Holiday greetings: Thank you for an amazing 2022, and see you in 2023!

Can you believe it? We are just two weeks from Christmas!

It is finally that time of the year, when the industry starts wrapping up and reflecting on the year we’ve had – and what a rollercoaster of a year it was for many of us. After a strong start in 2022, it seems that in the second half of the year, many of us are starting to feel the pinch of spending growth slowing amidst global economic uncertainty.

To say it wasn’t easy would probably be a massive understatement for many of us in the industry. Unfortunately, as the new realities of the world post COVID-19 kicks in, many of us saw our friends and peers face job cuts and departures – especially in the tech space. For those of you impacted, we hope the new year definitely allows you a new fresh start, and wish for only bigger and brighter things for you and your family. 

Meanwhile, the need to reskill and upskill was also shoved to the forefront in this ever dynamic year – not a bad thing, if you ask us.

For us at the MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, this year has no doubt been a challenging year, but a rewarding one too.

Post COVID-19, we decided to steer back on course to further deepen our reach in markets we’ve seen support come in from across Asia Pacific. We launched our flagship Marketing Excellence Awards in new markets, which saw an incredible number of entries and support from the local markets. Encouraged by the momentum, in 2023 we definitely look forward to using this invaluable opportunity and the lessons we learn, to reach more audiences across Asia Pacific.

When it comes to reskilling and upskilling for our own teams, well, we’ve had to walk the talk as we re-embraced physical awards and conferences in many markets which were fast experiencing the return of in-person events. Standing out amidst the competition, was by no means easy, but a necessity for our survival. With the trust of our sponsors and partners, we added new initiatives to both our awards and conferences to encourage more in-person interaction and conversations.

On the content front, this year, we also saw the execution of many new initiatives – but in particular, we ramped up the production of our industry whitepapers which brought together our different teams to create work that educates the industry in a holistic manner.

Last but not least, this year our parent company Lighthouse Independent Media, also launched a new brand, IT News Asia, to create content that is of value to the tech industry – an industry that is now key to the success of any organisation. We really do believe it is the overlap between talent, technology and marketing that is going to drive the future-ready companies of tomorrow, and our endeavour is to bring you the best content to guide you in all of those areas.

Now, as we wrap up for the year, and take a little break from 17 December to 2 January 2022, we just want to thank you for your trust in us and for being part of our journey.

Our readers, your views have always been the guiding light that has given us the confidence to experiment and push our boundaries. Throughout the years, you have always turned up for us through our awards, virtual conferences, round tables and master classes, and everything we create is really for you. We couldn’t have made it here without you.

We also want to take this moment to thank our sponsors and partners who has stood by us through thick and thin, to help create conversations that drive forward the industry. We are so very grateful to you for your trust and belief in our brand.

So as we take some time to rest and relax for the year, we wish you a fantastic holiday with your loved ones, filled with laughter and warmth. Merry Christmas and happy holidays from all of us!

With love,

The MARKETING-INTERACTIVE team