SmartBiz Expo, Hong Kong International Franchising Show and Business of IP Asia Forum open this week

Empowering SMEs to capture opportunities amid challenges

 

30 November 2020 – The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is staging several industry-leading events online in early December, including the HKTDC SmartBiz Expo (2 to 4 December), HKTDC Hong Kong International Franchising Show (2 to 4 December) and Business of IP Asia Forum (BIP Asia Forum) (3 to 4 December). Through these brand-new online platforms, numerous industry elite speakers will look at the current business practices of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and examine how they can apply innovative technologies and creative thinking to address the challenges of an evolving market landscape, and to help strengthen their business development during the pandemic and beyond. The online opening sessions will be officiated by Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR.

 

SmartBiz Expo and Hong Kong International Franchising Show – reimagine and reinvent

The fourth HKTDC SmartBiz Expo will be held online from 2 to 4 December. Under the theme "Reimagine·Reinvent", the virtual event will bring together more than 30 industry leaders to share their insights at 12 webinars, providing innovative business solutions to SMEs to help them maintain their competitiveness under the pandemic as well as exploring opportunities under the stay-at-home economy trend. In the face of an increasingly harsh business environment, the expo will focus on three key areas – how e-commerce and big data offer a brand-new customer experience, redefining working patterns through digitalisation, and how SMEs can apply technologies such as 5G and blockchain in their businesses. Concurrently, industry players will share the latest business information at the HKTDC Hong Kong International Franchising Show, sharing tips for the path to success in operating a cross-border franchising business. The two events will bring together a range of seasoned speakers, including:

• Robert Glazer, Founder & CEO, Acceleration Partners
• Gordon Lam, Board Executive Director, Bonjour Holdings Limited
• Cristina Ng, Senior Manager, OpenRice Limited
• Peter Lee, Head of Corporate Business, Microsoft Hong Kong Limited
• Daniel Chung, Vice President, Products and Services Marketing, CSL Mobile Limited
• Stefanie Chow, Deputy General Manager, Boxful Limited

 

BIP Asia Forum boosts competitiveness of enterprises

Jointly organised by the HKSAR Government, the HKTDC and the Hong Kong Design Centre, the 10^th BIP Asia Forum will be held online from 3 to 4 December under the theme “Open Innovation: Driving Collaboration in Times of Change”, featuring about 60 international intellectual property (IP) experts and business leaders to share on the latest industry trends. This year’s forum will also kick off the third edition of the open innovation competition “IPHatch Hong Kong”, which features past winners and IP experts from renowned technology companies as speakers. They will share on ways to enhance corporate value and realise growth potential. The forum will bring together a range of noted speakers, including:

• Yancey Strickler, Co-Founder and Former CEO, Kickstarter
• Li Zexiang, Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Alexander Ng, Vice President, Tencent Healthcare
• John Mulgrew, VP, Deputy General Counsel & Chief Intellectual Property, Lenovo
• Christina Petersson, Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Ericsson
• Beat Weibel, Chief IP Counsel and Group Senior Vice President, Siemens AG
• Wang Yangbin, CEO, Vobile Group Limited
• Yang Xiaoxuan, Vice President, iQIYI

 

Concurrent events help SMEs improve competitive edge

In addition to the SmartBiz Expo, Hong Kong International Franchising Show and BIP Asia Forum, the HKTDC is also hosting other industry-leading events this month, including DesignInspire (3 to 9 December) and the Asian E-tailing Summit (9 to 11 December). The events focus on new technologies across research and development, design, production, sales, and business expansion, supporting SMEs to explore opportunities and embrace the challenges presented by innovation and change.

 

We cordially invite you or your representatives to cover the abovementioned events. Details are as follows:

SmartBiz Expo & Hong Kong International Franchising Show Online opening session Date: 2 December 2020 (Wednesday) Time: 9:30am-9:40am Welcome Remarks: Margaret Fong, Executive Director, Hong Kong Trade Development Council Opening Remarks: Paul Chan, Financial Secretary, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region   Website: https://portal.hktdc.com/smartbizexpo/en/ Programme: https://smartbizonline.hktdc.com/en/ Speaker list: https://portal.hktdc.com/hkifs/en/speaker/main

BIP Asia Forum Online opening session Date: 3 December 2020 (Thursday) Time: 10am-10:20am Welcome Remarks: Margaret Fong, Executive Director, Hong Kong Trade Development Council Opening Remarks: Carrie Lam, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Shen Changyu, Commissioner, China National Intellectual Property Administration Daren Tang, Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization   Website: http://www.hktdc.com/ncs/bip2020/en/main/index.html Programme: http://www.hktdc.com/ncs/bip2020/en/s/info-Programme.html Speaker list: http://www.hktdc.com/ncs/bip2020/en/s/info-Speakers.html

 

Media registration

To join the above events, media representatives are required to pre-register to receive a confirmation email for accessing the fairs and conferences by completing the following registration form and emailing it to cathy.wk.lee@hktdc.org. Please note that the events are not accessible to unregistered media representatives.

 

*********************** Media Online Registration Form ***********************

Email	Last Name	First Name	Media organisation	Country/region	Position	Phone number

 

Media enquiries

Please contact the HKTDC’s Communications & Public Affairs Department:

Christine Kam           Tel: (852) 2584 4514                       Email: christine.kam@hktdc.org

Clayton Lauw            Tel: (852) 2584 4472                       Email: clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.org

Cathy Lee                   Tel: (852) 2584 4393                       Email: cathy.wk.lee@hktdc.org

 

About HKTDC
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn