For immediate release

Jack Yan heads to Stockholm and Paris to promote Wellington

Mayoral candidate wants to build his tech and creative cluster programmes

Wellington, January 19 (JY&A Media) Publisher and branding expert Jack Yan will combine his work and his love for Wellington in a European speaking tour beginning next week, as part of his 2010 mayoral bid.

VIPs from Sweden and Norway are attending Mr Yan's lecture on the morning of the 26th in Stockholm.

It is the maiden presentation of well known Swedish speaker and author Stefan Engeseth's Unplugged Speeches series, where presenters are asked to make do without Powerpoint and other visual aids.

Mr Yan is heading to Stockholm, Malmö and Kristianstad, all in Sweden, to talk about branding and modern democracy, and to promote Wellington.

It happens to be election year in Sweden, too, with the General Election on September 19—a few weeks before Wellington’s local body elections.

During the journey, Mr Yan says he is on the lookout for opportunities for Wellington, especially programmes that will enhance his free wifi and creative cluster policies. He also has appointments to investigate environmental programmes, since Sweden announced it would phase out fossil fuels by 2030.

‘Sweden is known as a progressive, high-tech country that many of us regard as a benchmark. Since the New Zealand Government opened an embassy there in 2008, it has obviously recognized the potential of bilateral relations,’ he says.

‘It is the responsibility of cities to find ways to harness that potential, which is, in part, what this tour is about.

‘My other mission is educational: to talk about professional developments in branding and democracy.’

Afterwards, he heads to Paris as a director of the Medinge Group, the think-tank that hands out the Brands with a Conscience prizes each year, to speak at and attend the 2010 ceremony.

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About Jack Yan

Jack Yan founded Jack Yan & Associates (http://jya.net), one of the world’s first virtual firms, in 1987. His company is based or represented in over a dozen countries worldwide. Among his company’s interests are business consulting, imaging, software and media, including the fashion magazine brand Lucire. He writes on topics, ranging from branding and business responsibility to fashion and typography, in numerous publications worldwide and is a regular international speaker. His personal site is at www.jackyan.com, and features a highly regarded blog. He is a director of the Medinge Group (http://medinge.org), a think-tank in Sweden devoted to cutting-edge branding.

About Jack Yan & Associates

Started in 1987, Jack Yan & Associates is a communications’ company with businesses in brand consulting, font software and media. JY&A Consulting is connected to the Medinge Group think-tank of Sweden, through its founder Jack Yan. JY&A Fonts is New Zealand’s first digital typefoundry and the leading player in the country. JY&A Media is an early pioneer in online publishing, with its first digital magazine launched in 1992; its ventures include Lucire, the international fashion magazine. Jack Yan & Associates is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, but has divisions, representatives, licensees and other presences globally.

About the Medinge Group

Founded in 2002, the Medinge Group first published a brand manifesto of eight statements encapsulating a vision of healthy brands for the future. In 2003, the group authored a collection of essays entitled Beyond Branding, which explored the ways in which brands could add value within alternative business and social models. In 2004, the group established the annual Brands with a Conscience list to recognize organizations who epitomize humanistic behaviour; in 2006, Medinge added a special category of recognition named in honour of its late colleague Colin Morley, which acknowledges excellence by an NGO, in keeping with Colin’s humanistic vision. The Medinge Group maintains an online, automated speakers’ and experts’ bureau accessible through its web site, www.medinge.org. In 2007 Medinge launched an online resource, The Journal of the Medinge Group, a digital anthology of papers and articles written by Medinge members.

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