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Some 100 creative entrepreneurs and arts practitioners from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries will converge in Hong Kong for a four-day conference from July 4 to 7 with an aim of incubating new ideas and exploring opportunities.
Asia On The Edge (AOTE) 2013 is co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Singapore, the Hong Kong Fringe Club, the Old Parliament House Limited (Singapore) and Intermedia Global (Singapore).
AOTE is an annual event first initiated in 2008 by the Old Parliament House Limited, a not-for-profit organisation in Singapore committed to enriching lives through arts and cultural initiatives. With the support of the HKETO in Singapore, the event is being brought to Hong Kong for the first time this year.
The event provides a platform for creative leaders in the region to exchange and share experience and ideas and to explore business opportunities. They will attend a line-up of programmes including a keynote speech, trade talks and panel discussions, as well as visits to arts facilities in Hong Kong.
The Director of the HKETO in Singapore, Mr Fong Ngai, said, "We are excited to bring together some 100 delegates from ASEAN countries in Hong Kong. Through AOTE 2013, these innovative minds can exchange ideas, enkindle interests and explore opportunities in Hong Kong."
The cultural and economic ties between Hong Kong and ASEAN countries date back years and are ever growing. Not only is ASEAN the second largest trading partner of Hong Kong, Hong Kong is also one of ASEAN's top investors. Hong Kong's creative industries also have a long history in ASEAN.
"Hong Kong and ASEAN are unique and attractive in culture and heritage, and are full of innovative ideas. Together we stand to gain more from creative collaboration like AOTE 2013, riding on the world's shifting of focus to the East," Mr Fong noted.
The Founder and Director of the Hong Kong Fringe Club, co-organiser and local host of AOTE 2013, Mr Benny Chia, said, "This is the first time a major gathering of leaders and practitioners in the creative industry from ASEAN countries is taking place in Hong Kong. We are both proud and excited to be the local host and co-organiser of the event."
The Chief Executive Officer of the Old Parliament House Limited, Mr Colin Goh, said AOTE 2013 would facilitate exchange between ASEAN and Hong Kong's leading creative entrepreneurs, to highlight creative hotspot sectors and identify trends in the ASEAN domain. The Organising Chairman of AOTE 2013, Mr Lyndon Yeo, added that AOTE has been recognised as a platform to showcase the unique blend of business and the arts, which provides an ideal opportunity to bring out the best from the culturally rich countries and diversity of Asia. Through collaborative efforts, new ideas and opportunities are developed in this process.
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, will officiate at the opening ceremony of the event on July 5. The keynote address will be delivered by the Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, Mr Wilfred Wong. Speakers at AOTE 2013 are experts in their fields from Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Myanmar.
The delegates come from creative industries spanning across the media, film, publishing and design industries.
Ends/Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:11
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