You’ve got a match!

 Singapore-based startup Paktor invited guests to the official launch party of the country’s newest social engagement app at the Skye W at Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City. The party was hosted by Raymond Gutierrez.

Guests mingled throughout the night as they familiarized themselves with the application and tinkered with their smartphones to see if they matched with other attendees who also had Paktor accounts. The launch was made more exciting with raffle prizes courtesy of event partners SuperDry and Samsung. The party was capped by the beats of French DJ Kulkid, known for his remixes that constantly top the Hype Machine charts.

VP for regional digital marketing Christopher Star remarked, “This event is a huge success and is made possible with the support of the local media and VIPs who are here to party.” 

Paktor founder Joseph Phua drew from his own experiences in founding the company and developing this smartphone app. The idea came about when he just ended a long-term relationship and had trouble meeting new people. After exploring all of his options, the idea to create a simple and friendly smartphone application built around “locality, usability and anonymity” popped into his head. Joseph decided to specifically focus on the three key features after his evaluation of other apps and websites. He said, “It’s only natural for many of us to be afraid of being rejected, which is why we’re sometimes too shy to go out and meet new people.”

First, Joseph wanted to make sure Paktor would be a more user-friendly app. Other sites had long and tedious sign-up pages requesting a user’s personality traits, likes and dislikes and what they were looking for in a person. The Paktor app, however, has a simple two-click registration/confirmation process that utilizes the user’s existing Facebook account. This allows new app users to immediately begin browsing for new friends.

Paktor’s graphical user interface was also designed with simplicity in mind. Instead of lengthy, verbose profiles, the app’s main page features simple 1x1 photos of potential friends within your immediate area. Users are only able to view distance of a potential friend, friends in common, shared interests and additional photos before deciding if they would like to get to know the person in the photo better.

The app works by utilizing the smartphone’s built-in GPS to search for Paktor users within an area. Joseph believed in integrating a locality feature within the application. Traditional dating apps often make it difficult and tedious when it comes to scheduling a time to meet with a potential match, so much so that many of the users never end up meeting face-to-face. The Paktor app makes the process more immediate that if two members get along and share common interests, they can immediately arrange a common place nearby to get to know each other better.

With Paktor, one can safely and anonymously view the profiles of others. If a person also finds your profile interesting, then you’ll be alerted that you’ve found a match! Now, you have the option to start chatting privately with that person on the app to get to know him or her better.

Meeting someone virtually can still be daunting because of all the privacy issues. Paktor, as a social network, allows its subscribers to be in relative anonymity. If you swipe right to “like” another user, that person must also “like” you back before a match is made. Once the match is made, a chat room pops up connecting the two users. This guarantees a certain level of privacy and so users are not bombarded with unwelcome messages.

Managing director of marketing for the Philippines Monique Espino added, “We will also make sure to tailor the Paktor experience to the needs of Filipino users. We are also lining up a number of exciting online and on-ground activities that our Filipino community will surely enjoy.”

(Download the free Paktor app available in Android and iOS. Visit www.gopaktor.com for more details and updates. Follow Paktor on Instagram and Twitter @gopaktor and “like” Paktor on Facebook at www.fb.com/GoPaktorPH.)

Ke$ha conquers Manila!

Chart-topping American recording artist Ke$ha made her fans in Manila go crazy with her high-energy concert performance at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Dressed in a glittery sexy outfit, Ke$ha glimmered with hundreds of colored light sticks raised by her “Animals,” the moniker of her loyal fans. The crowd magnified her electrifying energy as they sang and danced to her hits like We R Who We R, Blow and TiK ToK.

Ke$ha proved why she’s one of the hottest artists today with her moves and powerful vocals as she finished off the evening with her most recent hit Die Young, the carrier single from her Warrior album.

Co-presenting the Manila leg of the Warrior World Tour was PLDT Home’s most powerful broadband, Fibr. With its goal of offering only the best in entertainment, Fibr gave its loyal subscribers the opportunity to watch Ke$ha up close with front row VIP seats.

PLDT vice president and head of Fibr broadband Gary Dujali said, “With up to 100 Mbps of ultra-fast connection, Fibr is Home’s most powerful broadband as it not only delivers a powerful and dedicated connection but it also allows our subscribers to enjoy only the best in entertainment. From watching movies on Clickplay.ph to browsing superior quality channels on Cignal Digital TV, Fibr empowers our subscribers. And giving our subscribers VIP access to Ke$ha’s concert is a testament to that.”

(For more information on Fibr’s powerful offerings and other first-class perks, visit pldthome.com/fibr.)

An opportunity to earn & inspire

Over 500 dealers and managers of Tupperware Brands Philippines gathered at the Manila Hotel for the company’s annual National Managers Conference. The company’s global CEO Rick Goings flew in from Florida with wife Susan for the three-day affair.

Highlights of the Filipiniana-themed event included the Elite Dinner honoring the best in personal and group sales, recruiting and area penetration; the Success Business Seminar; the Roster of the Millionaires Night; and the awarding of the best executives, distributors, managers, channel and group of the year.

Tupperware Brands Philippines president and general manager Perry Mogar said, “The 2013 Tupperware Brands National Management Conference is a great way to celebrate our achievements, reward the inspiring members of our family and set goals for the future. Only then can we ensure that the brand realizes its mission of changing people’s lives for the better.”

Singing, dancing and even cooking spiced up the motivational talk of Goings, who shared his secrets to success.  “Tupperware Brands has thrived all these years because of its commitment to quality and innovation, dynamic selling method, development of a powerful support network and the ability to strike at every opportunity. As CEO, I would like to instill the importance of these values among each employee, so that Tupperware remains one of the world’s most admired brands,” Goings said. 

Rachelle Ann Go, Ogie Alcasid and Rachel Alejandro serenaded the honorees led by the brand’s “Pride of the Nation” Jenie Lepiten of Cebu City and “Breakthrough Millionaire” Catherine Ferrer-San Vicente.

Tupperware Brands endorsers Maja Salvador, Sam Milby, Dimples Romana and Marvin Agustin also graced the affair.