Rich events line-up puts spotlight on city
Hong Kong is under the spotlight again as exciting programmes unfold one after another. Touted as a key aspect of the post-Covid recovery strategy, the staging of mega events can help lift the economy and public mood. It is also a good opportunity to show the world that the city is back on track. Sustaining the momentum from the relatively successful LIV Golf tournament is Art March, during which art lovers from around the world converge on the city for the renowned Art Basel and a rich series of other events. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people descended on the arts hub in West Kowloon for the International Cultural Summit, along with the announcement of landmark exhibition deals involving top overseas museums and galleries.
Also taking the stage are the Milken Institute’s inaugural Global Investors’ Symposium, which attracted some 550 top executives from a broad range of industries under the theme of “Thriving Together: Bridging Global Markets”, and the Asian debut of pop-culture festival ComplexCon. The busy vibe will spill over into next week when fans gather for the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens.
The government is not wrong in saying that mega events are good ways to boost the economy and the city’s profile. It is said that every 1.5 million tourists can contribute to a 0.1 percentage point of growth in gross domestic product. But much more needs to be done to help attract even more visitors, including upgrading the quality of services and fostering a stronger hospitality culture. Separately, the subsidies in these programmes also have raised concerns about their value for money. Take the ongoing illuminated egg-shaped installations at the harbourfront. While it has been generally well received by visitors, the HK$50 million in funding has been questioned.
Officials and organisers must stay vigilant as they seek to enrich the events calendar with more variety. With heavy funding comes heavy responsibility. The lessons from the Lionel Messi saga – when the superstar Argentine footballer sat on the bench during Inter Miami’s exhibition match in Hong Kong last month – and setbacks from other spectacles show that without good planning and implementation, mega events can easily turn into mega debacles.