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Tayler Jade Debuts New Single “Whatever You Say”

Tayler Jade

Jade Entertainment, in conjunction with Independent Artist Tayler Jade, A Purpose Drive Artist, announce the debut of her latest single, “Whatever You Say”, available everywhere August 6 th. The release of “Whatever You Say” comes on the heels of WYA’s global and billboard success. Currently, WYA is charting at number 31 on the Billboard indicator chart. “As my first body of work released to the public, Temporary, WYA and now Whatever You Say, have been a labor of love; an exercise in patience with the process, and getting used to the commitments to the business side of supporting our works has helped me grow personally and professionally,” said Tayler Jade. " The past couple years has been amazing, and as I close out the “Temporary” era of my life and music catalogue with the release of “Whatever you Say”, I am excited to share the next chapter of my life with new music and most importantly, our commitment to lifting up the less fortunate around the world." “Tayler and the rest of the team are wholly committed to using our platform to achieve our first goal of providing lifesaving nutrition to a million kids per day.” said John Royce Lynch, Tayler’s Father and Business Partner. “Children are dying every day from the lack of basic nutrition, and Tayler’s passion is to not only become the best version of herself through music and humanitarianism, but to also bring global community support to these children in need. The rise of Tayler Jade started with her first release of “Temporary” and really took off with the release of “WYA”. Jade’s explosive growth continued with two dance remix packages of her song WYA, produced by Mikey Francis, Marc Stout, and Tony Arzadon. You will find both of their remixes playing to packed dance floors at the hottest night clubs in Las Vegas including OMNIA, Hakkasan, Encore Beach Club, XS, and Wet Republic. “Vocally, this is Tayler’s best song and out of the three it is my personal favorite.” Said Thomas Barsoe, Recording Artist and Founder of Influential Artist Development Studio OC Hit. “I have been in the music industry for nearly 3 decades, and I have never met an artist that looks at success the way Tayler does. In everything she does, her first thoughts are about how her actions will positively impact her mission to creating more awareness and support to those in need around the world. She is the light the world needs right now, and I am honored to be on this journey with her” The success of Tayler Jade’s music and “Community” first business model is unprecedented, especially for an independent artist without the traditional label support. Her music and message, thanks to the reach of the internet and digital streaming services, has helped introduce her catalogue to music fans in nearly every corner of the globe, with nearly 60 million streams on all the major DSP’s in the past 100 days. With the support of world-renowned DJ’s, a committed team of motivated professionals and a global community; the success of Tayler Jade will be measured in the kindness and generosity of her community and will be applauded by her continued success in the music world. You can find Tayler Jade Music on SoundCloud, Spotify, iTunes, Audiomack, YouTube and many other platforms. To learn more about Tayler Jade and to join her community please visit TaylerJade.com. You can also connect with her on the following social channels: Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok In the coming weeks Tayler Jade, will be releasing “House of Jade”, her connected community app and corresponding web platform. The launch of this community building technology will allow her to engage her community members at scale, give them access to first look releases, private events, curated experiences, connect with other community members, and will serve as the foundation for creating a network effect for social impact. TAYLER JADE is an American Pop/R&B singer-songwriter and Personality Brand. Her debut “Dual Single” released on February 12, 2021 under her own label JADE ENTERTAINMENT, is climbing the TOP 40 Billboard Indicator Chart alongside the biggest artists in the world. Her debut singles seem to be connecting with music fans worldwide, with over 60 million streams on all the major streaming platforms in just a few short months and continuing to climb. To learn more about Tayler Jade, we invite you to join her community at TAYLERJADE.COM Contact Details Jade Entertainment Jason Jepson +1 949-394-7033 jason.jepson@taylerjade.com Company Website https://www.taylerjade.com/

August 05, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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CSG Systems International Reports Second Quarter 2021 Results

CSG

Raising All 2021 Financial Guidance Targets on the Back of Strong H1 2021 Result Robust Q2 2021 Revenue & Adjusted Revenue Growth; Each up 6.2% Year-Over-Year Successful Conversion of ~300,000 Charter Communications Customers in Kansas City CSG (NASDAQ: CSGS) today reported results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Financial Results: Second quarter 2021 financial results: Total revenue was $255.1 million and total non-GAAP adjusted revenue was $238.5 million. GAAP operating income was $32.2 million, or 12.6% of total revenue, and non-GAAP operating income was $39.8 million, or 16.7% of non-GAAP adjusted revenue. GAAP earnings per diluted share (EPS) was $0.60 and non-GAAP EPS was $0.82. Cash flows used in operations were $44.5 million, with a non-GAAP free cash flow of $37.5 million. Shareholder Returns: In May 2021, CSG declared its quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock, or a total of approximately $8 million, to shareholders. During the second quarter of 2021, CSG repurchased under its stock repurchase program, approximately 153,000 shares of its common stock for approximately $7 million. “CSG continued to build off our Q1 momentum and delivered 6.2% year-over-year revenue and adjusted revenue growth in Q2, which was predominantly all organic growth,” said Brian Shepherd, President and Chief Executive Officer of CSG. “On the back of our strong first half performance, we are boosting all 2021 financial guidance targets, including revenue, adjusted operating margin and EPS. Additionally, we are thrilled to expand our relationship with Charter Communications as we successfully converted approximately 300,000 of their Kansas City market subscribers from a competitor’s billing platform to CSG during the quarter. Looking ahead, we remain well positioned to lengthen and strengthen our relationships with existing customers, accelerate our organic revenue growth, close good new strategic acquisitions, and diversify into higher growth industry verticals.” Financial Overview (unaudited) (in thousands, except per share amounts and percentages): For additional information and reconciliations regarding CSG’s use of non-GAAP financial measures, please refer to the attached Exhibit 2 and the Investor Relations section of CSG’s website at csgi.com. Results of Operations GAAP Results: Total revenue for the second quarter of 2021 was $255.1 million, a 6.2% increase when compared to revenue of $240.3 million for the second quarter of 2020, and a 0.8% increase when compared to revenue of $253.1 million for the first quarter of 2021. The year-over-year increase in revenue can be primarily attributed to continued growth of CSG’s revenue management solutions, favorable foreign currency movements, and to a lesser extent, the negative impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on CSG’s second quarter of 2020 revenue. The sequential quarterly increase is mainly due to the continued growth of CSG’s revenue management solutions. GAAP operating income for the second quarter of 2021 was $32.2 million, or 12.6% of total revenue, compared to $19.8 million, or 8.2% of total revenue, for the second quarter of 2020, and $31.4 million, or 12.4% of total revenue, for the first quarter of 2021. The increase in operating income can be primarily attributed to the revenue growth in 2021 and an approximately $10 million impairment charge for the write-off of capitalized customer contract costs related to a discontinued project implementation in the second quarter of 2020. GAAP EPS for the second quarter of 2021 was $0.60, as compared to $0.32 for the second quarter of 2020, and $0.61 for the first quarter of 2021. The year-over-year increase in GAAP EPS is mainly due to the increase in operating results, discussed above. Non-GAAP Results: Non-GAAP adjusted revenue for the second quarter of 2021 was $238.5 million, a 6.2% increase when compared to non-GAAP adjusted revenue of $224.6 million for the second quarter of 2020, and a 0.8% increase when compared to $236.7 million for the first quarter of 2021. Non-GAAP operating income for the second quarter of 2021 was $39.8 million, or 16.7% of total non-GAAP adjusted revenue, compared to $30.6 million, or 13.6% of total non-GAAP adjusted revenue for the second quarter of 2020, and $40.2 million, or 17.0% of total non-GAAP adjusted revenue for the first quarter of 2021. Non-GAAP EPS for the second quarter of 2021 was $0.82 compared to $0.59 for the second quarter of 2020, and $0.82 for the first quarter of 2021. The changes in non-GAAP adjusted revenue, non-GAAP operating income, and non-GAAP EPS between quarters are primarily due to the factors discussed above. Balance Sheet and Cash Flows Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of June 30, 2021 were $212.1 million compared to $205.1 million as of March 31, 2021 and $240.3 million as of December 31, 2020. CSG had net cash flows from operations for the second quarters ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 of $44.5 million and $57.8 million, respectively, and had non-GAAP free cash flow of $37.5 million and $48.3 million, respectively. Summary of 2021 Financial Guidance CSG is updating its financial guidance for the full year 2021, as follows: For additional information and reconciliations regarding CSG’s use of non-GAAP financial measures, please refer to the attached Exhibit 2 and the Investor Relations section of CSG’s website at csgi.com. Conference Call CSG will host a conference call on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, to discuss CSG’s second quarter results for 2021. The call will be carried live and archived on the Internet. A link to the conference call is available at http://ir.csgi.com. In addition, to reach the conference by phone, call 1-833-921-1665 and use the passcode 4290448. Additional Information For information about CSG, please visit CSG’s web site at csgi.com. Additional information can be found in the Investor Relations section of the website. About CSG For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, delivering innovative customer engagement solutions that help companies acquire, monetize, engage and retain customers. Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually, and its award-winning suite of software and services allow companies across dozens of industries to tackle their biggest business challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. CSG is the trusted partner for driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Eastlink, Formula One, Maximus, MTN and Telstra. To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, that are based on assumptions about a number of important factors and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from what appears in this news release. Some of these key factors include, but are not limited to the following items: CSG’s business may be disrupted, and its results of operations and cash flows adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; CSG derives over forty percent of its revenue from its two largest customers; Continued market acceptance of CSG’s products and services; CSG’s ability to continuously develop and enhance products in a timely, cost-effective, technically advanced and competitive manner: CSG’s ability to deliver its solutions in a timely fashion within budget, particularly large and complex software implementations; CSG’s dependency on the global telecommunications industry, and in particular, the North American telecommunications industry; CSG’s ability to meet its financial expectations; Increasing competition in CSG’s market from companies of greater size and with broader presence; CSG’s ability to successfully integrate and manage acquired businesses or assets to achieve expected strategic, operating and financial goals; CSG’s ability to protect its intellectual property rights; CSG’s ability to maintain a reliable, secure computing environment; CSG’s ability to conduct business in the international marketplace; CSG’s ability to comply with applicable U.S. and International laws and regulations; and Fluctuations in credit market conditions, general global economic and political conditions, and foreign currency exchange rates. This list is not exhaustive, and readers are encouraged to review the additional risks and important factors described in CSG’s reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q and other filings made with the SEC. CSG SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS-UNAUDITED (in thousands, except per share amounts) CSG SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME-UNAUDITED (in thousands, except per share amounts) CSG SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS-UNAUDITED (in thousands) Beginning with the second quarter of 2021, CSG reclassified certain cash flows related to settlement and merchant reserve assets and liabilities from cash flows from operating activities to cash flows from financing activities within the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. EXHIBIT 1 CSG SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC. SUPPLEMENTAL REVENUE ANALYSIS Revenue by Significant Customers: 10% or more of Revenue Revenue by Vertical Revenue by Geography EXHIBIT 2 CSG SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC. DISCLOSURES FOR NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Limitations To supplement its condensed consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), CSG uses non-GAAP adjusted revenue, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP adjusted operating margin percentage, non-GAAP EPS, non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA, and non-GAAP free cash flow. CSG believes that these non-GAAP financial measures, when reviewed in conjunction with its GAAP financial measures, provide investors with greater transparency to the information used by CSG’s management in its financial and operational decision making. CSG uses these non-GAAP financial measures for the following purposes: Certain internal financial planning, reporting, and analysis; Forecasting and budgeting; Certain management compensation incentives; and Communications with CSG’s Board of Directors, stockholders, financial analysts, and investors. These non-GAAP financial measures are provided with the intent of providing investors with the following information: A more complete understanding of CSG’s underlying operational results, trends, and cash generating capabilities; Consistency and comparability with CSG’s historical financial results; and Comparability to similar companies, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures to investors. Non-GAAP financial measures are not measures of performance under GAAP, and therefore should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP financial information. Limitations with the use of non-GAAP financial measures include the following items: Non-GAAP financial measures are not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles; The way in which CSG calculates non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the way in which other companies calculate similar non-GAAP financial measures; Non-GAAP financial measures do not include all items of income and expense that affect CSG’s operations and that are required by GAAP to be included in financial statements; Certain adjustments to CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures result in the exclusion of items that are recurring and will be reflected in CSG’s financial statements in future periods; and Certain charges excluded from CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures are cash expenses, and therefore do impact CSG’s cash position. CSG compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on its GAAP results and using non-GAAP financial measures as a supplement only. Additionally, CSG provides specific information regarding the treatment of GAAP amounts considered in preparing the non-GAAP financial measures and reconciles each n on-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Non-GAAP Financial Measures: Basis of Presentation The table below outlines the exclusions from CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures: CSG believes that excluding certain items in calculating its non-GAAP financial measures provides meaningful supplemental information regarding CSG’s performance and these items are excluded for the following reasons: Transaction fees are primarily comprised of interchange and other payment-related fees paid, in conjunction with the delivery of service to customers under CSG’s payment services contracts, to third-party payment processors and financial institutions by CSG. Because CSG controls the integrated service provided under its payment services customer contracts, these transaction fees are presented gross, and not netted against revenue; however, other payments companies who do not provide and/or control an integrated service present their revenue net of transaction fees. The exclusion of these fees in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP adjusted revenue provides management and investors an additional means to use to compare CSG’s current revenue with historical and future periods, as well as with other payments companies. Restructuring and reorganization charges are expenses that result from cost reduction initiatives and/or significant changes to CSG’s business, to include such things as involuntary employee terminations, changes in management structure, divestitures of businesses, facility consolidations and abandonments, and fundamental reorganizations impacting operational focus and direction. These charges are not considered reflective of CSG’s recurring business operating results. The exclusion of these items in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures allows management and investors an additional means to compare CSG’s current financial results with historical and future periods. Executive transition costs include expenses incurred related to the departure of CSG’s former CEO under the terms of his separation agreement. These costs were primarily recognized during the third and fourth quarters of 2020 (the CEO’s remaining term) and were not considered reflective of CSG’s recurring business operating results. The exclusion of these costs in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures allows management and investors an additional means to compare CSG’s current financial results with historical and future periods. Acquisition-related expenses include amortization of acquired intangible assets, earn-out compensation, and transaction-related costs. Transaction-related costs, which typically include expenses related to legal, accounting, and other professional services, are direct and incremental expenses related to business acquisitions, and thus, are not considered reflective of CSG’s recurring business operating results. The total amount of acquisition-related expenses can vary significantly between periods based on the number and size of acquisition activities, previously acquired intangible assets becoming fully amortized, and ultimate realization of earn-out compensation. In addition, the timing of these expenses may not directly correlate with underlying performance of the CSG’s operations. Therefore, the exclusion of acquisition-related expenses in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures allows management and investors an additional means to compare CSG’s current financial results with historical and future periods. Stock-based compensation results from CSG’s issuance of equity awards to its employees under incentive compensation programs. The amount of this incentive compensation in any period is not generally linked to the level of performance by employees or CSG. The exclusion of these expenses in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures allows management and investors an additional means to evaluate the non-cash expense related to compensation included in CSG’s results of operations, and therefore, the exclusion of this item allows investors to further evaluate the cash generating capabilities of CSG’s business. The convertible notes OID is the result of allocating a portion of the principal balance of the debt at issuance to the equity component of the instrument, as required under current accounting rules. This OID is then amortized to interest expense over the life of the respective convertible debt instrument. The interest expense related to the amortization of the OID is a non-cash expense, and therefore, the exclusion of this item allows investors to further evaluate the cash interest costs of CSG’s convertible notes for cash flow, liquidity, and debt service purposes. Gains and losses related to the extinguishment of debt are a result of the refinancing of CSG’s credit agreement and/or repurchase of CSG’s convertible notes. These activities are not considered reflective of CSG’s recurring business operating results. Any resulting gain or loss is generally non-cash income or expense, and therefore, the exclusion of this item allows investors to further evaluate the cash impact of these repurchases for cash flow and liquidity purposes. In addition, the exclusion of these gains and losses in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP EPS allows management and investors an additional means to compare CSG’s current operating results with historical and future periods. Unusual items within CSG’s quarterly and/or annual income tax expense can occur from such things as income tax accounting timing matters, income taxes related to unusual events, or as a result of different treatment of certain items for book accounting and income tax purposes. Consideration of such items in calculating CSG’s non-GAAP financial measures allows management and investors an additional means to compare CSG’s current financial results with historical and future periods. CSG also reports non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP free cash flow. Management believes non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA is a useful measure to investors in evaluating CSG’s operating performance, debt servicing capabilities, and enterprise valuation. CSG defines non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA as income before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, foreign currency transaction adjustments, acquisition-related expenses, and unusual items, such as restructuring and reorganization charges, executive transition costs, and gains and losses related to the extinguishment of debt, as discussed above. Additionally, management uses non-GAAP free cash flow, among other measures, to assess its financial performance and cash generating capabilities, and believes that it is useful to investors because it shows CSG’s cash available to service debt, make strategic acquisitions and investments, repurchase its common stock, pay cash dividends, and fund ongoing operations. CSG defines non-GAAP free cash flow as net cash flows from operating activities less the purchases of software, property and equipment. Non-GAAP Financial Measures Non-GAAP Adjusted Revenue: The reconciliations of GAAP revenue to non-GAAP adjusted revenue for the indicated periods are as follows (in thousands): Non-GAAP Operating Income: The reconciliations of GAAP operating income to non-GAAP operating income for the indicated periods are as follows (in thousands, except percentages): (1) Stock-based compensation included in the tables above and following excludes amounts that have been recorded in restructuring and reorganization charges. Non-GAAP EPS: The reconciliations of GAAP EPS to non-GAAP EPS for the indicated periods are as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts): (2) For the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2021 the GAAP effective income tax rates were approximately 30% and 28%, respectively, and the non-GAAP effective income tax rates were approximately 27% for both periods. For the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2020 the GAAP effective income tax rates were approximately 27% and 26%, respectively, and the non-GAAP effective income tax rates were approximately 27% for both periods. (3) The outstanding diluted shares for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2021 were 32.0 million and 32.1 million, respectively, and for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2020 were 32.3 million for both periods. Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA: CSG’s calculation of non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA and the reconciliation of CSG’s non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA measure to GAAP net income is provided below for the indicated periods (in thousands, except percentages): (4) Interest expense includes amortization of deferred financing costs as provided in Note 5 below. (5) Amortization on the statement of cash flows is made up of the following items for the indicated periods (in thousands): Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow: CSG’s calculation of non-GAAP free cash flow and the reconciliation of CSG’s non-GAAP free cash flow measure to cash flows from operating activities are provided below for the indicated periods (in thousands): Non-GAAP Financial Measures – 2021 Financial Guidance Non-GAAP Adjusted Revenue: The reconciliation of GAAP revenue to non-GAAP adjusted revenue, as included in CSG’s 2021 full year financial guidance, is as follows: Non-GAAP Operating Income: The reconciliation of GAAP operating income to non-GAAP operating income, as included in CSG’s 2021 full year financial guidance, is as follows (in thousands, except percentages): Non-GAAP EPS: The reconciliation of GAAP EPS to non-GAAP EPS as included in CSG’s 2021 full year financial guidance is as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts): (6) For 2021, the estimated effective income tax rate for GAAP and non-GAAP purposes is expected to be approximately 28% and approximately 27%, respectively. (7) The weighted-average diluted shares outstanding are expected to be approximately 32 million. Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA: CSG’s calculation of non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA and the reconciliation of CSG’s non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA measure to GAAP net income is provided below for CSG’s 2021 full year financial guidance (in thousands, except percentages): Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow: CSG’s calculation of non-GAAP free cash flow and the reconciliation of CSG’s non-GAAP free cash flow measure to cash flows from operating activities is provided below for the indicated period (in thousands): Contact Details John Rea +1 210-687-4409 john.rea@csgi.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

August 04, 2021 02:01 PM Mountain Daylight Time

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Cloud Conventions & MCI Group Partner with Medical Professionals to Deliver Virtual/Hybrid Events

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions, an enterprise virtual/hybrid event platform and the MCI Group, a leading global event management firm are partnering to deliver virtual and hybrid event solutions for medical organizations to complement their live events. The American Thoracic Society, a nonprofit organization focused on improving care for pulmonary diseases with more than 16,000 members worldwide, launched their annual conference in April 2021 as a 100% virtual event. They selected the MCI Group as its event management partner and Cloud Conventions as its virtual event platform. This August, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses(AORN), guided by an abundance of caution from the recent surge in COVID cases, transitioned their hybrid conference to a fully virtual event under the guidance of the MCI Group. Their new virtual event will educate and engage attendees and exhibitors using the Cloud Conventions virtual/hybrid event platform. “Audiences for conferences hosted by medical professional groups have unique requirements and a heightened awareness of the risks imposed by the pandemic,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Convey Services, parent company of Cloud Conventions. “Medical professionals not only want to stay up-to-date on scientific advances, but they also need to complete continuing medical education (CME) to maintain licensure. A virtual, on-demand option for engagement plus education ensures attendees have a safe environment to meet their educational needs, interact virtually with other attendees and engage live or on demand with suppliers and sponsors.” The American Thoracic Society’s all-virtual conference in April brought together 9,000 registered attendees for 140 clinical and scientific sessions, 71 special networking events and over 3800 presentation sessions and scientific posters. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses will offer on-demand and live sessions, a networking and innovation lounge, an exhibitor solutions center hosting in-booth sessions, product showcases along with an innovation theater. “Striking the balance between a live and virtual event environment is a strategic decision that medical professional groups must make as they consider event design today and even more in the future,” said James Kelley, Director at the MCI Group. “Our customers rely on MCI to guide them to deliver the best options that engage audiences before, during and after the event ensuring that virtual environments complement and not conflict with the on-site program.” A recent research study, “Association Trends: from Disruption to Opportunity” by Community Brands, revealed that 85% of association event professionals plan to invest more in virtual events in the next 12 months. This trend is driven by a 48% increase in members engaging more with their associations due to increased virtual options and on-demand education. The Tagoras 2020 “Virtual Conference Report” detailed that 75% of those delivering virtual events did so to reach audiences who could not otherwise attend. With the increase in COVID cases driven by variants, medical professional groups are now pressed to include virtual alternatives that are specifically geared to the industry, as they enter the busy fall conference season. Download the Case Study: “The 2021 American Thoracic Society Virtual Event” for free at: https://cloudconventions.com/page/135834/ats-customer-success-story. Show organizers and event managers can learn more about Cloud Conventions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com and the MCI Group by visiting http://www.mci-group.com/usa. About The MCI Group MCI is a global engagement and marketing agency. We design human-centric solutions that unleash the power of people to deliver innovation and growth for our clients. Our offering includes live & virtual events, strategic & digital communications, consulting & community solutions. We help brands, companies, associations, and not-for-profits solve their challenges, bringing their people together to shape their tomorrow. MCI is an independently owned company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with a global presence in 60 offices across 31 countries. www.mci-group.com MCI’s US headquarters is in the Washington, DC area with offices in New York, Baltimore, Dallas, and Chicago. www.mci-group.com/usa About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Community™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Convey Services Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

August 04, 2021 03:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Velocity Global hires tech operations leader Eric Schroeder as Chief Operating Officer

Velocity Global

Velocity Global, the leading provider of global employment solutions, added technology operations veteran Eric Schroeder as chief operating officer. Schroeder applies two decades of operations leadership to support clients, their distributed workforces, and scale Velocity Global’s worldwide team. “Eric led global safety operations for Uber, one of the world’s top tech companies that combines complex infrastructure with a simple human experience,” said Ben Wright, Velocity Global founder and CEO. “His global operations expertise aligns directly with our global work platform for an always-on connection between employers and the talent who rely on us for everything from timely, accurate payroll to customized compliant solutions in global markets.” Schroeder most recently was vice president of operations for autonomous driving company, Ghost. Prior to that, he was head of global safety operations for Uber and also held roles as General Manager for Utah and Northern California. Before Uber, he spent three years with McKinsey and Company in the U.S. and South Africa. Schroeder is also a proud Army veteran where he served in Special Forces and completed two combat deployments to Afghanistan. “My experience at Uber inspired a passion for the future of work — the balance of opportunity and owning how, when, and where you work,” said Schroeder. “I’ve long been impressed with Ben and the team at Velocity Global where I now direct that passion in a way the world has not yet experienced. The team built and maintains the backbone of global employment, enhanced by a first-class technology experience. The multifaceted platform connects employers with talent anywhere in the world.” The company’s global work platform simplifies the employer and employee experience through proprietary cloud-based workforce management technology, personalized expertise, and unmatched global scale. Users access a streamlined technology interface as well as partner with a dedicated experience team for individualized solutions and expertise. As the largest global Employer of Record (EoR) in 185 countries and all 50 United States, Velocity Global manages a client’s workforce and provides in-country and in-state compliance, payroll, and benefits for the supported employees. The company also offers Independent Contractor Compliance to assess a workforce, and Agent of Record (AoR) to streamline payments to contractors globally. Schroeder leads the customer experience and delivery team, global payroll and benefits, and worldwide operations with employees across five continents. About Velocity Global Velocity Global accelerates the future of work beyond borders. Its global work platform simplifies the employer and employee experience through proprietary cloud-based workforce management technology, personalized expertise, and unmatched scale. As the largest global Employer of Record (also known as International PEO) in 185 countries and all 50 United States, more than 1,000 brands rely on Velocity Global to build global teams without the cost or complexity of setting up foreign legal entities or state registrations. The company offers additional services including Independent Contractor Compliance to assess a workforce, and Agent of Record (AoR) to streamline payments to contractors. Velocity Global was named a “Leader” in Global Employer of Record services by prominent analyst firm NelsonHall. Founded in 2014, the company has hundreds of employees across five continents. For more information visit velocityglobal.com. Contact Details Velocity Global John Hall +1 720-650-4348 news@velocityglobal.com Company Website https://velocityglobal.com/

August 04, 2021 07:02 AM Mountain Daylight Time

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BettorEdge Announces Reddit's Andrew Abbott as New Company Advisor

BettorEdge

BettorEdge, a Minneapolis-based online no-fee sports betting marketplace and social platform connecting sports fans, today announced the addition of Andrew Abbott to its advisor team. Abbott will tap into his experience as agency development and strategy lead for social platform Reddit as he advises the BettorEdge team on growing the social aspect of their sports betting marketplace, while also making it profitable. “We are extremely excited to have Andrew join our team as an advisor,” said Greg Kajewski, Co-Founder and CEO of BettorEdge. “We are moving fast to democratize the sports betting experience. Andrew’s unique expertise in successfully scaling social platforms such as Reddit and Snap, will be invaluable as we continue to innovate our platform for sports bettors.” Prior to his current role as a Global Agency Lead at Reddit, Abbott headed up Sports Brand Partnerships at Snap, Inc., where he worked on various partnership deals including the NFL, NBA, PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, and FIFA World Cup. He focuses on driving revenue growth and diversification, channel partnerships, and high-performance team formation. “Betting is a social medium, and the future of sports betting is returning to that foundation,” said Abbott. “BettorEdge understands that and has created a space where sports bettors can trade bets with no fees attached, all while connecting with a community of like-minded bettors. I’m looking forward to working with the team to maximize this powerful model.” In July, BettorEdge announced it surpassed $3.5 million in sports betting orders in just its first six months in operations. About BettorEdge BettorEdge was founded in 2019 following a University of Minnesota SportRadar Innovation Challenge. The Iowa native founders, now Minnesota residents, had a vision of creating a more efficient sports betting marketplace that offered a better fan experience at no fee to the consumer within the US. BettorEdge has a strong emphasis on giving the edge to the bettor through offering a fair market, providing data and analytics and creating a seamless social community. Access to their webapp can be found at app.bettoredge.com and additional information at BettorEdge.com. Contact Details HPL Digital Sport Bailey Irelan +1 614-795-3308 birelan@hotpaperlantern.com Company Website https://www.bettoredge.com/

August 04, 2021 09:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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TDS Reports Net Promoter Score of 86, Leading the IT Services Industry

TDS

TDS, a leading software and professional services firm specializing in cloud and data center migrations, announced today that its customers gave the company a Net Promoter Score® (NPS) is 86. Additional surveys conducted with its partners about their satisfaction with TDS for their joint customer programs also generated an NPS score of 86. TDS’s NPS of 86 means direct customers and partners indicate an extreme willingness to recommend TDS’s IT services. TDS customers who participated in NPS surveys said they are extremely satisfied with TDS, and TDS partners also said the firm’s services are of the highest value. TDS direct customers include some of the world’s most recognizable firms and its partners include the world’s leading technology solution providers. NPS scores vary across industries, but a score of 50 or more is generally considered excellent, and anything over 80 is considered world-class. The average score for IT services companies in 2021 was 41. NPS is a management tool that is designed to gauge the loyalty of an organization’s customer relationships. It serves as an alternative to traditional customer satisfaction research and is claimed to be correlated with revenue growth. Developed by Fred Reichheld and Bain and Co. and introduced in 2003, NPS has been widely adopted, with more than two-thirds of Fortune 1000 companies using the metric. “We are grateful for the feedback of our customers and partners and are pleased to have earned their recommendation,” said Michael Bullock, CEO and co-founder of TDS. “The data helps us understand what we’re doing well and where we can improve. As always, with our expert services team and our TransitionManager software platform, TDS is driven to help customers grow their businesses, reduce costs and increase efficiencies while they continuously transform their IT and orchestrate their existing tools and data.” About TDS With the power of the TransitionManager platform, TDS has been successfully orchestrating complex IT transformation programs for enterprises and government entities around the world, having migrated over 1.5 million workloads and more than 400,000 applications while achieving a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 86. Recognized by industry analysts, chosen by Fortune 500 companies and standardized by some of the largest technology services firms, TDS’s TransitionManager software has become the standard for accelerating the orchestration and execution of complex application portfolio management, hybrid cloud and data center migrations and modernizations, and operational resiliency programs. Contact Details TDS Amy Weickert, VP, Marketing aweickert@tdsi.com +1 978-821-3415 +1 508-589-6184

August 04, 2021 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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CSG Delivers Future-Proof Agility and Automation for M1 Intercarrier Business, Helping Transform and Evolve Singapore’s Telecommunications Landscape

CSG

CSG ® (NASDAQ: CSGS) empowers today’s leading companies with future-ready solutions that drive extraordinary customer experiences and continual innovation. Today, M1 Limited (M1), Singapore’s first digital network operator, uses CSG’s cloud-based Digital Wholesale solution to streamline its business and seamlessly manage traffic without sacrificing quality. With CSG’s wholesale cloud platform at the heart of its intercarrier operations, M1 is re-envisioning how it interacts with customers for future growth and leveraging modernisation to drive down costs and improve margins. “Our mission at M1 is to not only do digital, but to be digital. What truly sets CSG apart is their ability to understand our intercarrier customer needs. CSG’s hands-on support throughout our implementation and their extensive experience in revenue management represent the best-in-class solution we need to go beyond connectivity and deliver game-changing results for our wholesale customers. With CSG’s cloud-based solution, M1 has the agility, automation, and future-ready technology to react quickly to market demands. Together, we went live on time and on target. CSG's commitment to our success is essential to our journey of becoming a digital native telco," said Nathan Bell, Chief Digital Officer, M1. CSG Digital Wholesale is the most widely deployed wholesale telecoms management system in the world, helping more than 150 customers reduce their costs without compromising quality. These capabilities help operators advance their market responsiveness and deliver competitive strategies that power advanced customer experiences while taking the complexity out of wholesale relationship management. "The digital wholesale market is key to enabling 5G strategies, and ambitious operators, like M1, need agile cloud solutions that allow them to evolve and adapt as fast as the market does," said Ian Watterson, head of CSG’s Asia-Pacific business. "CSG’s public cloud platform enables M1 to accelerate their digital transformation and leverage the scalability and flexibility of the cloud to future-proof their business. Our long-standing relationship and in-depth knowledge of M1’s business and their customers’ needs have been the keys to success for this implementation, ensuring business continuity and an on-time deployment." With CSG’s solution, M1 can now: Deliver extraordinary wholesale customer experiences: Access to data helps M1 better understand its customers as well as protect and improve margins. M1 can quickly react to changing customer demands and take advantage of made to measure routing and pricing to enhance the customer experience. Leverage real-time insight: Real-time reports provide visibility into cost savings, loss, and profitability, giving M1 a complete view of its business performance and the ability to react to and resolve issues before they impact the business. Lower capital and operating expenditures: By consolidating national and international operations, M1 can handle every kind of traffic through an integrated platform that powers increased efficiency. This allows M1 to reduce the number of manual, error-prone tasks while taking advantage of profitable routing opportunities as soon as they become available. Trade intelligently: Tariff-setting is quick, easy, and automated. With customer-specific layouts and on-the-fly rate negotiations, M1 can leverage commercial insights to keep its product portfolio and business model as dynamic as the market. CSG Route is part of the company’s broad portfolio of revenue management and digital wholesale solutions that allow companies to shorten their time to market and reduce operational costs while delivering innovative services and extraordinary customer experiences. Leading telecommunications companies across Asia-Pacific and the world rely on CSG to monetise new offerings and protect and maintain existing revenue streams while they focus on their business requirements. For more information on CSG revenue management, visit https://www.csgi.com/capabilities/revenue-and-customer-management/. # # # About CSG For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, delivering innovative customer engagement solutions that help companies acquire, monetise, engage, and retain customers. Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually, and its award-winning suite of software and services allow companies across dozens of industries to tackle their biggest business challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. CSG is the trusted provider for driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including Airtel Africa, América Móvil, AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Formula 1, Hutchison 3 Indonesia, Inmarsat, Mastercard, Maximus, Microsoft, Mobily, MTN, New Leaf Service Contracts, State of California DMV, TalkTalk and Telstra. To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. About M1 M1, a subsidiary of Keppel Corporation, is Singapore’s first digital network operator, providing a suite of communications services, including mobile, fixed-line and fibre offerings, to over two million customers. Since the launch of its commercial services in 1997, M1 has achieved many firsts – becoming one of the first operators to be awarded one of Singapore’s two nationwide 5G standalone network license, the first operator to offer nationwide 4G service, as well as ultra-high-speed fixed broadband, fixed voice and other services on the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (NGNBN). M1’s mission is to drive transformation and evolution in Singapore’s telecommunications landscape through cutting-edge technology and made-to-measure offerings. For more information, visit www.m1.com.sg. Copyright © 2021 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names that are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. Contacts: Tammy Hovey Global / North America / Asia-Pacific Public Relations +1 (917) 520-2751 tammy.hovey@csgi.com Kristine Østergaard Europe / Middle East / Africa Public Relations +44 (0)79 2047 7204 kristine.ostergaard@csgi.com John Rea Investor Relations +1 (210) 687-4409 john.rea@csgi.com Contact Details Tammy Hovey +1 917-520-2751 tammy.hovey@csgi.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

August 03, 2021 03:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time

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Salesforce Signs On as Founding Partner of InclusionHub, a Comprehensive Digital Accessibility Resource & Database

InclusionHub

Salesforce has joined InclusionHub as a founding partner, underlining the increasingly important role the digital accessibility resource and database plays as a tool for educating and informing those who work to improve digital experiences. With more than 150,000 customers—including more than 80% of its fellow Fortune 500 members—and 36,000 employees, Salesforce is in a unique position to impact digital accessibility. As noted in the company’s 2021 Stakeholder Impact report, “Disability inclusion and accessibility are fundamental to our belief that businesses can be powerful platforms for social change and that our higher purpose is working toward Equality for All.” In joining InclusionHub as a founding partner, Salesforce is supporting a first-of-its-kind digital accessibility resource and database designed to help businesses, organizations and institutions with a digital presence learn more about digital inclusion solutions. Launched in December 2020, InclusionHub is built on crowd-sourced ratings and reviews from a global audience of digital accessibility experts and practitioners, and provides an unbiased, transparent and searchable database of companies that specialize in all aspects of digital inclusion. “We are privileged to be in a position where we can help create something with and for the community,” said Tom Frantz, Senior Manager of Accessibility Partnerships and Public Relations at Salesforce. “The role that InclusionHub plays as both a centralized resource, dedicated to the people who do this critical work, and a transparent platform to share truths is paramount. We’re excited to have the opportunity to ditch the corporate-heavy messaging and uphold the integrity of our community’s stories. We'll aim to help keep InclusionHub relevant by regarding it as a work-in-progress in collaboration with the community's evolving insight, feedback and needs. I truly believe in this initiative because the people behind InclusionHub are dedicated to the mission.” As a founding partner, Salesforce will work closely with the InclusionHub team to provide content and expert insight for the InclusionHub audience, and provide strategic advice on the continued expansion of the initiative, alongside existing founding partners Be My Eyes, an accessibility app for the blind and low-vision community, and Morey Creative Studios, a New York-based digital marketing agency with a strong focus on digital accessibility. “I'm delighted that Salesforce is joining us in supporting the critical work of improving the digital experience of millions of people through InclusionHub” said Will Butler, VP of Community at Be My Eyes. “With their support and collaboration, we are going to have a bigger impact than any one of us could have alone!” “I cannot imagine a more perfect partner for InclusionHub,” said Jon Sasala, President of Morey Creative Studios. “The platform has been incredibly well received since launch, and is starting to deliver on its mission of helping accessibility practitioners to learn about the variety of solutions available to them. But everyone involved is also conscious of the fact that, while we’re focused on doing things the right way for the communities that InclusionHub serves, we’re not perfect and that we might make some mistakes along the way. In addition to their expertise and support, the team at Salesforce have already contributed to that sense of openness and authenticity on this project, and I am confident they will help to accelerate InclusionHub’s growth, which in turn will help us all to create a better, more inclusive web for everyone.” To learn more about InclusionHub, including the upcoming “Certified Inclusive” initiative, visit inclusionhub.com. And for more information on the Founding Partner program, contact bryan@inclusionhub.com. Contact Details InclusionHub Bryan Koegel +1 267-977-5548 bryan@inclusionhub.com Company Website https://inclusionhub.com

August 03, 2021 09:03 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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BLKBOX.ai launches intelligent media buying platform, enabling companies to scale profitably

BLKBOX

Over $378B is spent every year on digital ad spend as companies seek to engage consumers online using the latest technology to enhance their user experience and make purchases. AdTech business BLKBOX is launching their intelligent media platform to help companies make this ad spend go further and faster for them. Their SaaS-based intelligent and automated media buying platform generates profitable campaigns and scale ad spend 3x while reducing the time taken to manage end-to-end media buying from 6 hours to just 6 minutes. The platform offers enterprise businesses, large corporates and SMBs the ability to accelerate their digital campaigns using just three inputs: the creative assets, budget and KPIs. The platform automates the heavy lifting in campaign creation, audience creation, creative testing, advanced analytics, determines the winning bids, and also allocates budget against the best performing campaigns. Critically, BLKBOX acts as a growth enabler, frees time for media buyers to focus on outcomes, think strategically and take a wider view on spend as they target growth. Athar Zia, CEO and co-founder at BLKBOX commented: “Advertising and buying media serves as the growth engine for so many companies and we’ve seen how technology has enhanced creative outputs on so many levels. Yet there has been no innovation in large parts of the wider industry, especially for media buyers. It still remains a manual and time consuming affair and prone to human error. Our intelligent automation will quickly remedy this and deliver our express purpose, to help companies scale profitable ad campaigns. Just as the end creative is a growth hack for brands, BLKBOX exists to be the power supply to deliver that growth for all companies.” BLKBOX was established in May 2020 by ex-Facebook industry pioneers Athar Zia and Jay Shah who managed over $1b in ad spend for companies using the social media giant. BLKBOX has been growing revenues 50% month-on-month while operating a gated experience for multi-million dollar worth private and listed billion-dollar worth companies in the gaming industry over the last 12 months. Having helped them scale their ad spend 3x, BLKBOX is now opening their intelligent media buying platform to every company globally. “We have seen, at close quarters, how ad spend has worked for companies. The process is just not fit for purpose. Advertisers are judged on driving successful, profitable ad campaigns and fundamentally company growth. We are here to help. Using our experience and expertise in algorithms, we will improve operational efficiency, while removing human error and helping companies scale profitably” add Athar Zia. The BLKBOX intelligent media buying platform will initially focus on social media ad spend, chiefly on Facebook ads. Their reach will broaden over the coming year to encapsulate Google, TikTok, Snapchat, Apple, Twitter and Ad Networks. Athar Zia added: “We’re initially competing in a $378B annual digital ad spend marketplace but will broaden this quickly. We are democratising the media buying space, making it easier and faster for people to make ad spend decisions. Our overall aim is to turn anyone, regardless of experience, into a best in class media buyer. This will enable companies to scale faster, focusing on making products and creating experiences that their customers want.” In June 2021 BLKBOX were announced as one of three winners of the Facebook Business Hackathon which sought technologies that help companies scale growth. They were judged on our four criteria points - Innovation, Impact, Socially Postivitiness, Shippability. BLKBOX was announced as a winner alongside Microsoft and SAP. About BLKBOX AdTech business BLKBOX is leveraging advanced automation and financial algorithms to help companies acquire high-value users by providing greater visibility and control of their digital ad spend. BLKBOX was established in May 2020 by ex-Facebook industry pioneers Athar Zia and Jay Shah who managed over $1b in ad spend for companies using the social media giant. The platform offers enterprise businesses, large corporates and SMBs the ability to accelerate their digital campaigns using just three inputs: creative assets, budget and KPIs. Customers include Glu, Kabam, Redemption, Live Play Mobile, Radish, A Thinking Ape, Tala, and Industry leading Social Casino companies. In June 2021 BLKBOX were announced as one of three winners of the Facebook Business Hackathon which sought technologies that help companies scale growth. BLKBOX was announced as a winner alongside Microsoft and SAP Contact Details BLKBOX Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 press@blkbox.ai

August 03, 2021 08:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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