HLB's 1st "Kids Eat for Free" Talent Search

Kids wow spectators with their antics and creativity

Kuala Lumpur, 4 October 2011 - We may have a new saying for "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach". It's now through a kid's smiling face when he eats. At the recent inaugural Hong Leong Bank's Kids Eat for Free Talent Search at Tokyo Street in Pavilion KL, seven very cute finalists ages from 5 - 7 years old thrilled the crowd with their personality, pose and talent. At the end, Toh Li Yuan, 7 from Rawang won the judges' hearts with his winsome smile and creative poses.

Hong Leong Bank's "Kids Eat For Free" is a dining programme that offers a free kid's meal with every paying adult and has been a hit for families with children since itsinception in 2009. Showcasing 100 popular restaurants ranging from Chinese to Western, fast food to fine dining, Nyonya to Japanese and over 400 outlets across Malaysia, "Kids Eat for Free" programme continues to gather good response and feedback from customers and restaurant owners alike.

"We are heartened by the enthusiasm shown by the public for the "Kids Eat for Free" Campaign. We know that Malaysians love to eat and from studies over two-thirds of Malaysians dine out at restaurants at least once a week. And that is the reason why we launched "Kids Eat for Free", a unique dining promotion with an offer so irresistible and easy to remember that gives really good value for family dining - free kid's meal." said Ms. Margaret Then, Hong Leong Bank's General Manager of Credit Cards, in her welcome speech, at the Kids Eat For Free Talent Search.

"We are committed to bring more relevant benefits that are not only value for money but to also interact and engage our customers and their children. We have put together a series of exciting and fun activities, starting with today's event - Kids Eat For Free Talent Search ." said Margaret.

The seven finalists went through two fun rounds of auditions. In the first round, the judges scored based on how well they spoke during the introduction, their personality plus bonus points were given if they came in a costume. For the second round, the kids were served with three special dishes, specially prepared for this event and each contestant had to give their best expression or pose during the food tasting test.

Margaret who was also on the panel of judges said: "We simply fell in love with Li Yuan. He was so natural and his fun personality really came out during the entire process of the audition. Li Yuan has all the qualities to be a star and we are proud to have him as our very first ambassador for the "Kids Eat for Free" programme.

As the Grand Prize winner, Li Yuan took home the Grand Prize of an Apple iPad2, RM1,000 cash and a Hamper worth RM200 plus a chance to appear as a guest on 8TV's "Ho Chak" for 1 episode during the HLB segment. The other six finalists each took home RM100 cash and a Hamper worth RM200.Kids Eat For Free Talent Search was the first activity to paving the path for more on-coming exciting activities under Hong Leong Bank's "Kids Eat for Free." For more information, please log on to www.hlb.com.my.

-END-Press Release - 04/10/2011