Former Radio DJ Ivan Rantung made a Millionaire at Changi Airport

Changi Airport Group (CAG) today made one lucky Singaporean a millionaire when 39 year-old Ivan Rantung, a former disc jockey with Singapore radio station Perfect 10, emerged the overall winner of the ‘Be a Changi Millionaire’ Grand Draw and bagged the grand prize of S$1 million in cash.

Mr Rantung and five other monthly finalists of the Draw had gathered today at Changi’s Terminal 3 for a nail-biting finale to determine which of them would become an instant millionaire. After a heart-stopping elimination process over three captivating rounds of games, Mr Rantung picked the key which unlocked the prize vault in a dramatic moment of revelation. Celebratory confetti rained down on him as an excited crowd erupted in applause.

Mr Rantung received his cheque from Changi Airport Group’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Lee Seow Hiang, and Mr Ross Jackson, Head of Cross Border, Asia Pacific, Visa. ‘Be a Changi Millionaire’ was co-sponsored by CAG and Visa.

An elated Mr Rantung said, “I’m very excited! I’m lost for words. I thought it was a dream. I was dreaming up there, asked Daniel and Jamie (the event emcees) to pinch me. But it’s not a dream with all the guys in the audience out there. My dream has come true!”

Very excited, yet nervous about the prospect of winning a million dollars, he had come to the Draw trying to not have his hopes too high. “From home to Changi, it’s a long drive. So, I came here, told myself, ‘Win, lose, doesn’t matter because you’re still going to win S$5000.’ But of course... inside, I still get butterflies in my tummy, and wasfeeling so nervous. I told myself to get over the first hurdle and if I do get in, then maybe I’ll stand a chance to win, and here I am!” said Mr Rantung.

Asked how he intends to spend his windfall of a million dollars, Mr Rantung said, “I’ll probably keep five hundred (thousand) in a fixed deposit, and the rest, see what other dreams I want to fulfill. No car, no condo, maybe the first thing is to clear all the debt, then 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. That will be the best thing, and not to worry about running low on cash.”

But before he carries out these grand plans, with Chinese New Year round the corner, the first thing Mr Rantung would do is to splurge on a big reunion dinner for the family and lots of surprises for his wife and kids. Married to former TV presenter Lisa Ang, Mr Rantung has a six-year old daughter and a two-year old son.

In October 2010, Mr Rantung, who now runs his own event company, shopped at Changi Airport before catching a flight to Kota Kinabalu for 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 fortune.

Another Millionaire in 2012

CAG’s CEO Mr Lee said, “Our heartiest congratulations to Mr 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 one 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 F&B,” added Mr Lee.

Ms Lim Peck Hoon, CAG’s Executive Vice President, Commercial, 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, one Australian and one South African – each won S$5,000 in cash, plus a three day/ two night stay at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Hotel, with airfare provided for non-Singapore residents.

More information including videos of the Changi Millionaire campaign can be viewed at

www.changiairport.com/millionaire

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, better than 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. 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 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 or by an airport anywhere in the world. Besides the grand prize, there were 188 other cash prizes totalling more than S$200,000.