SINGAPORE. Changi Airport Group (CAG) has made one Singaporean a millionaire as Ivan Rantung emerged the overall winner of the “˜Be a Changi Millionaire’ grand draw and landed the grand prize of S$1 million (US$733,600) in cash.
Rantung, a former disc jockey with Singapore radio station Perfect 10, along with five other finalists had gathered on 28 January at Changi’s Terminal 3 for the grand finale to determine which of them would become an instant millionaire.
After an elimination process over three rounds of games, Rantung picked the key which unlocked the prize vault. Celebratory confetti rained down on him as the crowd erupted in applause.
Rantung received his cheque from CAG Chief Executive Lee Seow Hiang and Visa Head of Cross Border, Asia Pacific Ross Jackson. The campaign was co-sponsored by CAG and Visa.
“I’m very excited,” Rantung enthused. “I’m lost for words. I thought it was a dream. I was dreaming up there [and] asked (the event MCs) Daniel and Jamie to pinch me. But it’s not a dream with all the guys in the audience out there. My dream has come true.”
Asked how he intends to spend his windfall, he replied: “I’ll probably keep S$500,000 in a fixed deposit, and the rest [for] other dreams I want to fulfil. No car, no condominium – maybe the first thing is to clear all debts, go on a nice holiday with the family and save some funds for the kids. Now we know we’ve got some rainy day funds.”
With Chinese New Year around the corner, the first thing Rantung will do is host a big reunion dinner for the family with surprises for his wife and kids. Married to former TV presenter Lisa Ang, Rantung has a six-year old daughter and a two-year old son.
In October 2010 Rantung, who now runs his own event company, shopped at Changi Airport before catching a flight to Kota Kinabalu on business. Having always wanted to invest in a quality camera to better capture the precious moments with his family, he bought a Canon DSLR camera for about S$4,900 at the Digital Imaging store by Sprint Caas at Terminal 2, which retails digital lifestyle products. This spontaneous purchase turned out to be his winning ticket to the million-dollar prize.
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Ivan Rantung picks the winning key to the prize vault, making the former radio DJ the first ever Changi Millionaire |
Another Millionaire in 2012
Changi Airport Group CEO Lee Seow Hiang said: “Our heartiest congratulations to Rantung. Today’s grand finale was indeed an exciting finish to the draw and, I believe, an unforgettable experience for our first Changi Millionaire. What a great way to start the Lunar New Year.
“We are extremely pleased with the success of our first Millionaire campaign, which received 830,000 entries – an all-time retail participation record at Changi Airport. The campaign has been well received by both shoppers and shops alike, giving a boost to retail at Changi. Hence we have decided to run the Millionaire campaign again in 2011, and reward another Changi shopper with S$1 million a year from now. We will share more details later, so look out for it.
“Our thanks to Visa for co-sponsoring the Millionaire Draw and to our hundreds of concessionaires who make shopping and dining such a pleasure at Changi Airport. By working with such great partners, we will continue to put Changi on the world’s map for airport retail and food & beverage,” added Lee.
CAG Executive Vice President, Commercial Lim Peck Hoon said: “Through unique activities and attractive promotions such as the Millionaire Draw, we hope to make Changi Airport as the must-shop stop for both passengers and Singapore residents. At the same time, these efforts provide invaluable support for the concessionaires at Changi. The selection of the first Changi Millionaire today shows how shopping and dining at Changi can be very worthwhile.”
The five other monthly finalists – three Singaporeans, a Australian and a South African – each won S$5,000 (US$3,670) in cash plus a three day/two night stay at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Hotel, with airfare provided for the non-Singapore residents.
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Changi Airport Group Chief Executive Officer Lee Seow Hiang (left) and Visa Head of Cross Border, Asia Pacific Ross Jackson (right), presenting the million dollar cheque to 39-year-old Singaporean Ivan Rantung (middle) |
A successful retail campaign
During the six-month long “˜Be a Changi Millionaire’ retail campaign from June to November 2010 concession sales at Changi Airport grew by about +13% year-on-year, surpassing the +12% growth in passenger traffic over the same period.
The Millionaire Draw was also successful in raising the amount spent by Changi’s shoppers in a single transaction, said CAG. In particular, sales receipts of S$60 and above (the minimum spend to qualify for the Draw) grew +14% year-on-year during the period of promotion. More significantly, sales receipts of $500 and above registered a +20% increase year-on-year.
Apart from encouraging shoppers to spend more at Changi Airport, the promotion attracted more local residents and visitors to Changi to shop and dine. In tandem, concession sales from Changi’s public areas grew +18% compared to same period in 2009.
Singaporeans, who contribute a significant 20% to total concession sales at Changi Airport, turned out to be the biggest winners of the Draw in terms of nationality.
Besides accounting for four of the six grand draw finalists they also feature prominently among the daily winners (30%), with each winning S$1,000. Indonesians and Malaysians were the other top nationalities in the daily winners’ list.
The three most popular product categories among the winners are perfumes & cosmetics, digital lifestyle and luxury goods.
About “˜Be a Changi Millionaire’
From 1 June to 30 November 2010 all shoppers and diners who spent a minimum of S$60 at Changi Airport were eligible to enter the “˜Be a Changi Millionaire’ Draw. Over the six-month period one monthly winner was drawn upon the close of every month for participation in the Grand Draw.
Coincidentally the six finalists of the “˜Be a Changi Millionaire’ Grand Draw were all men, married with children, even though the profile of shoppers at Changi Airport is evenly divided between the two genders.
The “˜Be a Changi Millionaire’ Draw is said to be the biggest retail campaign ever in Changi Airport’s history, and the grand prize of S$1 million is the largest cash prize to be given away in a retail draw in Singapore. Besides the grand prize there were 188 other cash prizes totalling more than S$200,000 (US$146,700).
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