Following its innovative high tea event at its Statesman House business centre in New Delhi, Avanta has closed deals with companies from Belgium, Germany and the US for a total of 27 workstations over the last month.

“We’ve been actively marketing our Indian centre to overseas organisations via a number of strategic campaigns and it’s rewarding to see how successful these campaigns have proven,“ comments David Alberto, Avanta’s managing director. “India is clearly a high growth area and, in combination with an increasing demand from the international business community for serviced office space, we fully expect to close many more workspace deals in the region in the near future.”

Visit http://www.avanta.co.uk/India/default.

Avanta has found the perfect way to start the new financial year in India by hosting a high tea event for all clients at its Statesman House business centre in New Delhi.  The event celebrated the announcement that the centre has now reached 75% occupancy following an intensive marketing campaign across the Middle East.

“We ended 2009 with 70% occupancy in New Delhi,” comments David Alberto, Avanta’s managing director, “And following a series of special offers and strategic marketing, which includes Google AdWords campaigns specifically targeting Malaysia and Singapore, we have received a number of enquires with the first clients ready to move in.

“We recently hosted a week long training session for the European Commission Director General for Humanitarian Aid which was attended by members from across the South Asia region.   This follows the international business community increasingly focussing on India as a high growth area.

“Overall, we are in buoyant mood following increased occupancy in New Delhi and the recent expansion of our Devonshire Square centre in the City of London, where we pre-let 50% of available space even before it was open. In addition, Avanta has ongoing plans for further overseas investment and we remain committed to India and the US, via our alliance with Regent Business Centers, and we are currently negotiating a number of joint ventures in the Middle East.”

Sikkim Manipal University’s Distance Education (SMU-DE) programme has been at the forefront of delivering quality education through over 700 learning centres across 310 towns in India. Qualified academic counsellors at the SMU-DE authorised learning centres clarify doubts and mentor over 2 lac students across the country, even in its remotest parts!

As a pioneering institution in the distance education space, SMU-DE constantly innovates on its delivery systems. With EduNxt, its award-winning technology-infused delivery system, SMU-DE has established a collaborative and interactive environment that benefits students and counsellors alike.

EduNxt is an important way of training SMU-DE students – the future building blocks of Indian corporate world – to become integrated into the modern workplace. It is also a very important tool for imparting consistent quality to an academic counsellor’s delivery.

EduNxt certified academic counsellors use EduNxt to:

• Orient students in EduNxt and its study benefits
• Train  other academic counsellors for their own certification

The training is divided into Levels I & II. At the end of the training session, both the certified Academic Counsellors and the trainee counsellors receive EduNxt certification.

On the 31^st March, 2010, Bangalore’s Sidvin School of Business, an authorised SMU-DE learning centre, conducted an EduNxt training-cum-orientation session for its students where Ms. Sunitha Reddy and Ms. Vanishree Raghavendra (both of whom are EduNxt level II certified faculty members themselves) trained 15 students.

This is a perfect example of training the trainer and passing along the substantial technological and research benefits of a heritage institution down to the students. SMU-DE has always been committed to quality education and keeps up its promise to both students and counsellors.

For more details please visit:- http://www.smude.edu.in.

What is SMU-DE?

Sikkim Manipal University’s Distance Education (SMU-DE) programme has more than 80, 000 students taking Management courses. SMU-DE offers Post-graduate and graduate Degree and Diploma programs across 10 disciplines. The programmes offered by SMU-DE are recognized by the Distance Education Council (DEC) of the Government of India for three academic years 2009 – 2112.

MustSeeIndia.com, one stop for all travel related information for India, has partnered with Rural Tourism Network Enterprise (RTNE) for hotel bookings. The deal makes provisions for customers to book hotel rooms directly on MustSeeIndia.com.

RTNE is known to empower hotels in rural areas. It works with locals in the Bharat part of India and imparts entrepreneurial skills to them. This is a significant contribution, considering that it helps in fuelling the rural tourism industry.

Vikas Rana, CEO, MustSeeIndia.com revealed, “The key consequence of this pact is that we have offered hotels to our customers at the far-off locations at the most affordable prices. Most importantly, all this happens at the click of a button, literally!”

This new option allows clients to scan through information of various hotels in India and see the photos to get a slice of reality and book directly. This saves the clients from the trouble of having to spend hours finding out viable accommodation options and zeroing in on one of them. There are very few sites that can book in remote areas.

Saurabh Jha from RTNE shared that, “I think MustSeeIndia.com and we at RTNE have struck the right chord by customizing the accommodation options and bringing them to the doorstep, or rather, the desktop of our clients. They can choose from a wide array of options that are meant to suit every pocket and taste.” Very true, as rooms are available starting at Rs 300.

Customers can book hotels at http://www.mustseeindia.com/india-hotels and know more about RTNE at http://www.rtne.co.in

MustSeeIndia.com, one of the fastest growing travel planning site in India, has announced an array of travel packages for Kerala. These packages cover the popular tourist destinations in Kerala like Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, Kumarakom, Allepey and Kovalam.

Launching the packages, Vikas Rana, CEO of MustSeeIndia.com said, “Kerala has remained one of the top tourist destination over the years. It was natural for us to launch packages of Kerala first.”

Vikas further disclosed, “Kerala has long-been a favourite with newly-weds. The wedding season is in full bloom these days, thus, fuelling the demand for honeymoon packages. We have carefully crafted honeymoon packages paying special attention to details for newly-weds making sure it is a memorable experience for them. The honeymoon package includes a wedding cake, complimentary bottle of wine, flower decoration and candle lit dinner among other goodies.”

Vikas adds, “We understand that everybody has different set of demands. While designing these Kerala packages, we have kept the tastes and moods of our customers. Customers get to choose their destinations, the duration of their stay, the kind of accommodation which suits them. In a way, couples design their own package by picking up what suits them best. We just help them to make their holiday a memorable experience that stays with them all their lives.”

Keeping their word, these packages offer a host of destinations to pick from within Kerala – Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, Kumarakom, Allepey and Kovalam. The shortest package is to Munnar for 2 days and 3 nights and the longest goes up to 7 days and 8 nights and spans across Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, Kumarakom and Kovalam. Cruises through serene backwaters, walking through paddy fields, canoeing through narrow canals make the holiday worth cherishing. Starting at a reasonable cost of Rs 3,950/- per person, these packages go up to Rs 16,000/- per person depending upon the choice of package.  Customers can get more information regarding these packages at http://book.mustseeindia.com/packages.

Also, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, a lot of couples choose to plan short holiday trips. Catering to this very segment of customers, special Valentine packages have been launched. These are tailor-made holiday options for romantic couples. A unique feature of these packages is that add-ons like wine bottle and flowers are provided to couples to make the vacation a special affair.

Vikas further explained, “The destinations we have chosen for these packages are merely a two to four hour drive away from each other, cutting down on travel time leaving the couple to spend quality time together.”

Mumbai, December 22, 2009: Tata Tea has re-launched its flagship website www.jaagore.com. The portal which was, for the last one year, an online hot spot for aspiring voters to register and obtain all information related to Voter Registration, will now stand for social awakening in a broader sense. Jaago Re as a campaign has targeted the youth of the nation, urging them to take a stand on various issues such as voting and corruption and do their bit – thereby encouraging them to be the ‘change they want to see’.

The new www.jaagore.com is designed to be a portal which facilitates the flow of information and resources between individuals / groups / organizations – by bringing together, onto a common platform, those who possess information and resources and those who need them. The understanding behind the website is that people have the desire and the resources to contribute meaningfully to social causes that they believe in. However, often they are unable to channelize this desire into actual contributions due to lack of information about who to contact or where to go. Similarly, NGOs have specific requirements for time, effort or special skills, but are at a loss to rope in the much-needed resources. This portal hopes to provide a platform for these two sets of people to interact and exchange information, time, effort, skills etc.

The website is simple with two key sections – Jaago and Jagaao. Jaago is the information section – a place where people can read up on various social issues – their causes, effects, solutions and how each individual can contribute to addressing the issue. People can post articles and documents related to any social issue, thus making this section of the website into an information and knowledge bank.

Jagaao is the direct engagement section of the website – a place where individuals and organizations (NGOs) register and create a profile. It is the social exchange wherein NGOs can post various requirements – in the form of projects requiring man-hours or specific skills etc. Similarly, individuals can post their interest areas and availability. Individuals can search for projects by location, dates, causes etc. NGOs can also actively search for people using the filters provided.

Speaking about the portal, Ms. Sangeeta Talwar, Executive Director, Tata Tea Limited, said, “At its best, jaagore.com hopes to facilitate social awakening among the youth by providing them the platform and opportunities to channel their efforts and skills. With this initiative Tata Tea hopes to take its flagship campaign – Jaago Re! – beyond the rhetoric, from a level of creating awareness to a level where it actively facilitates action – another call to action.”

About Jaago Re

Jaago Re campaign was initiated in the year 2007. The objective of this campaign was to transform tea from a medium of mere physical and mental rejuvenation to a medium of social awakening. In 2008, Jaago Re One Billion Votes campaign was conceived as an extension to the Jaago Re campaign that focused on awakening the youth to the power that lies in their hands, the power to influence, the power to choose, the power to vote. The campaign attempted to simplify the voter registration process through www.jaagore.com and enabling youth to be the change agents.

For more information contact:

Maheima Kapur – [email protected]

Pradnya Adhikari – [email protected]

Pressmart Media Ltd, (www.pressmart.com) – a global leader in the digital publishing and delivery solutions, today announced the launch of “Pressmart-Indonesia Print Media Awards (IPMA)” in a bid to recognize the best publishing houses in Indonesia over the calendar year 2009, just after associating with the magazine publishers in Singapore, for its awards as the lead sponsor.

IPMA will be conferred annually starting February, 2010, is the exciting new competition created to promote magazines, tabloids and newspapers – both in print and digital and also encourage the publishing industry in Indonesia.

The Indonesian leading newspaper publisher’s association, Serikat Penerbit Suratkabar (SPS) Pusat will host the Pressmart-Indonesia Print Media Awards. The nominations are open to the registered members of the SPS and all other publications in Indonesia. IPMA finalist entries will be put in front of jury members led by Pressmart, SPS and highly reputed industry experts from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

SPS Chairman, Dahlan Iskan says: “The Pressmart-Indonesia Print Media Awards are unique in recognizing excellence, innovation and outstanding creative output throughout the print media supply chain. These awards will set new benchmarks, bring new insights and most importantly be an ideal learning opportunity for publishing houses to succeed in today’s uncertain economy.”

“We are delighted to launch the first of its kind publishing awards in Indonesia” said Sanjiv Gupta, Chairman and CEO of Pressmart. “Most importantly, we want to recognize all of these inspirational print media houses and encourage the publishing industry in Indonesia for the amazing work that they do”.

About Pressmart

Pressmart powers the digital edition of publications from 47 countries on Web, Mobile, RSS, Podcast and other digital channels. Conversion, Hosting, Subscriptions, Ads and Analytics – all these are packaged in a single easy-to-use service. It all starts and ends with uploading pre-press PDF pages. It is also a preferred partner for premier publishing associations around the world and is a winner of several awards and recognitions for its product innovation. For more information, please visit www.pressmart.com.

GVK Biosciences Private Limited (GVK BIO), Asia’s leading Contract Research Organization, will make a presentation ACS National Meeting. The talk will be given by GVK BIO’s Head of Informatics and Senior Vice at the 238th President, Dr. Jagarlapudi Sarma.

Titled, GOSTAR: GVK BIO online structure activity relationship database: Data and its utility, the presentation focuses on the GVK BIO Knowledge Databases and the creation of a web-based User Interface.

GVK BIO is well known for the development of Knowledge databases of chemical entities (~4 million compounds) with structure activity relationships. Information relating chemical structure, biological target, in vitro and in vivo assay for efficacy/pharmacodynamics, clinical as well as Pharmacokinetics and toxicity is well integrated in different databases wherein the source information has been covered from a variety of Journals articles and patents for a variety of target families. Many pharmaceutical companies have been using these databases for different applications and/or modeling studies.

GVK BIO has integrated all its individual databases into one single database, GOSTAR which has a very good web-based UI for different types of online queries. In the process of integration of all individual databases into one data model, all the data has been standardized and necessary taxonomy and ontology were used to handle the integrated data. Any query will extract the data from all databases whether they feature in discovery, development or marketed drug space. Further, one can analyze the retrieved molecules for any off-target activity as well as other indications. A number of descriptors can be generated using the online available tools and the data can be analyzed for various models. Tools have been developed to study and to visualize the chemical, biological and Therapeutic indication space as well as company related information. Further tools were developed to filter the data based on chemical, pharmacological or toxicity filters and help the research process for better drug discovery. We will be discussing some case studies on the usefulness of the database in the drug discovery.

About ACS:

ACS is the world’s largest scientific society—with more than 154,000 members—dedicated to advancing the chemical sciences and technology; communicating to the public the value of chemistry and chemical engineering; and supporting the chemical profession and its practitioners. ACS organizes two national expositions each year, each attracting an estimated 11,000-13,000 chemists, chemical engineers, academicians, graduate and postdoctoral students, and other professionals.

About GVK BIO:

GVK Biosciences Private Limited (GVK BIO) is one of Asia’s leading Contract Research Organizations and has 18 of the top 25 Big Pharma and 55 Biotech/Mid-size Pharma companies as its customers. Spread across 4 locations in India, GVK BIO is headquartered at Hyderabad, India and employs 1500+ people to assist its clients in their efforts in Pharmaceutical Research.

To celebrate 25 years of the London Fashion Week, FCUK, the edgy, attitudinal, high street British fashion brand, is offering one lucky customer and a guest the trip of a lifetime to London to watch the London Fashion Week. Customers can drop in their entry with a minimum purchase of Rs. 3999 and a lucky draw will determine which two people will fly to London for this fabulous experience.

The winners will be flown in style to London and spend two nights in a plush accommodation – perfectly placed to check out all the sights and sounds of this bustling metropolis. They will attend Nicole Farhi’s show at the London Fashion Week and dine at her London restaurant, Champaign. French Connection owes a great deal of its lineage and design credibility to Nicole Farhi as it was Nicole who worked there as the Head of Design before launching her own independent brand. Nicole has now showcased her collection at London Fashion Week for many years as a leading British design house.

And there’s more! Winners will watch the London Fashion Week dressed in utmost style, as they will be given £500 to spend in the ultra cool Oxford Street French Connection store. To make this trip even more memorable, a gift voucher worth Rs. 20,000 from FCUK India awaits them on their return!

Contest starts on 7th August 2009.

About French Connection UK:

Founded in 1972 by Stephen Marks, French Connection UK (FCUK) set out to create well-designed fashionable clothing that appeals to a broad market. French Connection is now one of the strongest brands on the British high street and operates in over 25 countries. With more than 1500 outlets worldwide, French Connection is emerging as a truly global fashion brand.

Having established a strong core clothing business, through unique design and a true sense of style the company has, over recent years expanded its portfolio into exciting new areas. Throughout the brands expansion and diversification the principles have remained the same; design-led products presented in a unique and innovative way.

Stores across the globe are designed to be a true extension of the brand whilst being relevant to their local surrounding, so all elements including staff and store design work together to create a shopping environment which is all part of the French Connection experience. Retaining the clean, simple signature look that French Connection has made its own, the stores provide an environment where the product takes centre stage. These are exciting times for French Connection. In constant pursuit of new ideas and with design at the helm, the vision for the future just keeps growing.

About the Murjani Group:

The Murjani Group is the only Indian Group in the world, to have successfully developed, launched and built several major international designer brands, including Gloria Vanderbilt and Tommy Hilfiger. A 78-year-old global group with an extensive proven track record in the international & Indian markets, the Murjani Group is responsible for having launched the first International lifestyle designer brand in India, Tommy Hilfiger. With a portfolio of some of the world’s most powerful Brands, including Gucci, Calvin Klein Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger and French Connection, combined with 8 decades of retail experience and over 4 decades of brand marketing, the Murjani Group is well placed to open over five hundred stores throughout India, over the next five years.

For further information please contact:

Toral Sanghavi

Clea Public Relations

9821045486

[email protected]

The Manila Bulletin, one of the oldest running newspapers in the Philippines announced the launch of Electronic Edition of its Newspaper via a partnership with Pressmart Media Ltd. (www.pressmart.com) – a global leader in providing hosted print-to-online publishing services with publishers from over 47 countries using its services.

Available at Manila Bulletin Online (www.mb.com.ph), the electronic edition (Vis-a-Vis ePaper) contains the same editorial content and advertising in the exact layout as the print edition giving an unimaginable real feel of experiencing the newspaper in reader hands. Other features of the Electronic Edition include Search, Gallery of all Pictures and Ads, Hot Links, Rating articles and many Web 2.0 features. Members can also receive automatic notifications when a new issue is posted on the Electronic Edition.

“Our electronic edition pairs the convenience of online content with the familiar feel and design of a hard-copy newspaper,” said Emilo Yap III, VP of Manila Bulletin. “This new feature shows the fact that we are continually looking for new ways to deliver news to consumers when and how they want the news.”

“We are delighted to launch the first electronic edition of Philippines leading newspaper, Manila Bulletin,” said Sanjiv Gupta, Founder and CEO of Pressmart. “High-quality products, excellent customer service with quick response and a certain measure of flexibility in our offerings made Pressmart stand out from others.”

About Manila Bulletin

The Manila Bulletin, (also known as the Bulletin and was previously known as Bulletin Today) is the Philippines’ largest broadsheet newspaper by circulation, followed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It bills itself as “The Nation’s Leading Newspaper”, which is its official slogan. Founded in 1900 as a shipping journal, it is the second-oldest Philippine newspaper, second only to The Manila Times.

About Pressmart

Pressmart powers the digital edition of publications from 47 countries on Web, Mobile, RSS, Podcast and other digital channels. Conversion, Hosting, Subscriptions, Ads and Analytics – all these are packaged in a single easy-to-use service. It all starts and ends with uploading your pre-press PDF pages. Pressmart is a preferred partner for premier publishing associations around the world and is a winner of several awards and recognitions for its product innovation. Website: www.pressmart.com.