Mega events group meets

Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong today hosted a Mega Events Coordination Group meeting on enhancing the publicity of major events and the efforts in promoting mega events in the city.

Chaired by Mr Wong, with Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Kevin Yeung as deputy, the group aims to strengthen co-ordination of major events and promote a mega event economy.

At the meeting, the group discussed the progress and arrangements of the Tourism Board serving as the first point of contact in promoting mega events in the city.

The board’s dedicated team on providing first-stop support has started liaising with event organisers and conducting preliminary assessments on event proposals.

The assessments cover the benefits of hosting relevant events in Hong Kong and the necessary supporting arrangements. The board will also invite views from the industry or experts, government bureaus, departments, or relevant statutory bodies before submitting recommendations to the Government.

The group also reviewed ways to establish and update Hong Kong’s mega events calendar. An event will be assessed on whether it can attract the public and tourists to participate, whether it can help increase Hong Kong’s visibility on the global radar and whether it can demonstrate the city’s strategic positioning.

They agreed to strive for the early publication of the city’s mega events calendar for the second half of the year, in order to allow the operators in the tourism, hotel, catering and retail industries to seize the opportunity as well as plan, prepare and promote early for turning popularity into prosperity.

In addition, the group focused its discussion on enhancing the publicity of mega events for creating an atmosphere of citywide involvement and enjoyment.

Radio Television Hong Kong introduced its new multimedia magazine-style information programme Mega Events Mega Hong Kong, while the Information Services Department and the Tourism Board gave a briefing on their efforts in publicising mega events.

Mr Wong said as the event capital of Asia, Hong Kong will host nearly 150 mega events throughout the year, with over 80 in the first half.

He emphasised that the Government will reach out more proactively to attract various mega events to anchor in Hong Kong, strengthen co-ordination, and ensure that the events receive sufficient interdepartmental support.

“We will continue to adopt a multipronged approach to promote the mega event economy.”