Blueair Globe, November 2015

GLOBE # 3, 2015

PARTNER DAYS AND IFA 2015

• VISITORS FLOCK AROUND NEW PRODUCTS IN BERLIN • BLUEAIR CELEBRATES 10 YEARS IN CHINA • AIR NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD • PARTNER RECEIVES SALES AND MARKETING EXCELLENCE AWARDS • BE SOCIAL WITH US • DOUBLE AWARD WHAMMY • STAYING FRESH AT THE NEW VIRGIN HOTEL IN CHICAGO •

A WORD FROM THE FOUNDER

We humans are amazing We’ve harnessed electricity, put men on the moon and perfected innumerous life saving medical procedures. Yet anyone hoping to see a change anytime soon in the air pollution that WHO says is killing us in our millions globally is likely to be disappointed.

Most people would name breathing clean air as one of the top keys to human wellbeing. Yet we are as far from conquering the air pollution killer stalking our city streets as we were during the Industrial Age. The only difference is that what was once thick coal smog is now a near-invisible toxic cocktail of chemical particles.

But we can protect ourselves. Using indoor air purifiers such as those produced by us at Blueair helps create safer, healthier indoor environments free of contaminants. In this issue of Blueair Globe, you can discover how we leverage technology to benefit health and wellness by developing tools such as our ‘Aware’ air sensor.

I have spent much of my life trying to master the art of breathing correctly to keep my body and mind healthy. It was that journey that inspired me almost twenty years ago to found Blueair to help other people to breathe air as pure as nature intended.

Bengt Rittri, Founder & Principal

I have spent much of my life trying to master the art of breathing correctly to keep my body and mind healthy.

– Bengt Rittri

In this issue 04 Blueair celebrates 10 years in China 10 Blueair at Showstoppers 14 Be social with us 18 What we think about Blueair 21 Blueair partner days in Berlin 2015

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Air news around the world Visitors flock around new products Partners receive Excellence Award Staying fresh at the new Virgin Hotels

The Blueair Globe team: Editor under Swedish Law: Annika Waller Graphic Design & Illustrations: Matilda H端binette Blueair Editorial News Desk: Carolina Durhoff and David Noble Cover: Simon Malmberg Duse

Pakhnyushchy/Shutterstock.com

BLUEAIR PARTNER DAYS IN BERLIN 2015 Blue drinks, blue balloons and Brandenburger Gate

The Blueair Partner Days kicked off at Tryp Berlin Mitte, a hip hotel in the midst of one of the most emerging neighborhoods in Berlin, on the evening of the 2nd of September. All the visiting partners, having travelled from far-off countries such as China, India and Malaysia, were welcomed by our CEO Bengt Rittri and had the opportunity to meet and greet over drinks – naturally, blue ones.

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Even more health effects from air pollution have been identified.

– Bengt Rittri

From Good to Great The next day was action-packed to say the least, with presentations from all departments at the Blueair Headquarters in Stockholm. The first speaker to take to the stage was Bengt, who declared that this is the year that Blueair will go from good to great. Up until 2018 Blueair have set the targets to be thought leaders, to educate and innovate, to recruit the best talents, to be the brand that’s top of people’s mind, and last but not least to help and care for millions.

“Since last year, the awareness of air pollution around the globe has increased”, Bengt said, and continued: “Even more health effects from air pollution have been identified. About half the world's urban population is exposed to pollution at least 2,5 times higher than what WHO recommends, which makes it the world’s largest single environmental health risk.”

The Caring Expert Blueair’s global Chief Marketing Officer Annika Waller had handed out light blue balloons, which she urged the audience to blow hard into.

“In our hands now, we all hold the most important thing on earth: A fresh breath of air”, she said, and as we let go of our balloons, the room was filled with a loud “pffff ” and with that, she declared the partner days 2015 open. Annika then continued to talk about strong brands and their identity.

“If Harley Davidson is considered to be rebellious, Hermés luxurious and Nike sporty, Blueair should be the caring expert. In our marketing efforts, we strive to reflect our core values”, she said, stating that we have a challenge with low awareness of the Blueair brand, but on the other hand an exceptional perception of quality. Once a consumer is Blueair aware, the conversion to becoming an owner is almost twice as high as for our competitors.

The partners in the audience got to see some new graphic elements, such as the updated Blueair logotype, fresh product images and icons that will be used in marketing material from now on.

The next presentation was about Blue, “the purifier for the sophisticated rebel”. Blue was born when a gap in the market was spotted in 2013 and the need for a mid range product with a high performance and a strong design focus was detected.

Blue was presented at IFA in Berlin 2014, and after being launched in Indonesia it will hit stores in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Kuwait and Thailand this autumn.

“Blue is a lifestyle product that attracts a different target group than Blueair – the progressive modernist that is active, wellness focused and trendy. Blue pushes the view on air purifying as a central and active part in your home”, Annika said.

India”, he said and shared that Blueair had had a breakthrough in Scandinavia, with Elkjöp and Expert as new retailers.

Niklas also talked about some highly interesting new business opportunities, such as the Carefree B2B Clean air solution, where Blueair takes care of installation, service, support and online air quality monitoring for businesses.

There is also a new concept with clean air solutions for hotels underway. There is no initial investment for the hotels; the guests pay a small additional cost per room.

“There’s no way to put a price on breathing clean air”, Niklas said, and moved on to talk about the clean air zone in Volvo’s show rooms and Blueair’s embassy sales.

“After driving the awareness about air pollution in China, the US embassy has chosen over 8,000 Blueair units for their facilities in China, India, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh and several other countries. They have also purchased over 200 purifiers plus filters for their embassy in Macedonia”, he concluded.

Clean Air Solutions

The Internet of Things

Niklas Wakéus, Blueair’s COO, then shared the expected growth for Blueair up until 2019. ”We expect a strong growth in both China and

Johan Skåntorp, Head of Product Development at Blueair, talked about digitality and how the “internet of things” is leading to a rise in the num-

Annika Waller also talked about the updated Blueair website and how there will be one global look and feel to the website, and about the work Blueair is doing in Social Media and within PR. She also mentioned the Consumer Engagement Program, Air for Life, which will be piloted in the US in December.

A Purifier for the Sophisticated Rebel

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ber of connected products. By the year 2020, an estimated 50,1 billion products will be connected.

“Early technology adoption will keep us in the game. We believe that engineering superior services and providing comfort and ease of mind will justify a price premium for our services”, he said.

Connect to Clean Air Karin Kruse, Head of Global Product Marketing at Blueair, presented the updates and news within Blueair’s product families, their expected launch dates and core messages. The Sense+ is for instance about “living life to the fullest without compromising your health, well-being or personal style”.

“It’s perfect for smaller spaces where good looks matter, but breathing clean air matters more”, Karin said, as she showed the audience the exciting new colors of the Sense+, such as ruby red and midnight blue. The audience also learnt about how the Blueair Friend app and the Blueair Aware air quality monitor work, and how consumers will benefit from always being connected to clean air.

Currywurst and Champagne times two After a day packed with news and innovations from Blueair, it was time for a much anticipated team activity, where we headed out on the

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streets of Berlin for a treasure hunt equipped with iPads. But first, we had to try a true German delicacy: Currywurst with champagne. A brief walk, and we arrived at a food cart where this seemingly odd combo was tried – and even though it might sound a bit unorthodox, the taste was heavenly after a long day indoors.

The internationally mixed teams – one inspiringly named after the great voyager Columbo, another perhaps more inspired by Blueair’s product news chose the name Trinity – covered quite a few kilometres by foot. Among other famous landmarks, we got a close view of the Brandenburger Gate, Berlin’s symbol of unity.

Our cerebral and creative sides were tested by answering questions about Berlin and figuring out how to get an ice-cream, the color orange and a knee in the same picture.

The evening then continued at restaurant Volt in Kreuzberg, an old electricity plant with exposed bricks and metallic hanging lamps. The cuisine was also electrifying – beautifully presented modern food, and, also typical for Berlin, a superb vegan menu. The delighted winners of the contest were awarded with a bottle of champagne. We all had a great time getting to know each other better and swapping experiences, in order to collaborate even more in the future, on Blueair’s journey from good to great.

Breathe Blueair

Now you can stop worrying about PM2.5 particles, construction chemicals and other air pollution as soon as you get into the office. The new Blueair Pro family cleans your indoor air in only ten minutes, removing more than 99% of all impurities – and continues to clean the air completely five times an hour.

Giving you healthy air in every breath. How blue is your air?

Get a high quality air purifier from Sweden – we have models for every room size.

More information and closest retailer on blueair.com BLUEAIR GLOBE #3, 2015

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AIR NEWS around the world

Singaporean smog: Could be worst in history, NASA says The smoke and smog that’s been covering much of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore this autumn could be among the worst in history, according to a NASA scientist.

“If the forecasts for a longer dry season hold, this suggests 2015 will rank among the most severe events on record,” says Robert Field of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The haze occurs yearly when Indonesian palmoil producers burn off forest growth to clear land for planting. As a result, cities across the region are heavily polluted and thousands of people suffer from health consequences, such as respiratory tract infections.

RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are any infection of the sinuses, throat, airways or lungs. They're usually caused by viruses, but can also be caused by bacteria.

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China’s air pollution may be much worse than earlier thought The Chinese government is working hard to solve China’s air pollution problem and other sustainability challenges. However, a new study has suggested that air pollution in China is doing far more damage than has previously been recognized, causing some 1.6 million Chinese people to die prematurely every year.

The scientific study was carried out by Berkley Earth as part of a major new effort to collect and analyze the world’s air pollution data. Berkley Earth is an independent non profit U.S. organization founded in 2010 to systematically address, in an objective manner, the five major global warming concerns identified by skeptics.

The Berkley Earth report on China, published in the summer of 2015, was the result of its researchers trawling through a cloud of all available data to discover the most up-todate information about the causes of air pollution, including sulphur dioxide, ozone and particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5).

The Economist, in an article headlined ‘Mapping the invisible scourge’, described the Berkley Earth study as ‘the most detailed and up-to-date picture of Chinese air pollution so far’. The Economist article said that ‘some 83-percent of Chinese are exposed to air that, in America, would be deemed by the Environmental Protection Agency either to be unhealthy or unhealthy for sensitive groups’.

Almost half the population in China experiences levels of PM2.5 that are above America’s highest threshold, according to the report. The Economist quoted the Berkeley Earth’s scientific director, Richard Muller, as saying that breathing Beijing’s air is the equivalent of smoking almost 40 cigarettes a day.

Breathing bad: Toxic air lowers Texan kids’ grades Kids exposed to toxic air get lower grades in school, according to a study from the University of Texas at El Paso. Researchers studied the academic performance of 1,895 children in fourth and fifth grade, in conjunction to their exposure to toxic air pollutants around their homes. Pollution levels were measured and compared to the children’s school grades. Those exposed to high levels of motor vehicle emissions from cars, trucks and buses had significantly lower grade point averages. The results were clear even when accounting for other factors known to influence school performance. ”Some evidence suggests that this association might exist because of illnesses, such as respiratory infections or asthma. Air pollution makes children sick, which leads to absenteeism and poor performance in school. The other hypothesis is that chronic exposure to air toxins can negatively affect children’s neurological and brain development,” said Sara E. Grineski, co-author of the study and an associate professor of sociology and anthropology, to Science Daily.

Pressmaster/Shutterstock.com

Europe: 905 cities ban driving for one day 905 cities held a car-free day during the European Mobility Week that took place September 16-22nd this year. The initiative comes from the European Commission, with the purpose to show citizens the benefits of less congestion, promote sustainable transport and tackle pollution. Air pollution has become a burning issue in many urban areas, causing various health problems for its inhabitants. According to a recent study, air pollution caused premature deaths of approximately 9,500 people in London during 2010.

Dutch Design: Want to wear a piece of pollution on your finger?

Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde claims to have built the world’s largest air purifier, after three years of research and development. The “Smog Free Tower” cleans more than 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour, and transforms the smog particles into “gemstones” that can be embedded in rings, cufflinks and other jewelry. Each gemstone is equivalent to cleaning 1,000 cubic meters of air. According to the designer, buying a piece of jewelry means you donate a thousand cubic meters of clean air to the location of the Smog Free Tower.

If funding is sufficient, the tower will eventually make its way to Beijing, Mumbai and Paris.

Norway: Not as clean as you may think Fiords and forest galore, Norway is perhaps perceived as one of the cleanest and purest places in the world. But after registering widespread air pollution in the capital Oslo, as well as the cities Bergen and Trondheim, The European Free Trade Association EFTA found this Nordic country guilty of violating EU’s air quality directive. Norway’s federation against asthma and allergies reported the poor air quality to EFTA, as they didn’t think the government was acting on their complaints. The federation hopes the ruling will push Norwegian officials to take on more measures to reduce air pollution. However, there’s no sentence following EFTA’s conviction and Norway’s environmental minister claimed many anti-pollution measures already have been carried out, such as road tolls to reduce traffic.

India: On camera Vijay Kannan, Head of Blueair India, and the Swedish Minister of Housing, Urban Development & IT, Mehmat Kaplan, pictured during a forum for Swedish businesses in India at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in New Delhi on October 15th.

Vijay and Mehmet met when Vijay gave a presentation about the Clean Air India Movement (CLAIM) and how it successfully has changed the mindsets of Indians’ to regard clean air as a necessity in urban areas.

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Blueair celebrates

10 YEARS IN CHINA 2015 is a milestone for Blueair in China, since it was ten years ago that Blueair entered the Chinese market. Globe Magazine had a chat with David Li, Sales Director for Blueair in China, and Annika Waller, Blueair’s Global CMO, who lived in China for two years.

So David, what was it like ten years ago when Blueair started out in China?

The air purifier market was great, since there only were a few brands competing – such as the Chinese brand Yadu and the American brand Honeywell. Blueair’s marketing strategy was to focus on the top two cities Beijing and Shanghai, with exposure in high-end shopping malls to gradually build up awareness.

How big is Blueair in China compared to competitors?

Thanks to our competitive advantages, we have a leading position. We offer more professional products as well as better services, where our customers’ needs are our first concern, paired with perfect supporting facilities and professional personnel. We have always set our target as a high-end brand with reasonable prices. All these contribute to Blueair’s leading place in the air purifier industry.

So Blueair has done very well in China.

Any more reasons for our success?

We chose the right time to enter China, plus we are a Nordic brand with a professional manufacturer, superior performance, quality and service.

What Blueair products are most in demand?

The Classic models 203, 403 and 503 are very popular in China.

What can you say about the present situation regarding air pollution in China?

The smog has become more and more serious in recent years, but indeed the government has been paying attention to it, and taken action on certain aspects.

Are Chinese people in general well informed about the dangers of indoor air pollution?

The majorities of our customers don’t have enough knowledge about indoor air pollution, and are not paying much attention to their health. Long time product education is needed.

So how do you mark the 10-year presence in China?

There are more than 500 retail stores in China, and we select the most important stores for roadshow events in order to build brand awareness and get good sales performance.

We care for the young generation

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and sponsor Kindergartens with air purifiers, and deliver the concept “Breathe blue air” to schools, teachers and parents. Our Business Development teams are also organizing events and finding good sales opportunities. For the first time, we’ve joined “China International Industry Fair” to present our products and we’ve expanded our sales channels “Shanghai Oriental TV Shopping Channel”.

ant in China. Now we plan to expand awareness into other income groups and more cities.

Annika Waller is the Global Marketing Officer for Blueair. She is Swedish but has lived in China for two years, and therefore saw the pollution with the eyes of an expat.

“I had a nice view from the 29th floor, so every morning I was amazed at how different it was because how far I could see varied so much.

Sometimes it was caused by the weather, but I soon realized it was also because of the level of pollution. When I knew I could also see the pollution, it became real to me”, Annika says.

She continues: “When we hade Shanghai’s all time high pollution in December 2013, passing over 600 on the Air Quality Index, I could only see grey. It was not pleasant.”

So we’ve been around in China for ten years now! How do we celebrate the anniversary?

We do different events and road shows to cities.

What I particularly like is the idea to offer consumers who have had Blueair for at least five years free filters. It’s an activity we do in social media, and we have even been able to include some of these early customers in the events as guests where they could share their experience of Blueair. It’s quite powerful and convincing to have a consumer telling other consumers about our air purifiers.

In your opinion, how aware are Chinese people about the problem with pollution?

Awareness was driven by the expat community through the US Embassy, as they started to measure and publish PM 2.5 levels some years ago.

Thanks to the film ‘Under the Dome’* which was released in March, awareness is increasing among all. But I would say that people in Beijing and Shanghai are more aware of the problem than people living in other parts of China, both expats and local citizens.

What’s the toughest challenge for us in order to grow?

We need to build awareness about indoor air quality and Blueair, to find the right stores in the right locations, to grow through e-commerce and make sure we deliver products that are interesting and relevant to Chinese consumers. There are no short cuts or silver bullets, just hard and focused work.

How do you see the next ten years – where are we in terms of market share, and how do we get there?

We should still be the leading premium brand, reaching into all major cities in China. The market should be more stable and out of its rapid growth phase, but we are known as a trusted brand which delivers clean air in homes, schools, at work, gyms or wherever people spend their time. Our air purifiers are a natural part of the home, as people value the positive effects of clean air for health and wellbeing issues.

POLLUTION IN CHINA In an attempt to reduce air pollution, the Chinese government has decided to enforce stricter regulations. After record-high air pollution in northern China in 2012 and 2013, the State Council issued an Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution in September 2013. This plan aims to reduce air pollution by over 10 per cent from 2012 to 2017. The main goal is to reduce coal consumption by closing polluting mills, factories and smelters and switching to other eco-friendly energy sources.

(Source: Wikipedia) *Under the Dome is a self-financed, Chinese documentary film by Chai Jing, a former China Central Television journalist, concerning air pollution in China. It was viewed over 150 million times within three days of its release.

Chai Jing started making the documentary when her unborn daughter developed a tumour in the womb, which had to be removed after birth. Chai blames air pollution for the tumour. The film combines footage of a lecture with interviews and factory visits has been compared with Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

What has the government done to put a stop to pollution?

They relocate industries, some days they ban parts of the car fleet to drive, close schools on bad air days and so on. But they also have central programs to develop alternative energy sources to coal, which is an important pollutant in the winter.

Government has said they are learning from Japan who cleaned up their country in 20 years. China, however, need to do it 3-5 years…

How aware are Chinese people about Blueair as a brand?

Blueair is mostly known among higher income groups in Beijing and Shanghai, where we have put our sales and marketing focus for the past years. We have a very good quality perception and are a trusted brand, which is very import-

Left: The Chinese marketing team Renee Chen, Amy Xu, Rebecca Ren, Annika Waller, Kris Shao, Yulanda He Right: David Li, Sales Director for Blueair in China

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IFA 2015 Special

VISITORS FLOCKED AROUND NEW PRODUCTS

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The Blueair booth at IFA in Berlin drew a great deal of attention from the hordes of international visitors. Even on one of the largest tech fairs in the world, with competition from a wide array of electronic giants, Blueair stood out in the crowd with a new range of connected products.

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lueair’s booth at IFA was entirely built in white and blue, with a large prototype of a smartphone in the middle to demonstrate the clean air intelligence and connectivity of the Blueair Friend app, the Aware air quality monitor and the Sense+ air purifier. Many of the visitors in the booth took the opportunity to test how it worked themselves.

Modern and premium The air purifiers were divided into product groups, displayed on stands around the booth, with a section each for the Sense+, the new Classic, the Pro and Blue. There was also a glass display of the filters on the wall, with illustrations explaining the patented HEPA silent technology and how purifiers and filters from Blueair remove 99,97% of all pollutants in a room.

- We’ve worked hard to give the booth a wow-factor and the same modern and premium feel as our products have, so it aligned with our brand identity. We wanted the visitors to be able to “touch and feel” everything, and to make the large iPhone the heart of the booth, said Matilda Hübinette, at Blueair.

Bengt Rittri, Blueair’s founder and CEO, said: - This is the most beautiful booth we’ve ever had at IFA, and one of the most beautiful booths at the whole fair. I’ts great to be here and I’m feeling really proud of what we’ve accomplished.

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IFA 2015 Special

IFA IFA, Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, (International radio exhibition Berlin) took place in Berlin September 6-9th 2015. This year, 1,645 exhibitors displayed their new products to the markets around the world.

The total number of visitors was approximately 245,000, which makes IFA one of the world’s leading trade shows for consumer electronics. Having launched in 1924, it’s also one of the oldest.

Blueair at Showstoppers @ IFA Berlin Cutting Through The Media Clutter And Noise

Blueair’s connected Friend App, the air quality monitor Aware and Wi-Fi enabled Sense+ were showcased to hundreds of journalists, bloggers, analysts and key industry influencers at the annual Showstoppers event on the opening evening of IFA Berlin 2015.

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howstoppers is a blockbuster event where reporters and industry analysts from around the world find the future of business, consumer, lifestyle and digital technologies for work, for home, for play. Away from the noise and distraction of the show floor, they discover hot products from cool companies; some unknown, some famous.

Blueair seized the opportunity to unveil to the global media its latest ‘internet of things’ technology – the Blueair Friend App, the Aware monitor and the Wi-Fi enabled Sense+ air purifier.

“It’s the one event where industry leaders, innovators, award winners, visionaries, startups and upstarts make new connections, promote brand, take leadership and open new business markets,” said Annika Waller, Blueair’s Chief Marketing Officer. She noted that Showstoppers was a great opportunity to talk to all the major tech trade

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press players and get articles and editorial.

Although open to any exhibitor, large or small, the Showstoppers event provides midsized companies like Blueair the opportunity to interact with press normally targeted by the huge public relations machines of massive exhibitors like Sony, Panasonic and Canon. Over the space of just three intensive hours, the four-person team working at the Blueair table in the ballroom-sized conference room at the IFA trade show facility where Showstoppers was staged, engaged with over 140 journalists.

“The Showstoppers event is a great model because building and sustaining a relationship with key media is very important to generate awareness for our amazing air purifiers and their wellness and wellbeing technology,” Annika Waller told Blueair Globe Magazine.

Karin Kruse (top) and David Noble (bottom left) demonstrating Blueair’s innovative solutions at Showstoppers.

Double Award Whammy For Blueair at IFA Berlin Trade Show Blueair scored a double award whammy at the Berlin 2015 tech show, winning two prestigious Envisioneering Awards for the second consecutive year.

Blueair’s new Wi-Fi enabled Blueair Sense+ and Aware Air Quality Monitor were both honored with best-in-class awards for innovation and design during Showstoppers at IFA 2015, the official press event attended by hundreds of journalists at the global tradeshow for consumer electronics and home appliances in Berlin, Germany, in September.

Richard Doherty, lead Envisioneering judge, said: "ShowStoppers attracts key startups, spinoffs, disruptors – innovators all! With their global reach and frequent showcase cycles of exhibitors, ShowStoppers offers a ready showcase for startups and industry leaders driving radical new digital lifestyle products and services.”

This is the second consecutive year that Blueair has won awards at the IFA Showstoppers event, during which a select group of over 70 companies compete to win recognition for their innovation level, design and value to consumers. Envisioneering's international team of technologists, marketers and industrial designers assessed each product, technology or

service before making their choices for the ‘best of the best’ at IFA 2015.

Envisioneering is world-renowned for its objective assessment of new technologies, product and services embodiments, and the talents who drive them to market. Envisioneering's analysts are often quoted by print, web and video media for their assessments of "what's next" in technology benefit, fun and value.

Bengt Rittri, Blueair’s CEO, speaking at the company's head office in Stockholm, Sweden, said: “At Blueair, we have been pioneering and championing indoor air purification as a means to improve human health and wellbeing for almost twenty years. All of us at Blueair view it as a real honor to be awarded an Envisioneering Award; and to win two prizes simultaneously for the second year in succession is confirmation of our success at steering product innovation and design driven by insights from consumers wanting to live healthier lifestyles.”

Bluewater Spirit Also Honored For Innovation And Design Bluewater, a sister company to Blueair that makes the world’s most innovative residential water purifiers, was also honored with an Envisioneering Innovation and Design Award.

On its first public outing at the IFA Berlin trade show, the Bluewater ‘Spirit’ water purifier boasts unique second-generation reverse osmosis technology packaged in a sleek under-the-counter-design. Called SuperiorOsmosis™, the new technology delivers an unmatched direct flow of three liters of purified water every minute, equivalent to 43.2 US gallons/hour, on demand with no need for a traditional holding tank.

Powerful yet compact, the versatile Bluewater Spirit removes harmful bacteria, unhealthy chemical contaminants and toxic metals from tap drinking water. Probably one of the best investments one can make in health and wellness alongside an air purifier, the Bluewater Spirit turns municipal water into healthier drinking water.

Purified water from Bluewater was served in the Blueair IFA booth.

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PARTNERS RECEIVE BLUEAIR SALES AND MARKETING EXCELLENCE AWARD During the annual Partner Day Conference at IFA, Europe’s largest tech fair, Blueair awarded four partners for their exemplary efforts and results in adding customer value. The partners were honored at the first of what will be an annual award for their outstanding achievement in indoor air sales and marketing.

Korea prove their position Cosmo & Company Co. Ltd in Korea was the first winner, where Terry Son, Ian Ko and Minu Yoo gladly accepted the award. Cosmo received the Blueair Excellence Award for their energy, ambition and ”shut up and sell” mentality in relaunching Blueair in Korea. During last year, Cosmo doubled the number of sales points, improved store displays and increased the contact with Korean retailers and sales channels.

Some of Cosmos’ efforts include a Blueair re-launch event held at a design hotel with a smoke box visualization and a real home staging. They also hosted five consecutive events for media, retailers, B2B partners and bloggers, with in total 150 people attending. As a result about 40 articles were published in printed and online media.

Visionary Solutions awarded Kah Hin Ooi and Pei Yen Lim received the award on behalf of Visionary Solutions in Malaysia. Visionary Solutions was incorporated in 2004, and it has since made a name for itself as the premier home solutions company, providing innovative products that actually work. Blueair was launched in Malaysia in July 2014, and is currently sold in 40 stores across the country.

Visionary Solutions were awarded the Blueair Excellence Award for their dedicated and hard work. They have delivered more than expected regarding marketing and PR activites.

Blueair India praised for CLAIM Blueair India, a wholly owned Indian subsidiary to Blueair, also received the

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award. It was accepted by Vijay Kannan, head of Blueair India operations.

Blueair India launched their sales in early 2015, and their initial focus has been to raise the awareness about air pollution and air purification in the Indian market, with a strong PR and marketing focus.

As an example, Blueair India has run the much acclaimed CLAIM, Clean Air India Movement Campaign, which is known as India’s largest behavior changing campaign on air pollution. It launched on World Asthma Day, May 5th 2015. Aimed at engaging, encouraging and educating Indians about the challenges of air pollution, it was initiated by a citizen awareness and attitude survey and lung health screening. Tests showed that 25-35 per cent of Indians suffer poor lung capacity as a result of air pollution, a figure that lead to massive media attention. Blueair India has in a very short time managed to build an online fanbase, both for the brand Blueair and for the CLAIM initiative.

Blueair in China applauded for breathe blue air campaign Blueair in China was the fourth prize winner, where Rebecca Ren, Kris Shao and David Li accepted the award. Blueair in China was founded in Shanghai in 2012 and opened a representative office in Beijing in 2014. This year, Blueair has been selling purifiers and filters in China for ten years.

Blueair in China was awarded the Blueair Excellence Award for their development and deployment of the ’breathe blue air’ campaign, which has been excuted across all touch points and continuing as the main key visiual in stores and on the road shows launched to build the Blueair brand across China.

Bengt Rittri, founder and CEO of Blueair, says: “Cosmo & Company, Visionary Solutions, Blueair India and Blueair in China have all provided compelling examples of successful marketing and partnering in our industry.

They have been doing great work in helping people throughout their countries to enjoy the health and wellness benefits of clean indoor air with help of Blueair. We wanted to recognize them for their significant contributions to our company, our industry and commitment to customer satisfaction.”

Breathe freely.

Be Social With Us

DAILY UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD ON FACEBOOK Facebook is the biggest social platform in the world and has surpassed one billion users worldwide. Blueair’s global Facebook page has more than 11,000 followers – find us on www.facebook.com/BlueairGlobe.

We also have local versions of Facebook, such as an Indian Facebook page, a US Facebook page and an Asian Facebook page. And don’t miss out on our sister brand Blue’s Facebook page; Pure Blue.

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Take part of the most relevant and recent global news about pollution

Enjoy wellness tips on how to breathe easy

Read about the latest research on air quality and how it affects humans

Watch films and read information on how to optimize the use of our products, see product news and updates

See career opportunities at Blueair

Participate in campaigns and contests

Even in social media, you can breathe plenty of blue air these days. Be sure to follow, like and join us not to miss out on anything!

In China, Blueair is present on a variety of social media platforms, such as WeChat and Sina Weibo.

DON’T MISS OUR TWEETS ON TWITTER On Twitter, you can follow us on “Blueair Globe” for news and insights about indoor and outdoor air pollution and wellness issues. We also have American and Japanese versions of Twitter.

SEE WHAT’S GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES ON INSTAGRAM Instagram is an app where you can upload and share your own pictures and follow accounts to see other users pictures.

Blueair has locally adapted Instagram accounts, such as blueair_japan, blueair_india, blueair_north_america and blueairthailand, as well as an international instagram profile; blueair_friend.

WATCH FOR CAREER OPPORTUNITIES ON LINKED IN Blueair naturally has a page on Linked In, the largest online professional network in the world.

This is where we publish career opportunities in our company along with interesting articles about air.

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Staying fresh at the new Virgin Hotels in Chicago

GUESTS WAKING UP TO CLEANER, HEALTHIER AIR When Blueair heard that the Virgin flagship hotel was coming to the Chicago Loop, we knew it was the perfect match. Not only are Blueair neighbors with this great landmark hotel, but we also share a focus on design, fresh thinking and an innovative approach to improving your day to day quality of life. We’re inspired by the way Virgin Hotels Chicago not only reimagined what a hotel can look like, but what it can do, as they set a new standard for customer service and hospitality.

A fresh take on a historic landmark Located in the historic Old Dearborn Bank Building, the Virgin Hotels Chicago converted the former office building into a 250-room hotel. Run via mobile app, not unlike the new Blueair Aware air quality monitor, this is among the first of Richard Branson’s Virgin boutique hotels geared towards the savvy, design-conscious traveler. Constructed between 1926 and 1928, the Old Dearborn Bank Building features ornate medieval and mythological terra-cotta decoration typical of movie palaces of that time. With its neoclassical architecture, it is one of only two office buildings designed by 20th century Chicago architects Rapp and Rapp.

Keeping things clean behind the scenes The latest hotel trend is offering allergy-free rooms to guests. But at Blueair, we think the employees deserve to breathe cleaner, healthier air as well. Located in the lower levels of this historic landmark building, the Virgin Hotels Chicago offices are the perfect spot for a Blueair Sense air purifier. Employees love that the office is pet friendly. However, pets also mean pet dander.

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In addition, several members of the staff suffer from allergies and mild mold phobias.

Filter change reveals all After testing out the Blueair Sense, we went back to talk with the group at Virgin Hotels Chicago to see what they think. It had been approximately five months, so it was almost time for a filter change as well. While they all noticed an immediate difference in air quality on day one, seeing what was trapped in the filters after five months only confirmed their passion for air purification. In fact, they have grown so attached to their Sense that they often bring it along to the conference room to clear the air during their meetings. They have come to love the gentle hum of the Sense, taking comfort in knowing that when it is on air quality is off their mind.

Virgin Hotels Chicago sources also report that cleaner, healthier air has resulted in even happier interoffice relations as well in keeping with the always upbeat and slightly cheeky Virgin Hotels Chicago brand.

Written by Sarah Ghesquière.

ABOUT AIR PURIFICATION IN HOTELS Indoor air quality is one of the first things guests notice when they enter a hotel or restaurant. When it comes to air quality, it's what the guests can't see that can be harmful. On average, indoor air is up to five times dirtier than outdoor air, and can be up to 100 times more polluted. Airborne particles can range from seasonal allergens to bacteria and viruses. Blueair purifiers remove 99.97% of harmful particles from the air. Eliminating particles helps prevent everything from headaches and itchy eyes to respiratory conditions, so hotel guests can breathe easy and enjoy their stay.

The perfect spot for a Blueair Sense+

THE VIRGIN HOTEL IN CHICAGO This is the first of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Hotels brand boutique hotels geared toward the female business traveller.

The 250-room hotel has no check-in desk; it uses a smartphone check-in system in which you scan a QR code and retrieve your room key from a vending machine. The visitors use a mobile app, named Lucy, that the company describes as a "personal comfort assistant" October 2011, Virgin Hotels purchased the building with the aim of opening it as their first hotel in 2013. The transaction was an all cash deal that was valued at about $14 million.

The Old Dearborn Bank Building was constructed between 1926 and 1928 with ornate medieval and mythological decoration typical of movie palaces. Soon after the Old Dearborn Bank opened in 1928, it was acquired and its parent company was liquidated in the Great Depression.

Prometheus72 / Shutterstock.com

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WHAT WE THINK ABOUT BLUEAIR

”The company culture is very friendly”

Meet Cecilia Liss, Sales Director EMEA, at Blueair. “It’s fantastic to work for a company with such knowledge and willingness to develop products that have the potential to change people’s lives to the better”, she says.

Hi Cecilia! What does your job involve?

I’m located at our head office in Stockholm, but responsible for all the development and sales within the EMEA market – that is Europe, Middle East and Africa. I get to travel quite a lot, for instance, I just came back from an exciting trip to Dubai where I met a potential distributor.

What is your impression of Blueair as a company?

I’ve been working for Blueair since January, and it’s fantastic to work for a company with such knowledge and willingness to develop products that have the potential to change people’s life to the better. The company culture is very familiar and friendly with many ambitious and nice colleagues, which suits me perfectly.

What’s so great about your job?

It’s truly satisfying to meet so many interesting people and companies, and to develop business co-operations and partnerships that will be rewarding for both parties.

What is your favorite color of Sense – and why?

I love the Midnight Blue since I love the sea! This is the closest you can get to it; it’s a very deep blue and a somewhat shimmering color, just like the ocean.

CECILIA LISS Favorite Music: More or less anything, from classical to house.

Favorite Read: I’m reading the fourth book of the Millenium Series developed by Stieg Larsson at the moment. It’s called “The Girl in the Spider´s Web” and it’s keeping me up at night…

A perfect day for me is: An intense day with many meetings. A perfect Sunday will include spending time with my family; my husband and our two sons, exercise and lots of outdoor activities such as skiing or sailing.

”We have an unusual drive” Jonas Holst, Sales Director Asia, is responsible for Blueair’s sales network in the Asian markets outside China. ”Every day I get impressed and proud of what is achieved by all Blueair staff around the world”, he says.

Hi Jonas! What does your job involve?

As Sales Director for Asia, I’m working closely with our partners in their business development and sales and marketing activities – making sure that our products can reach and help as many as possible in the world. Right now I’m in the middle of a relocation process from Stockholm to Hong Kong, with the ambition to set up Blueair’s first regional head quarter and get even closer to the markets.

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What is your impression of Blueair as a company?

After five years at Blueair, I believe I’ve seen most sides of the company. Yet every day I get impressed and proud of what is achieved by all Blueair staff around the world. We have an unusual drive and a very high ambition. I think that’s what Blueair is really about – a growing

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number of people that share the belief that clean air is a human right.

What’s so great about your job?

I really love my job. Travelling the world to work with fantastic colleagues and meet convinced customers and partners is truly a privilege. But it is also about getting the chance to develop, try new things and to feel that you are really contributing to something good – for the world and for yourself professionally.

What is your favorite color of Sense – and why?

Green has always been a favorite color of mine and it was love at first sight when I saw the Leaf Green Sense the first time – it is unquestionably the best looking air purifier in the world.

JONAS HOLST Favorite Music: Thanks to the internet and global access, I’d say whatever is on Mix Megapol Göteborg, a local radio station in my (former) hometown.

Favorite Read: “The Challenger Sale” by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson – a must read for all sales persons about how to take control of the customer conversation.

A perfect day for me is: Normally I would say it’s when you wake up and spend the day on a sailing yacht in the Swedish West Coast archipelago with blue skies and shining sun. But now, it’s all about Hong Kong. Every day is a perfect day because of everything new and exciting that’s happening here.

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