Subscribers mingle with key members of BT newsroom at exclusive dinner event
Dylan Tan
A GROUP of 70 Business Times subscribers got to know key staff behind the newspaper last Wednesday (Apr 12) as they mingled with the paper’s editors and journalists over canapes, drinks and dinner at a by-invitation-only event held at The Mason’s Table.
The Meet the BT Newsroom function was part of BT’s efforts to engage its readers more closely, as well as to reward them for supporting the financial daily.
Representing the editorial team were BT editor Chen Huifen; deputy news editor Lee U-wen; senior correspondent Ben Paul; and correspondents Sharon See and Raphael Lim.
Associate editor (audience) Chan Cheow Pong and membership editor Dylan Tan were also in attendance. The event was hosted by radio personality Mark van Cuylenburg aka The Flying Dutchman.
In her welcome speech, Chen thanked subscribers for their support over the years and spoke about how the Covid pandemic gave rise to BT’s quick digital evolution and transformation.
In addition to emphasising the paper’s commitment to quality journalism, she also noted that BT puts its audience first; and encouraged guests to share feedback about the product candidly with her and the rest of the BT team over the course of the evening.
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Tan followed up with a presentation on how readers can make the most of their subscription by using the new personalisation feature myBT, as well as signing up for newsletters to catch up with the news faster.
BT’s growing slate of podcasts were also spotlighted, and guests got an overview of other exclusive subscriber-only perks and events including the third instalment of Mark to Market ‘Live’.
As a three-course dinner was served, homegrown instrumental group Lorong Boys provided live entertainment for the evening with their repertoire of classic pop favourites from yesteryears.
The evening concluded with a short survey to help BT understand its readers better. Guests also received a goodie bag that included a hydro flask and leather key holder.
“I’m grateful to be able to finally meet and speak face-to-face with the people whose stories I read every day – let’s do this more often,” said William Teo, who has been reading BT for decades.
Fellow subscriber Charlie Teo added: “Now that I know some of my favourite BT reporters also have podcasts, I will be exploring and downloading them later.”
Readers who wish to be invited to exclusive subscriber-only events like Meet the BT Newsroom should make sure that they have given SPH consent to send them marketing e-mails. To do that, log into https://subscribe.sph.com.sg/your-profile/ and under Update Preferences, check both E-mail and SMS options.
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