Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), signature events under the mega promotion
"In Style • Hong Kong" were successfully held in Bangkok, Thailand last week. Having received an overwhelming response from Thai business leaders, government officials and consumers, the Symposium, Hong Kong Gala Dinner, as well as the Hong Kong Galleria attracted more than 60,000 participants.
Symposium exploring win-win opportunities
The highlight of "In Style • Hong Kong" was the Business Symposium held on 6 October at the Plaza Athenee Bangkok to promote Hong Kong's services. Speaking at the opening session of the Symposium, Vincent HS Lo, Chairman of the HKTDC, drew attention to business partnership opportunities under the China-led Belt and Road Initiative. "Thailand is central to the Belt and Road Initiative," said Mr Lo. "As Thailand is poised to take advantage of the opportunities from the Belt and Road, Hong Kong is ready to be your partner. In addition to close cultural ties, Thailand and Hong Kong have enjoyed a long-standing trade and investment relationship. With the Belt and Road Initiative, we can work even more closely."
Meanwhile, Rimsky Yuen, Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, identified reasons for Thai companies to partner with Hong Kong. "Hong Kong enjoys unique advantages under the 'One Country, Two Systems' policy. Whilst Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, we maintain our own social, economic and legal systems. We therefore enjoy the best of both worlds, and thus Hong Kong is no doubt one of the best places to do business," said Mr Yuen.
Following the opening session of the Symposium, business leaders spoke about various aspects of Hong Kong's services expertise. Royce Yuen, CEO, MaLogic joined Jason Chiu, CEO, cherrypicks; Chansak Fuangfu, Senior Executive Vice President and Director, Bangkok Bank Public Company Ltd, and Dr King Fai Pang, Group President and Executive Director, VTech Holdings Ltd to share their insights on how Hong Kong services providers could facilitate Thai companies to expand their business in the region, especially the Chinese mainland.
Five thematic sessions on e-commerce logistics, renminbi business and corporate treasury, smart city development, digital marketing, as well as arbitration and intellectual property protection were held to address issues relevant to the Thai business community. More than 1,500 Thai business people attended the Symposium.
Gala Dinner spotlights style and creativity
Following the Symposium, 460 government and business leaders from Thailand and Hong Kong joined the Hong Kong Gala Dinner. Under the theme, "Hong Kong: Day and Night", the 3-star Michelin chef, Albert KK Au, Group Executive Chef (Chinese Division), Lai Sun F&B Management, and James Norman, Executive Chef, Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok presented their fusion menu of Hong Kong and Thai flavours to offer guests a unique culinary experience. The dinner also featured a fashion parade of Thai silk-themed collections by six renowned Hong Kong designers: Doris Kath Chan, Bonita Cheung, Koyo William Cheung, Polly Ho, Henry Lau and Mountain Yam. Miss Hong Kong 2015, Louisa Mak was among the models in the parade.
During the cocktail reception of the Gala Dinner, a photography exhibition by Simon Yam, a veteran Hong Kong-based actor and photographer, took guests on a stunning journey through Hong Kong's day and night scenes. Selected lifestyle products from HKTDC Design Gallery were also on show. Guests were served premium Hong Kong tea at the tea lounge and cocktail and mocktail drinks created by an award-winning bartender at the cocktail bar. In a gesture of appreciation to the guests, the HKTDC prepared a customised "In Style • Hong Kong" souvenir – a home fragrance jointly developed by Panpuri, a premium Thai fragrance brand, and Milk Design Limited, a winning design company from Hong Kong.
Hong Kong lifestyle for all to enjoy
Extending the Hong Kong lifestyle theme in Bangkok, a citywide promotion continues across the city until the end of October. The centrepiece of the citywide campaign was the Hong Kong Galleria at the city's landmark Siam Paragon shopping mall from 3 to 9 October, which drew over 58,000 visits. Participants were invited to try on collections presented by popular Hong Kong designers and take photos with an e-wardrobe. Selected lifestyle products from the HKTDC Design Gallery were featured on Lazada.co.th, the leading online department store in Asia, and hktdc.com Small Orders, bringing a convenient O2O (online-to-offline) shopping experience to Thai consumers. Complimentary tea tasting by Hong Kong's premium tea brands and food tasting sponsored by Lee Kum Kee also captured the interests of many visitors. Riding on the "In Style • Hong Kong" campaign, the Hong Kong Tourism Board also staged a promotion at the Siam Paragon from 6 to 9 October to showcase Hong Kong's attractions as a top travel destination.
The Hong Kong fashion, lifestyle and gourmet journey continues in Bangkok
Local consumers can continue to enjoy an all-round experience of Hong Kong's design and creative excellence through an on-going promotion of the city's lifestyle and household products. Well-known Hong Kong brands Bossini, City Chain, eGG, Episode, Esprit, Giordano, G2000, Jessica, Optical 88 and others are offering discounts and other consumer incentives throughout October. A wide range of products from the HKTDC Design Gallery are available at BeTrend and The Selected. More exciting Hong Kong products and gourmet can also be found at the online retailer Lazada.co.th and gourmet website OpenRice Thailand (th.openrice.com).