The organizer was honoured to have Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as the Guest of Honour of the Kick-off Ceremony. She was joined by Mr Edward Yau, The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Mr Victor Tsang, Head of CreateHK, as Honourable Guests, and many other participants from local manufacturers, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the design community.
In the Kick-off Ceremony, three webinars were also held with representative from the Mainland authority and industry leaders, to exchange views on the Mainland commerce and trade policies under the National “14th Five-Year Plan,” and the means by which to propel local original design in their endeavour to explore the GBA market.
“Hong Kong Smart Design, Sparkle in Greater Bay Area 2022” (the Project) aims to facilitate Hong Kong original design products and brands in exploring the GBA markets and creating new opportunities for Hong Kong exporters in order to maximize the influence of Hong Kong design talent, experience, and expertise in the GBA. Riding on a series of B2B and B2C events, ranging from trade fairs and business matching sessions with Mainland buyers, to showcases and pop-up stores, the Project will gather the Hong Kong SMEs in order to synergize the promotional efforts that will showcase the quality of Hong Kong designs to a larger audience in the GBA.
“The official launch of ‘Hong Kong Smart Design, Sparkle in Greater Bay Area 2022’ has two important meanings. Apart from being a flagship event local design industry, the Project is also held by HKEA to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the HKSAR Government. The HKSAR government has joined hands with the industry to nurture designers for Hong Kong over the years. Meanwhile, HKEA is one of our important partners for promoting Hong Kong design to local and foreign markets. We are delighted that Hong Kong is recognized as the bridge where East-meets-West for the International Cultural Exchange under the National “14th Five-Year Plan” for the first time. The HKSAR Government will continue driving the Hong Kong creative industry including design, and enhance the exchange and communication between different GBA cities so as to foster industry diversity and expand the international market together. This will help to safeguard Hong Kong’s position as ‘Asia’s Creative Capital’. I would like to thank The HKEA and wish the Project every success!”, said Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
“Hong Kong is a design city gathering various innovative concepts, products, and talents. Nowadays, the number of Hong Kong design companies is 2.5 times more than 15 years ago. There are more than 180,000 employees, which takes up 14% of 8 creative industries, thus the design industry is an important pillar. The National ’14th Five-Year Plan’ has proposed to expand the domestic demand and enhance the dominating effect of the huge circulation in the mainland, so as to accomplish the goal of fostering both domestic and international double circulations. Under the Project, we hope that local brands, companies, and working units can expand the domestic demand market under this domestic circulation, to showcase the common brand of ‘Asia’s Creative Capital’ under domestic and international circulations, as well as, forge a new road.”, said Mr Edward Yau, The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The GBA extends across Hong Kong, Macao and nine Guangdong cities (also known as the “9+2” cities). Mr Eric Sun, Chairman of The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association, said, “The first flagship business platform ‘Hong Kong Smart Design, Sparkle in Greater Bay Area’ is organized to serve as a one-stop business platform facilitating local brands to showcase Hong Kong’s innovative products in the GBA markets. In the year of 2022 which also marks the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, this platform is launched to strengthen the cooperation and promote in-depth integration of and exchanges among different regions in the GBA. We look forward to seeing the enthusiastic participation of various Hong Kong original design products and brands, that work together to demonstrate local design power in the GBA.”
Mr Benson Pau, Project Convenor of “Hong Kong Smart Design, Sparkle in GBA 2022”, said, “2022 is a challenging year – with the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic and the uncertainties in the global trade environment that have brought a hard time to Hong Kong trade and industry, particularly for the SMEs. Through the ‘Hong Kong Smart Design, Sparkle in GBA 2022’, the HKEA will assist local manufacturers and designers to showcase their brilliant original designs, nurture a remarkable cluster of excellent design fellows and companies, and solicit all our collective efforts to promote Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital.”
In today’s online Kick-off Ceremony, three webinars were held with speaker Mr Chen Yuehua, Deputy Director General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, to elaborate on the Mainland’s commerce and trade policies under the National “14th Five-Year Plan”, Dr Samson Tam, Hong Kong technical founder and experienced entrepreneur, to explain how innovative technologies and digital marketing help Hong Kong brands leverage their strength in the GBA, and Mr Hong Ko, famous Hong Kong designer and Partner of KL&K Design, to share his practical experience of business development in the Mainland.
The online Kick-off Ceremony was a huge success, attracting nearly 2,400 local and Mainland participants from various sectors including manufacturers, exporters, SMEs, designers, and others. They look forward to collaborating together to expand business opportunities in the GBA with Hong Kong’s original design power and rise above the challenges posed by the pandemic.
The “Hong Kong Smart Design, Sparkle in Greater Bay Area 2022” is now open for applications until 6 May 2022. Interested companies may submit applications for their excellent original design products in the four categories of Gifts, Home & Houseware, Lifestyle, and Others by the deadline. For more information on the Project, please visit the Project website at www.shksd.org.
Target Biz-Sectors & application fees
The application fee(s) is/are charged according to the Biz-Sector(s) the Applicant chooses to take part in.
| Target Biz-Sectors | Application Fees (HK$) | |||
| HKEA Members | Referral corporates of sponsoring organizations | Standard Fee | ||
| Biz-Sector A (Kiosk/Pop-up Store) | Retail Business Opportunities: 1. K11 Guangzhou 2. HKTDC Design Gallery (HK) 3. Shopping Mall in GBA | $1,000 | $3,750 | $5,000 |
| Biz-Sector B (B2B Trade Fairs) | Trade Fair/ Design Show: 1. Canton Fair in Oct 2022 2. Design Shenzhen in Dec 2022 | $1,000 | $3,750 | $5,000 |
| Biz-Sector C | Retail Business Opportunities: 1. Shops in Public Transport Stations | $1,000 | $3,750 | $5,000 |
| Plus other fees (see below)* | ||||
*The above do not include other costs that may arise, such as bank transfers, credit card transaction fees, expenses due to sales issues, logistics, etc.
Important Dates
Application Deadline: 6 May 2022
Business Summit/Seminars: June/July 2022
Trade Shows & Roving Exhibitions: June-December 2022
Please download high-resolution images here: https://bit.ly/3OCh0tI
About Hong Kong Smart Design, Sparkle in Greater Bay Area 2022
Organized by the Hong Kong Exporters’ Association (HKEA) and sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the Lead Sponsor, the “Hong Kong Smart Design, Sparkle in GBA 2022” is a business platform that aims to facilitate Hong Kong original design products, brands and design services to explore the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) markets through a series of B2B trade fairs, business matching sessions with Mainland buyers, and B2C showcases and pop-up stores to bring new development opportunities for the Hong Kong design industry, export community, manufacturers and SMEs. Online application is now open, please visit 
www.shksd.org for more details.
About The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association
The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association (HKEA) is a non-profit making trade association registered under the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance in May 1955 as a company limited by guarantee. We are committed to expanding business opportunities and developing Hong Kong as a trading hub for exporters. To provide a better service to our members from service industries, especially the Import and Export trade service, we liaise with the government, initiate various projects and organize seminars, luncheons, trade missions and exhibitions in order to help our members capitalize on new market opportunities. In addition, we also disseminate the latest local and international trade information in a timely manner and help exporters gain additional exposure via online product promotions and searching services, to promote Hong Kong’s export trade and to enhance its competitiveness. For more information, please visit: www.hkexporters.org.hk
About CreateHK
Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) is a dedicated agency set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in June 2009. It is under the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and dedicated to spearheading the development of creative industries in Hong Kong. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community. CreateHK has been sponsoring the “Hong Kong Smart Design Awards” (formerly known as “Hong Kong Smart Gifts Design Awards”) since 2012 and the “Hong Kong Smart Design, Sparkle in GBA 2022” in 2022 to promote Hong Kong’s design.
Website: www.createhk.gov.hk
Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
#HKEA #CreateHK #HongKongSmartDesign
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