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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, at the Disney ImagiNations Hong Kong Award Ceremony today (December 11):
Andrew (Kam), distinguished guests, finalist teams, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
I am delighted to join you today at the Disney ImagiNations Hong Kong Award Ceremony. I am also happy to see the familiar faces of last year's champion team. I believe they have had a fruitful trip to the United States and a wonderful internship with the Hong Kong Disneyland.
I would also like to congratulate our finalists for coming so far in this competition. This is a meaningful competition which not only adds creative novelty to the Hong Kong Disneyland, but also cultivates our local creative talents. I wish to commend the Hong Kong Disneyland for introducing this event to Hong Kong.
You may have already visited Toy Story Land and Grizzly Gulch, the two new themed areas of the Hong Kong Disneyland. With the completion of Mystic Point next year, the Government and Andrew's team will have finished the chapter that is the current expansion. But we will not stop here as we are just turning a new page of the park's future development on new attractions and hotels. These are the realisations of Disney's imagination, and your involvement is crucial. I hope that some day I will be able to personally visit the attractions created by our local young talents.
In addition to developing the Hong Kong Disneyland as important tourism infrastructure, it is also my priority to support the development of creative industries, which are an important driving force of Hong Kong's economy. We want to strengthen our creative sector by, among other things, nurturing creative talents and raising Hong Kong's profile as a creative hub. To support our creative talents, we have sponsored internship and trainee programmes for the advertising and digital entertainment sectors, and provided financial support to facilitate participation of creative talents in renowned international competitions.
To promote Hong Kong's international profile, we have also sponsored signature events such as the Business of Design Week, which has become the largest design event in Asia. We have designated the year 2012 as Hong Kong Design Year and lined up over 50 design-related programmes such as exhibitions and community programmes organised throughout the year to showcase Hong Kong's excellence in design.
Fellow young talents, if I may quote from a book on Walt Disney Imagineering, "a raging fire begins with a mere spark". I encourage you all to make full use of these opportunities to ignite your sparks of ideas, to explore your unbounded ImagiNations and as a stepping stone to join the creative industries.
Once again, I would like to express my appreciation for all your inspiring designs and I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:15
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