ASIA EXPO A CHANCE TO REACH NEW BUYERS.Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Staff Writer Jae Kwon Kim's little corner of the South Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center The Los Angeles Convention Center (abbreviated LACC) is a convention center in downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, and was best known to video games fans as host to E3 until its cessation in 2006. was rocking Friday. Name that tune and he'd croon croon v. crooned, croon·ing, croons v.intr. 1. To hum or sing softly. 2. To sing popular songs in a soft, sentimental manner. 3. Scots To roar or bellow. it in an impressive rendition of singers ranging from Elvis to Louis Armstrong to Ray Charles For the composer and conductor of the Ray Charles Singers, see . Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his stage name Ray Charles, was a pioneering American pianist and soul musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. . No doubt he can cover U2 singer Bono's work, too. Of course, he hopes the audience at the 2001 China Expo-USA will also be impressed with his Magic Singalong Noun 1. singalong - informal group singing of popular songs singsong singing, vocalizing - the act of singing vocal music , a microphone-size, highly portable karaoke karaoke (Japanese; “empty orchestra”) Use of a device that plays instrumental accompaniments to songs with the vocal tracks removed, permitting the user to sing the lead. machine that stores the music and lyrics of up to 1,000 songs. It comes in at least eight languages with a $349 price tag. In keeping with the theme of the exposition, the Magic Singalong is made in Seoul, South Korea, and is imported to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. by Kim's J.K. International Trading Co. Kim's little corner of the Convention Center is costing him about $1,400 this weekend and he believes it's a good investment. ``The young people, they love music,'' said Kim, who believes the expo will give his marketing efforts a boost. Lots of businesses, big and small, plan a similar strategy this weekend. The show features a wide range of consumer goods consumer goods Any tangible commodity purchased by households to satisfy their wants and needs. Consumer goods may be durable or nondurable. Durable goods (e.g., autos, furniture, and appliances) have a significant life span, often defined as three years or more, and like cooking ware, cell phone accessories, furniture, artwork, carpet cleaning systems, car wax, herbs, food, healing products, computer software and clothing. And this year's event is especially welcome by the region's Asian- American community because China has been accepted into the World Trade Organization. Tuan N. Nguyen, West Coast vice president of operations at the U.S. Pan Asian American A·sian A·mer·i·can also A·sian-A·mer·i·can n. A U.S. citizen or resident of Asian descent. See Usage Note at Amerasian. A Chamber of Commerce, came to the expo to buy some tapes and software so he can learn to speak Chinese. He predicts that China's entry into the WTO See World Trade Organization. will create a wide variety of business opportunities. ``The United States is the strongest and richest country in the world and China has the most population. So it could be one of our biggest customers. It's good to have trade between the two countries,'' Nguyen said. Lily Lee, one of the owners of San Gabriel-based Sekai Industries Corp., distributors of a pain relief product called the IR-Patch, thought the show would be good for business if Friday's response was any indication. The patch contains a ceramic power that is supposed to help the body heal itself. ``It's been about five times more than we expected,'' she said of business early Friday afternoon. ``We have six people here and they are all busy.'' More-traditional companies also thought the show was a great chance to reach out to new markets. That's what Woodland Hills-based 21st Century Insurance was doing. Company representatives were taking down drivers' information for automobile insurance quotes. About 300 rate forms are expected to be processed over the weekend, said Joyce B. Prager, the company's community marketing director. ``What we're trying to do is expand our branding in the community and going into neighborhoods we haven't been in before,'' Prager said. 2001 CHINA EXPO-USA WHAT: Largest Chinese-United States expo in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , featuring a variety of businesses from Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, region of Asia (1990 est. pop. 442,500,000), c.1,740,000 sq mi (4,506,600 sq km), bounded roughly by the Indian subcontinent on the west, China on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. . WHERE: South Hall, Los Angeles Convention Center. WHEN: Today and Sunday. TIMES: Today, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ADMISSION: General $10, seniors $7 and children under 12 free. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Jae Kwon Kim, right, demonstrates the Magic Singalong, a karaoke microphone, at the 2001 China-Expo USA, above left. Below left, hundreds of business owners and others flock to the Los Angeles Convention Center. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer Box: 2001 CHINA EXPO-USA (see text) |
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