A CALL has been made for the Hong Kong Government to implement a better strategy to give the city a more serious edge in attracting mega events. At the heart of these efforts would be a joint bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
The Olympics bid is among a list of proposals put forward in a consultation document submitted for the 2025 Policy Address due to be delivered by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee in September. The annual address outlines government policies for the following months and a public consultation period began in June.
Measures urged by former HK Government information officer Brett Free also include:
– Building a pipeline of major global events to be staged at least once every two years;
– Establishing an Events Commission to develop the events sector in a “strategic, coherent and holistic way”;
– Streamlining Licensing procedures and Reviewing Regulations
– Positioning Hong Kong as an Events Insurance Hub
– Boosting the transparency and scope of Hong Kong Tourism Board’s event support.
Free, who is submitting the document under his company BMF Consulting, wrote: “Hong Kong should aim to be the most event-friendly city in Asia in terms of process and approvals as well a knowledge hub of best practice.”
He urged the Hong Kong government to work with other cities in the surrounding Greater Bay Area to make a bid to co-host the 2036 Games pointing to the success of the new Kai Tak Sports park in hosting the Rugby Sevens, concerts and other sports event at the precincts stadium.
“The Olympics is the ultimate Mega Event,” wrote Free, who is also co-chair of the AustCham Hong Kong Sports and Entertainment Committee, which is campaigning to bring the Games to the Greater Bay Area.
“Bidding for the 2036 Olympics will shine a spotlight on the Greater Bay Area like no other initiative or campaign.
“No other economic region in the world boasts the sporting, transport and accommodation infrastructure already in place and which could, in theory, be used to stage an Olympic Games today.”
Free also called for an Events Commission to be established tasked with handling global organisers and building a pipeline of major International events. Professional conference organiser Roy Ying, now a lecturer event management, has urged the government to form a similar statutory body.
“There is currently no platform or agency for the events sector to engage as an industry with the government,” Free points out in the document. “There is also no agency within government that looks at events from a holistic cross-bureau, cross-departmental perspective.”
He added that there was a “general lack of understanding within government about the complexities and challenges of staging events in areas such promoter expectations, financing, sponsor expectations, ticketing, event delivery, insurance, contracts, tax, visas etc”.
The more that Government agencies understand these inter-linked complexities, the better it is for events sector development.”
The document also suggests leveraging Hong Kong’s role as an international finance centre to position the city as an events insurance hub.
In calling for an improvement in the way Hong Kong Tourism Board serves event organisers with subsidies and other support. The document states that the “HKTB funding process is too opaque, vague and uncertain”.
Hong Kong definitely has what it takes to become the events leader in Asia and an event-friendly economy.”
“We live in a great city with superb connectivity, world class infrastructure and facilities, excellent work ethic and service quality, high quality tourism, hotel and hospitality offerings and an abundance of natural treasures. We have a safe, stable and welcoming society. We should bring all of these considerable assets into greater play by developing the events sector in a strategic way.
“A structured dialogue between Government and the events sector is also needed to nurture and improve the events ecosystem in Hong Kong.”
