Hong Kong Forum 2002
Hong Kong Plus, Your Competitive Advantage

The annual flagship event of the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations Worldwide - Hong Kong Forum was held on November 12-13, 2002 in Hong Kong. The Forum was again concluded with huge success, with 222 associates from 21 countries participating actively in the event. The number of delegates broke the record since the first Forum held in 2000, registering a sharp rise of 43% over that in 2001. The big increase of delegates from Europe and the overwhelming response from the North America and Asia Pacific had been very encouraging. Figures proved itself of the value delivered by the Forum.

Since its inaugural launch in 2000, the acclaimed Hong Kong Forum has been a platform where associates from different parts of the world could gather in Hong Kong, to network and share with local business sectors. It not only strengthens the relationship between Hong Kong and the 28 business associations, it also offers the gateway for associates to grasp the mainland market intelligence.

Hong Kong Forum 2002 had also witnessed the election of the Office Holders of the Federation. Christopher Leu (President of the Hong Kong Association of Southern California) was elected the Chairman of the Federation, leading an extraordinary strong team including Mr. Piet Steel from Belgium as Vice Chairman, Mr. Yossi Weidenfeld from Australia-National as Hononary Treasurer and Mr. Bjorn Larsen from Denmark as Hononary Secretary. The team would lead the Federation into a new era in the coming two years with dedicated support from the 28 members associations worldwide.

Much colour and excitement was added to the Forum as the Hon. Tung Chee Hwa, the Chief Executive, HKSAR had accepted the Federation's invitation to be the Honorary Patron. The two-year old Federation had undoubtedly grown fast and won recognition locally and globally.

Programme Highlights

The speakers at the Panel Discussion were all representatives from different sectors in Hong Kong. Their presentation on various topics had won every applause from the audience. Equally well-received was the Plenary Session. One example was the presentation on "How the Federation can add value to you", which let every associate know much more about the Federation.

Hong Kong Forum 2002 was also embraced by lots of networking opportunities. They included the two Luncheons respectively with the Financial Secretary and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council as guest speakers, the Cocktail Reception hosted by the Chief Executive, the exciting "Election Campaign" Welcome Dinner and the fun-filled Farewell BBQ Dinner.

Moreover, participants were offered free access to the Business Matching Service and the China Advisory Service. While Business Matching Service provided contact list of potential business partners in Hong Kong, the China Advisory Service, hosted by China experts, focussed on answering participants' enquiry about this growing dynamic market.

The two-day programme of the Hong Kong Forum 2002 was further enriched by an optional side trip to the Pearl River Delta Region, which was participated by 51 delegates on November 14-15, 2002. The mixture of business element like visiting the Honda Guangzhou and the tourism element like visiting the Chen Temple proved the tried-and-true formula. Every bit of evidence showed how keen the overseas associates were on the enormous mainland market.

Way Forward
The next Hong Kong Forum was tentatively scheduled to be held on October 28-29, 2003. Join now, and don't miss this incredible opportunity for networking, partnership and market intelligence.