by Zhao Zihan

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council（HKTDC） will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. Since its establishment in 1966， the HKTDC has been creating opportunities for Hong Kongs SMEs and promoting Hong Kong as a global business platform. With the theme of “Golden Jubilee？ Golden Partnerships”， the HKTDC will roll out a series of activities and promotions from now until December， to share with the public and the business community five decades of extraordinary economic achievements driven by the citys enterprising individuals.

Margaret Fong， Executive Director of the HKTDC， said， “For 50 years， the HKTDC has worked in close partnership with the local business community to contribute to Hong Kongs economic development. This incredible journey has been made possible by the creativity and hard work of the people of Hong Kong. In celebrating our past achievements， we hope to continue this spirit of enterprise well into the future.

“Befitting our theme， we have chosen to launch our 50th anniversary programme at the Entrepreneur Day which was held on 13 and 14 May， continuing with a series of fun and interactive programmes throughout the next seven months until our grand finale at World SME Expo in December.”

Passing down the legacy of entrepreneurship

HKTDCs 50th anniversary programme kicked off at Entrepreneur Day at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center， where additional prizes were awarded to winners of the Entrepreneur Arena start-up pitching competition. Co-organized with the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups， this business-pitching competition for start-ups awarded three winners with the Entrepreneur Day Outstanding Start-up Award and cash prizes. They will also be invited for a one-on-one “Power Lunch” with either the current HKTDC Chairman Vincent HS Lo， or former chairmen Victor Fung or Jack So. Through this unique opportunity for exchange， the winners can gain valuable insights and obtain advice from the business leaders.

A dedicated 50th anniversary website will chronicle rare historic photos charting Hong Kongs economic transformation through the eyes of the HKTDC， with numerous success stories of local enterprises in different sectors from different eras. The HKTDC will also create opportunities for the public， especially the younger generation， to engage with the Council through a variety of traditional and new media platforms.

Realising dreams through creativity

An interactive feature of the 50th anniversary website is “Snap A Story”， where the public is invited to add a motivational phrase denoting their interpretation of being an entrepreneur to a selfie photo. This photo can be uploaded and shared through the Internet or their mobile devices. Available in a range of languages， this web application provides a fun way for people in Hong Kong to choose their definition of entrepreneurial success and share it with friends around the world.

Stepping out of the business world and into the creative arena， the HKTDC will collaborate with the Cultural and Leisure Services Committee of the Wan Chai District Council， the Boysand Girls Clubs Association of Hong Kong and Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service to launch a large-scale art jamming activity curated by internationally-acclaimed Hong Kong artist Simon Ma. This activity， to be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in July， will engage youngsters to collaborate and create an art piece under the theme of “Fly Together”， reflecting the notion that creativity has no boundaries. The completed art piece will be unveiled at the 50th anniversary grand finale event in December.

Reaching out & sharing our success with Hong Kong

To raise awareness about the HKTDCs work， a range of community activities will be organized to engage the general public. The HKTDCs Design Gallery， promoting original Hong Kong designs and designers， will roll out a number of 50th birthday shopping special offers to promote more innovative quality products from Hong Kong to consumers. In addition， games related to the Golden Jubilee will be hosted on HKTDC social media platforms， giving out prizes including Super Passes for Book Lovers for the Hong Kong Book Fair and entry tickets for the HKTDC Food Expo.