiences.”

Learn more, and sign up for the weekly Private Pass newsletter highlighting upcoming experiences, on www.citiprivatepass.com. While the Citi customer purchases the ticket or experience, there are no incremental fees to enjoy Citi Private Pass. Citi customers with a Citi Amex, MasterCard or Visa credit or debit card have access to Citi Private Pass.

To view the advertisements, please visit www.youtube.com/citi.

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Citi and DED Sign Comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding for Joint Promotion of Dubai as Trade and Investment Destination

Dubai – Citi Transaction Services (CTS), a Division of Citi, today signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Economic Development (DED) – Government of Dubai – designed to boost Dubai's attractiveness as an investment destination and a trade hub for multinational corporations, as well as promote a more conducive environment for the establishment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

Signed by HE Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of DED, and Mr. Atiq Ur Rehman, Citi's Chief Executive Officer for the Middle East Division, the MoU calls for cooperation on a series of presentations and roadshows outside of the UAE to help attract fresh Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the city.


It also points to the exchange of expertise, best practices and vital information to help facilitate export efforts, SME initiatives, business registrations through Citi's banking platform, including services provided by CTS and Global Subsidiaries Group (GSG).

Citi's involvement is driven by ‘Citi for Cities,' a global initiative which aims at transforming and modernizing city infrastructure, supporting economic development and job creation, and enhancing cities' livability.

Commenting on the MoU with Citi, Mr. Al Qamzi said: "We are delighted that Citi, a global name in banking and finance, will be partnering with DED on multiple initiatives. Both DED and Citi have the common goal of improving Dubai's viability as a global economic hub, and today's MoU lays the foundation for a solid and long term partnership."

"Dubai continues to make strides as a city of choice for businesses, multinational corporations and expatriate population. We are delighted to have the opportunity to assist DED in enhancing Dubai's competitiveness in the future," said Mr. Rehman.

According to ‘Hot Spots,' a March 2012 Citi-commissioned Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report which analyzed the competitiveness of 120 cities worldwide based on a city's ability to attract capital, business, talent and tourists, Dubai ranked 10th under the measure of Financial Maturity and 40th in the overall rating.

Citi has been in the Arab world for nearly 50 years and views the region as critical to its global franchise. It currently offers full-scale corporate banking services across 10 Arab countries, including Egypt, UAE, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait as well as Pakistan. Its consumer banking services cover UAE, Egypt, Bahrain and Pakistan, while it maintains close relationships with high net worth clients in the region through the Citi Private Bank.

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Winners Announced for the Citi Micro-Entrepreneurship Awards for the Caribbean

Kingston, Jamaica – The Citi Foundation, the Caribbean Microfinance Alliance and the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) are pleased to announce the winners for the inaugural Citi Micro-entrepreneurship Awards for the Caribbean. The Awards recognize a microfinance institution and a micro-entrepreneur that have each demonstrated remarkable success in the English-speaking Caribbean. Five finalists were chosen for each award, and a jury of six experts on microfinance and micro-entrepreneurship in the region has selected the winners.

The winner of the Excellence in Microfinance Award will receive a cash prize of US$10,000, and the winner of the Excellence in Micro-entrepreneurship Award will receive a cash prize of US$3,000. Both winners will also receive a short video on their business or institution, an award certificate and a trip to the award ceremony at the Caribbean Microfinance Forum IV in Bridgetown, Barbados on September 30, 2012.

The winner of the Excellence in Microfinance Award is

Access Financial Services (Jamaica)

Access Financial Services has established itself as one of the premier providers of loans in the Jamaican microfinance sector, serving 5,599 active business loan clients through its 14-branch island-wide retail network. Founded in 2000, the company was successfully listed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange by 2009. Access has prioritized “working class entrepreneurs” as a key market segment and consistently provides convenient and innovative loan products for this segment. Despite a challenging economic environment which saw a 1.1% decline in Jamaica’s gross domestic product, in 2011 Access recorded a 35% increase in the number of loans disbursed.

The winner of the Excellence in Micro-entrepreneurship Award is

Javier Basto, Basto & Sons Plantain Chips (La Inmaculada Credit Union, Belize)

In 2008, Javier Basto began frying plantains in his backyard and selling them to friends and neighbors in affordable US$0.50 bags in Guinea Grass Village, Belize. From that humble beginning, his plantains gradually gained popularity for their unique and tasty flavor, and he soon expanded with financing from La Inmaculada Credit Union for equipment and improved facilities. The Basto & Sons product line now includes cassava chips and churros (a fried flour-based chip) and is sold to grocery stores in Orange Walk Town, Corozal Town and Belize City. Sales have risen quickly from US$39,000 in 2009 to US$68,250 in 2011. Mr. Basto now has seven employees and sells 5,000 bags per week with a goal of expanding to 7,000 bags per week.

The four other finalists for the Excellence in Microfinance Award were:

• Churches Cooperative Credit Union (Jamaica)
• First Regional Cooperative Credit Union (Jamaica)
• Institute of Private Enterprise Development (Guyana)
• Seva MFI (Suriname)

“The microfinance institution finalists demonstrate professionalism, innovation and above all, dedication to their clients, as they achieve success in Caribbean marketplace,” said Tomas Miller, MIF Access to Finance Unit Chief and Awards Jury Member. “By helping their clients grow their businesses through loans, training and other services, these institutions are fostering economic development in their communities.”

The other four finalists for the Excellence in Micro-entrepreneurship Award were:

• Romaldo Cal, Cal’s Bakery (La Inmaculada Credit Union, Belize)
• Somaroe Khemradj, Rice Farmer (Seva MFI, Suriname)
• Beverley Paton, Beverley Grocery (Institute of Private Enterprise Development, Guyana)
• Norine Roberts, S & N Enterprise (Grenville Cooperative Credit Union, Grenada)

“All of the finalists for the micro-entrepreneur award started off with just an idea and a small amount of capital to start their business. They are engaged in diverse activities, such as baking, farming and retailing, and in just the past three years, most of them have more than doubled their annual sales. Through remarkable drive, ingenuity and hard work, these entrepreneurs have overcome challenges, expanded their business, hired new employees and helped to improve their respective communities,” said Winsome Leslie, MIF Senior Specialist and Team Leader for the Caribbean Microfinance Capacity Building (CARIB-CAP) I and II programs.

Dennis Evans, Citi Cluster Head for the Caribbean, said: “This initiative is part of Citi's commitment to the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of the communities where we are present. Citi is proud to be working with the IDB MIF in supporting the Caribbean Microfinance Alliance and to be launching the Citi Micro-entrepreneurship Awards (CMA) in the English-speaking Caribbean for the first time. I look forward to meeting and congratulating the winners in person at the awards ceremony.”

The Citi Micro-entrepreneurship Awards will be presented at the Caribbean Microfinance Forum IV in Bridgetown, Barbados on September 30, 2012. The Forum is an important knowledge-sharing venue for microfinance institutions in the Caribbean and discussions this year will cover issues such as the state of microfinance in the Region, responsible microfinance (e.g., client protection) and the Smart Campaign, the value of a Caribbean microfinance network as a mechanism for knowledge-sharing, and development of the microfinance industry. Individuals interested in attending can contact Villet Bennet at Villet.bennet@developmentoptionsja.com. The Caribbean Microfinance Forum is being held in conjunction with the Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise (FOROMIC) hosted by MIF/IDB Oct. 1-3, 2012, in Barbados.

The Citi Micro-entrepreneurship Awards for the Caribbean are financed by the Citi Foundation and administered by the Caribbean Microfinance Alliance (CMFA) and the MIF. The awards program has three goals: 1) to raise awareness about microfinance; 2) to build awareness about the important role microentrepreneurs play in their local economies; and 3) to develop the next generation of microfinance networks.

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Sam Spratt's autographed Angry Birds t-shirts up for grabs!

Can Angry Birds get any cooler? Sam Spratt has put his amazing artistic skills to our disposal and illustrated his view of the Angry Birds flock. We have made these cool designs available for everyone in the form of t-shirts - check them out!

And now it's competition time!

You can win one of these cool tees autographed by Mr Spratt. If you want one, simply let Rovio know which is the coolest design and where would you wear the t-shirt. You can submit your answer in the comments, by tweeting with the hash tag #SamSprattBirds or sending Rovio an email to community@rovio.com.


The contest begins NOW and ends on Sunday 9th September 9PM GMT!



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Lego Toys - Very Popular Toys in the World

Lego Toys are popular and collected by both children and adults. They are customisable
and they are mixed and matched from a large number of deifferent gears and minifigure
which results in a large number of combinations

These Lego Toys also consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks can be assembled in
many ways like vehicles, Buildings, Robots, Spaceships, Aircrafts and so on.

 

 

Some Lego Toys are named as specific characters either licensed from film franchises or

of Lego's own creation like Starwars, Batman, Ninjago, Harry Potter, Dino, Kingdoms, 

Cars, Alien Conquest, Super Heroes and  many more.

For Lego Toys shopping click here

For Lego Games, Videos and Movies click here

For more information on Lego Toys and Products click on Lego logo