Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/820803
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 MAY 2017 Events 49 Students aged between 18 and 30 who would like to further their studies abroad are invited to ap- ply for the YSSS; a loan at a subsi- dised interest rate jointly offered by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and APS Bank. The YSSS, which grants each borrower up to €30,000, is repay- able over a maximum of 10 years. It provides 100% financing for first degrees, post-graduate degrees and distance learning courses, espe- cially ones focusing on aerospace, health and biotechnology, digi- tal games production, veterinary studies, agriculture and marine studies, youth work, sport, nature conservation, specialised restora- tion and the arts. Additional features of this sub- sidised loan include a repayment holiday of up to five years, free travel insurance, and a free VISA Debit Card for the first year of studies. Applications are to be submitted by not later than noon of Friday 16 June 2017, through http://www. agenzijazghazagh.gov.mt/. Terms and conditions apply. This product is issued by APS Bank Ltd, which is licensed as a Credit Institution by the Malta Fi- nancial Services Authority. The Shoreline, which is set to cre- ate a new landmark commercial destination and premium residen- tial spaces in the South of Malta, has appointed Haskoll, one of Eu- rope leading retail architectural practices. Located at SmartCity Malta, The Shoreline, by far the largest and most significant development of its type in the South, will com- prise a 25,000 square metres gross area, two floor 30-outlet shopping mall with ample space for under- ground parking, as well as a mod- ern and sophisticated living with some 400 shoreline residences. Haskoll will use their wealth of experience spanning more than 30 years, which includes new build, remodelling, refurbish- ment, extensions, catering, leisure and working directly for retailers, to ensure that the shopping mall project is completed on time and to the highest standards. They have been instrumental in devel- oping unique retail spaces at vari- ous shopping centres around the world, including , among many others, The Oracle, Reading; Golden Square, Warrington; Eden High Wycombe; CDO Copenha- gen; Manor Vesenaz, Switzerland; Itis, Finland; and Grand Central in Birmingham. "Understanding the five major factors of location, access, tenant mix, pedestrian flow and environ- ment, and the relationship be- tween them in different circum- stances is key to success," Haskoll Director Ian Williams said. "At The Shoreline, our aim is to cre- ate a new prime pitch with all the elements that make that pos- sible. While understanding the priorities of developers, funders, operators and retailers, we have achieved successful designs by combining our experience of the above principles with our flair for architecture, interior design and delivery of projects in Europe and in Asia." The Shoreline is a privately- funded project being promoted by Project Contractors Limited. "Following an international bid, we are confident that Haskoll are best placed to bring The Shoreline to successful fruition; they have an enviable track record as one of Europe's leading architects in the field of creating successful shop- ping centre designs. Their team will be employing their depth of experience and vast knowledge of retail developments to deliver a commercially successful and in- novative shopping centre proposi- tion, while creating value for the brands that will be present at The Shoreline Shopping Mall. The re- sponse that we got from Maltese and international retailers even prior to the project being public has been very encouraging," man- aging director Steve Carter said, "Over the next two years, we will be working with Haskoll to give Malta one of the best shopping mall environments in the Medi- terranean," he added. Young Maltese team at the helm of the fastest- growing analytics start-up in the world This local company is showing the world how it is done, when it comes to running an international analytics start-up business. In two years, Hotjar, a com- pany founded by 36-year-old Da- vid Darmanin has garnered over 190,000 clients from 190 countries all over the world, including: Nin- tendo, IKEA, Panasonic, Colum- bia and T-Mobile, amongst others. It is currently the fastest-grow- ing analytics Start-Up in the WORLD, with a 9% growth rate registered on a monthly basis as at April 2017. The company offers an all-in- one analytics and feedback solu- tion which allows website owners to discover exactly how their visi- tors are using their website. Hotjar is a tool that complements Google Analytics by going into more de- tail, not just about the quantity of traffic on a website, but also on the quality of the traffic. It actually shows you what visitors are doing and thinking. For the techies out there, it uses the following tools to reveal valu- able information about a user's on- line behaviour: • Heat-maps – A visual represen- tation of users' clicks, taps and scrolling behaviour on the site. • Visitor recordings – The actual movements of users on the site. • Conversion funnels - Indications of which page and at which step most visitors are leaving the site. • Form analytics - Revelations on why some visitors abandon a form and page, which fields take too long to fill and which are left blank. • Hotjar also offers opportunities to collect valuable feedback from a website's users via: • Feedback polls – The opportu- nity to target questions to specific visitors anywhere on the web and mobile site. • Surveys – Facility to collect re- sponses in real-time from any device even to visitors just before they leave the site. • Recruiting of testers – Helping to recruit the best participants for user research and testing directly from the site. What are the Hotjar Xawards? This year, Hotjar is thrilled to be hosting the international Xawards in Malta, on 11 and 12 May at Villa Rosa in St Julian's. The event aims to recognise the best web and na- tive digital experiences at the 'ear- ly start-up' stage. Over 640 start-up teams from 63 countries have submitted their ap- plication for the Hotjar Xawards. Apart from over €30,000 worth of cash prizes for the winners, 10 finalist teams will also benefit from a 100% fully funded trip to Malta to attend the event. The two-day event includes insightful talks from key speak- ers, namely Ryan Singer, Product Strategy from world-renowned company 'Basecamp', Bob Jelica, director at Football Addicts (pre- viously Agile Coach at Spotify), Sergei Anikin – VP Engineering at Pipedrive, Alex Theuma, founder of Saastock and members from the Hotjar founding team. The talks will cover a number of key subjects ranging from marketing, funding, pricing and execution. The event will then culminate with the final pitches by the final- ists, followed by the awards cer- emony and after-party featuring an exclusive performance by local group "The Travellers", all to be held on Friday evening. Who can attend? The event is exclusively restrict- ed to the finalists and speakers, however Hotjar will be giving the opportunity to three local start- up teams (or aspiring ones) to join the finalists and attend the entire two-day international event. For more information and up- dates on the Hotjar Xawards, log on to xawards.hotjar.com. The Shoreline Mall appoints leading European retail architects Youth Specialisation Studies Scheme 2017 open for applications Atlas goes blue in Autism Month During April, which is Autism Month, Atlas Group held an extra dress down to raise awareness about this condition, with all staff wearing blue. In fact, the slogan for 2017 for Autism Month is Light It Up Blue – for greater understanding and ac- ceptance. "We felt it was important to encourage staff to learn more about this condi- tion, and promote under- standing and acceptance, to support people with autism," HR and Marketing Manager Jackie Attard Montalto said. "We also wanted to raise awareness with our clients by piquing their curiosity, to ask us why we were all wearing blue!" Kristine Azzopardi, Dionne Tonna, Brandon Bonello, Glenn Mercieca, Martin Caruana, Michelle Cassar