imax and insurance?

today, i have the blessing and privilege to be amongst the 30 winners in the guided tour of shaw's soft opening of the renovated, revamped and refreshed lido theatres as in this email notification which i received the day before:

Dear Patrick Lim,

Congratulations! You are our lucky winner for the invite.
The invite is STRICTLY NON-TRANSFERABLE and valid for you (1 person) only.

It’s finally here!

Come preview the world’s most immersive 3D movie-going experience, exclusively at Shaw Theatres Lido

After a 7-month overhaul, iconic Shaw Theatres Lido will be opening its doors with brand new offerings – a total of 11 halls including one featuring Singapore’s first and only IMAX’s Digital Theatre System! With exceptionally bright images and unparalleled 3D effect, Shaw Theatres LIDO IMAX promises audience an immersive and engaging cinematic experience.

You’re cordially invited to join us for a tour of the brand new Shaw Theatres Lido and a preview of the breathtaking The IMAX 3D Experience!

# # #

Details as follows

Date: Thursday, 5 May 2011
Time: Strictly - 10.30 AM (Registration)
Venue: Level 5, Shaw Theatres Lido
(350 Orchard Road, Shaw House Level 5, Singapore 238868)

Programme

10.30am – Registration at LIDO Lobby + Issue of IMAX Badge
(Please print out and produce this email together with your NRIC for registration)
11.00am – Guided Shaw LIDO Theatre Tour
11.15am – Showcase of IMAX trailers at LIDO IMAX
11.30am – Back at Shaw LIDO Lobby
Redemption of IMAX Goodie Bag
Distribution of invite to Special Surprise Screening
**The invite to Special Surprise Screening is not exchangeable for other sessions.

11.40am – Free Instant Photo taking by Canon
A group Instant Photo Canon Shot of all 30 winners
An individual Instant Photo Canon Shot

Shaw Theatres Lido will be having its soft launch to public on 5th May 2011 with the exception of the LIDO IMAX hall which will launch on 16 May 2011 at the Grand Opening.

**Please note that this invite is strictly a one–off guided tour and registration closes by 10:50am.
**Uncollected IMAX Goodie Bag & invite at the stated time of collection will be forfeited.
** The prizes are not exchangeable for cash or items, in part or in full.

Press Release on reopening of LIDO THEATRES, here.

Best Regards,
Shaw Online Webmaster
Shaw Organisation
http://www.shaw.sg

my comments:

i was especially keen on getting into the imax movie immersion first hand experience because i have been waiting patiently since the old lido closed it's doors after the last screening on september 30, 2010.

and was the wait worth it?

yes, definitely two thumbs up, and u have to experience it yourself. if u think 3D is awesome, then imax 3D will blow u away with the latest state-of-the-art movie immersion with stunningly clear images and sounds.

and the cost of getting an imax experience?

it ranges from $17.00 to $22.00 with the first hollywood blockbuster, pirates of the caribbean, on stranger tides scheduled to open on may 19, 2011. i'm also waiting for dreamworks animation's kung fu panda 2, jjabram/steven spielberg's sci-fi thriller, super 8, and paramount's transfomers, dark of the moon. all of these movies will be in imax 3D except for jjabram/steven spielberg's super 8 which will be in regular 2D because of director jjabram not into 3D.

the imax theatre seats 420 but because of getting the best from the imax immersion mainly from the state-of-the-art sound system and the gigantic 3 storey high screen, seating will be restricted to just 319.

what has imax got to do with insurance?

well, speaking for myself (and i'm sure for the other 29 movie buffs in the guided tour), i do not mind opening my wallet for the imax experience (which is more than 2x the price of a regular 2D ticket) but sadly, many thousands of consumers are paying more than they should for taking up insurance policies.

this is significantly so for plain vanilla term products (coverage is usually for death and total and permanent disabiity which may include terminal illness as well) where pricing can be as different as night and day.

why would anyone pay more for a homogenous product with similar benefits especially when the singaporean is legendary in hunting for the best bargains in our tiny red dot nation?

and that's why i have always advocated that consumers should seek a second or even third opinion when shopping around for insurance products but more importantly, do a financial needs analysis and regular review of their wealth protection portfolio before buying any what i term as 'flavour of the month' insurance product which may be heavily promoted and more saleable due to bundling with the so-called freebies.