US Caucus – a Breakthrough for the Federation

  
  Overview

Following the success of the Europe Forum in 2002, the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations Worldwide achieved another breakthrough with its first US Caucus held in Los Angeles on January 25th and 26th, 2003.

The first US Caucus was chaired by Mr. Christopher Leu, Chairman of the Federation, and attended by representatives of seven Hong Kong Business Associations in the USA. The seven associations together represented over 1,000 members from Atlanta, Midwest, Northern Texas, Northern California, New York and Southern California. Mr. Les Greenwald of the Hong Kong Association of New York was the US Caucus Coordinator for this event.

Ms. Jacqueline Willis, Hong Kong Commissioner of the Special Administrative Region, was a special guest at the opening session of the US Caucus In her opening remarks, Ms. Willis pointed out that Hong Kong’s foundation and economy were strong and robust. Businessmen should be encouraged to take advantage of Hong Kong’s present slowdown and inexpensive labor. Hong Kong’s attributes such as a well-run government, well-organized transportation and logistics services, the free flow of information, and strong anti-corruption policy gave Hong Kong a cutting-edge advantage over its competitors. Hong Kong may be seen as an extension of the Pearl River Delta and not as competitor of the region. The association leaders were urged to promote Hong Kong by asking their members to spread as much as possible their success stories of doing business with Hong Kong.

The representatives of the associations exchanged and shared their views and ideas on the future development of the Hong Kong Business Associations in the US One of the top priorities is the recruitment of US delegates to attend the Hong Kong Forum in October 2003.

Program

The program began with a welcome dinner hosted by the Hong Kong Association of Southern California (HKASC) in the evening of Wednesday, January 24th, 2003.

A two-day conference was held at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Old Pasadena, which can be reached in a few minutes by car from downtown Los Angeles; its main strip, Colorado Boulevard, is the site where the major part of the annual Rose Parade is held.

The association leaders availed of the presence of over 600 members and guests of the HKASC to celebrate the Chinese New Year at a special evening gala on January 25th, 2003.

Main Meeting

The idea of an umbrella association was floated in order to harness and utilize all the available resources, intensify PR activities, enhance fund-raising power, and exchange speakers. The Caucus responded favorably to the idea. A proposal will be drafted by Mr. Les Greenwald of the Hong Kong Association of New York on behalf of the US Caucus.

Mr. Michael Chang, Hong Kong Association of Northern Texas, proposed the creation of an integrated website for the US Hong Kong associations. Since the Federation website is already providing links to the home pages of its members and also entails high costs, Mr. Chris Leu suggested the matter be held in abeyance until the issue of an umbrella association had been resolved. All associations were, meanwhile, encouraged to constantly update each other and the Secretariat with their newsletters and calendar of events.

The issue of voting at Federation level was debated at the meeting.

The next Hong Kong Forum will be held on October 28th to 29th, 2003 in Hong Kong. The association leaders acknowledged that the promotion campaign should begin soonest. Mr. Chris Leu will seek the assistance of the Secretariat (currently served by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council) to develop a preliminary program and travel packages as soon as possible. It is recommended that meetings and networking opportunities with Hong Kong business executives and local trade groups (such as Hong Kong American Chamber of Commerce) may be arranged for the Forum delegates. Some points of interest to the delegation could be a tour of the Hong Kong Walt Disney site, meetings with international celebrities, and brief brainstorming sessions on selected topics on Hong Kong.

Video highlights of the Hong Kong Forum 2002 accompanied by presentations made by Mr. Peter Woo, Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, are considered useful marketing tools for promoting the activities of the Hong Kong Associations worldwide.

Most representatives were interested in identifying additional benefits for their existing and future membership as well as obtaining marketing tools to promote the Hong Kong Associations in the US.

The Caucus discussed the different levels of membership, and reviewed various benefits for members including member/non-member differential in costs of association programs, networking opportunities, Business Matching Services provided by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, updated Hong Kong and China business information; and publicity opportunities for corporate sponsors. Individual associations may try to generate other benefits such as the heavily discounted subscription offered by the Far Eastern Economic Review offered to members of the Hong Kong Association.

The Federation’s Secretariat and Website (www.hkfederation.org.hk) are both good sources of updated information on Hong Kong that may be turned into another useful marketing tool. Events on videotapes may also help in promoting association activities.

Mr. Raymond Cheng, Program Chair of HKASC Chinese New Year Gala, was invited by Mr. Chris Leu to share his experiences and challenges of organizing the gala with other association representatives.

The possibility of establishing Hong Kong associations in rapidly expanding cities (such as St. Louis and Phoenix) was also discussed; however, before such associations support themselves financially, sub-chapters or committees may be formed to cover additional geographical locations by various Hong Kong associations.

Conclusion

The first US Caucus on Sunday, January 26th, 2003, ended on a note of consensus, with the participants agreeing that the opportunity to meet and discuss with the leadership of other Hong Kong Associations had been both valuable and conducive to improving and developing future programs and activities of their associations. The representatives of the associations stated that they looked forward to attending the second US Caucus.