MANILA, PHILIPPINES – User Experience Researchers Pte. Ltd. celebrated its annual Year-End Party (YEP) as a hybrid face-to-face and online event. The pioneering UI UX design firm based in Singapore held the event on January 6, 2023, at the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Metro Manila, in the Philippines and online via Zoom.
Dubbed “Hallyu to U: The USER YEP 2022,” the event carried the Korean pop music theme, filling the night with vibrant colours and energy. More than one hundred attendees from various places in the archipelago and dozens of other USER employees from its other offices in Singapore, Vietnam, and China celebrated in the combined live and online festivities.
In his first time visiting and spending time face to face with employees in the Philippines, Dr. Frank Qiu, USER’s Founder and CEO, greeted the PH team with excitement and a welcome vision: “I am glad to be here celebrating with you. I have seen how hard every one of you worked in the past year and I will always appreciate and thank your dedication to our USER values – Unity, Service, Excellence, and being Responsible. We have made a lot of successes this year thanks to everyone’s participation,” he said, wishing everyone to enjoy the holidays too
A Grand Celebration for Years of Growth
The moment large celebrations were once again allowed, USER took the opportunity to invite everyone in the company who can attend the year-end evening party in person. Flying in from Singapore were the company’s management team, led by Dr. Frank Qiu, and joined by the core management team: Christina Orge-Macatangay, Hui Jun Ng, Asthy Tan, and Chris Qin.
Dazzling lights and electrifying energy filled the Marco Polo hotel halls as USER employees arrived in their hottest and head-turning K-Pop-inspired outfits. The event was graced by performances from talented employees and guest performers. And as a surprise, the executive management also gave their own.
This musical fest was topped off by the annual competition that USER associates looked forward to: the USER Got Talent or UGT segment.
The UGT competition, now in its third season, saw various USER teams’ sensational K-Pop entry videos themed after popular hits from the Asian giant’s biggest groups such as BTS, Blackpink, Viviz, SNSD, Twice, and Psy. Each team, named after a South Korean city, submitted their creative and breath-taking performance video, with some combining it with a live performance. USER upper management served as the judges for the UGT S3.
Winning the coveted title was Team Incheon, composed of HR & Finance, Sales, and Digital Marketing. Their entry was a nonstop medley of hits that began with a solo dance number by Martin Caraan, who then performed live for the audience along with other team members.
A total of 5 teams competed for the prestigious UGT season 3 award: Teams Daegu, Paju, Incheon, Busan, and Seoul.
Team Busan
Team Daegu
Team Paju
Team Seoul
Team Incheon
Of course, the event wouldn’t be complete without the popstars of the night that topped everyone else with their K-pop ensemble who were Nithaniah Divina and Mark James Matulac, both from the PH.
A Hurrah for Milestones and Memories
USER also took some time to remember the successes and achievements in the year that was, with representatives from the HR and Finance departments showing the floor how much the company has grown in terms of the total number of employees, as well as new and ongoing projects. The organizers also showed the rest of the year with a recap video of 2022 townhall meetings and previous small face-to-face events.
Another staple in every USER YEP is the U Awards – the company’s most prestigious recognition event for its employees. Representing its four principles – Unity, Service, Excellence, and Responsibility, the U Awards honours associates that displayed exemplary performance, passion, and dedication to their role.
The recipients of the U Awards 2022 were:
Each one received a beautifully-designed award plaque, with those present in the event taking to the stage to receive their token of recognition. Recipients from other offices will be sent theirs at a later date.
The core management expressed their appreciation for everyone who attended and thanked their amazing work: “For the first time, the Philippine office became the host of this annual special event. I believe everyone dedicated all their effort and service to our company. The core management team wishes to thank everyone and recognise our outstanding colleagues and participants for UGT. I hope we can welcome 2023 with more excitement and productive spirit for all our offices, including Vietnam, China and Singapore,” said Ms. Tina Orge-Macatangay.
Looking Forward to a Thrilling Future
The evening ended with attendees going home with souvenirs, and of course, some of them were lucky enough to be picked for the three raffle draws. There were 20 minor raffle draw winners, 10 for the major draws, and three grand prizes – where the winners got to choose from awesome items such as a brand-new iPhone, a Xiaomi 50-inch TV, and more. These lucky grand winners were Jiselle Rivera, Marjorie Romero, and Coleen Joy Angeles from the Philippines.
Filled with fun, delicious food and drinks from the commissioned mobile bar, USER employees felt at home with each other. With everyone looking forward to more and bigger challenges, achievements, and fun times in the future, the digital transformation company is set to enrich more lives and businesses through the best technologies and approaches.
Dr. Qiu is enthusiastic about the coming days for the USER family: “Our clients give us the opportunity to be productive, but most importantly, our team members and their passion make it happen. Without your efforts, we will not grow to what we are today. I think it is amazing that despite all the obstacles in our way, from the pandemic to our personal hardships, we managed to grow.
You gave the core management and your colleagues confidence to grow even more. For us, it’s not so easy as we are still a young company, but I laud how much we care for our team members – our family – and that we trust you and want to grow together with you,” he said.
