Creative Industries – Case Studies

Transcription

Creative Industries
Case Studies
This booklet showcases some of the creative industries businesses that
InvestHK has supported in recent years. These include architecture, art and culture, design,
digital marketing, media and entertainment, multimedia, and social media companies.
We hope you enjoy reading their case studies.
Doris Fong
Head of Creative Industries
T: +852 3107 1011
E: [email protected]
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B+H Architects
Building Green
“Hong Kong is in the best position to bridge
the gap for local developers going into
the Mainland market and for Mainland
developers going overseas .”
Architecture
B+H Architects is an award-winning full service design firm recognised for
sustainable design and technical expertise. It provides a one-stop solution to clients,
including master planning, architecture, landscape and interior design.
While the firm already has an office in Shanghai, it opened its Hong Kong office in
2013 and has experienced an exciting journey since. The growth in the Mainland
Chinese economy has fuelled business growth for the firm. “Hong Kong is in the
best position to bridge the gap for local developers going into the Mainland market
and for Mainland developers going overseas,” Catherine Siu, Managing Director, B+H
Architects (Hong Kong) Ltd, said.
The firm has studios in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Seattle, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong
Kong, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Delhi, Dubai and Jeddah. The Hong Kong office
has around 20 staff and through its network of offices, can leverage on resources
across Asia. The local team itself has an international composition, with staff coming
from Japan, Spain and Canada, each their own international expertise.
“There is no lack of talent in Hong Kong. Compared with other jurisdictions in the
region, the import of talent is fairly simple and straightforward,” Siu said.
The first year was about testing the market; and the firm is now in full swing, leading
a variety of projects, for example, in the hospitality sector and interior design,
capturing the growing market for an architectural firm that excels in both design and
technical aspects.
B+H Architects is a strong advocate of green architecture and has compiled a
database to help clients source green materials. It also hopes to make use of
architecture to help people rediscover their identity by taking into account local
context and culture and using materials that people can associate with.
Siu appreciates the ongoing support and networking opportunities from InvestHK.
“Hong Kong is a blessed city — it has a lot of talent and a supportive government.
Some people focus only on their own domestic market and may not be inclined to go
further afield because they are not fully aware of opportunities in distant continents.
InvestHK should keep up its efforts to promote Hong Kong as an international city
and a gateway to Asia,” she concluded.
www.bharchitects.com
2
Original date of publication: May 2015
Bing Thom Architects
When Modern
Architects Meet
Classical Chinese Opera
“Hong Kong is the centre of Asia Pacific
and we plan to be here for decades.”
Architecture
Bing Thom Architects (BTA) is a firm of architects and planners who share a belief
in the power of great architecture to transform the physical, economic and social
conditions of a community. Founded in Vancouver, Canada in 1982, the firm
has executed a global spectrum of work with a particular focus on cultural and
institutional projects.
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) invited international
architectural firms to enter a design competition for “Xiqu Centre”, the first building to
be unveiled in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). With roots in Hong Kong,
both BTA Principal, Bing Thom, an internationally renowned architect, and BTA Asia
Ltd Managing Director, Francis Yan, were passionate about designing the landmark
architecture for Xiqu (Chinese opera) performances.
“Winning the competition is extremely exciting for our firm,” Thom said. “Our design
symbolises the importance and rich heritage of Xiqu. The centre is conceived to
support and promote Xiqu as a contemporary art form and preserve this precious
Chinese heritage for future generations.”
The Xiqu Centre project is being carried out as a joint venture with a local
architectural firm. While the Vancouver head office is spearheading the main design
work, BTA Asia Ltd, which is being established and headed by Yan, will work with its
local partner and be responsible for design and implementation of the project, and
liaison with its head office, WKCDA and local consultants.
“Hong Kong is the centre of Asia Pacific and we plan to be here for decades. We see
this as our launchpad for Asia Pacific and the focal point for all our work within the
region,” Thom said.
With sustainability in mind, the Xiqu Centre not only boasts unique design
features, it also reflects the architecture firm’s deep understanding of the culture
and community here. “We’ve been following the WKCD for more than 10 years. To
become a part of the community, you must invest your time in Hong Kong. You must
have the ability to develop your roots here and invest in the region on a long-term
basis,” he concluded.
www.bingthomarchitects.com
Original date of publication: September 2013
3
Lead Architecture
Hong Kong was a natural choice for Lead Architecture (Lead), according
to its director Simon Blore. “There is a deep employment pool here for
the type of design work that we undertake, and combined with the
very supportive business environment, low and simple tax regime, air
connections around the region and proximity to our key market Mainland
China, these are all compelling reasons for us to be here,” he said.
“With the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and Hong
Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge being completed in the near term, we see
the strategic importance of Hong Kong continuing to grow,” Blore added.
Coming from a diverse range of cultures and nationalities, Lead’s
team in Hong Kong offers full services, which include masterplanning,
architecture, interiors, graphics, product design, signage and branding.
The team has grown from three to 60 in less than a year, and has a
further 10 to 15 employees in the pipeline to help cover a series of recent
major project wins.
“In the early months, our staff compliment was primarily focused on the
early stages of design, but we already have projects in technical/working
drawings stage as they move towards construction onsite. So we need to
continue to expand and recruit architects and designers with technical
expertise,” Blore explained.
Leading the
Architectural Journey
“Hong Kong is a liveable city and
very accommodating to both new
and established businesses.”
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Architecture
Organic Growth
Lead’s key projects include designing the retail zones of a transport hub in north
Malaysia, a major new retail destination in Shanghai, a huge department store in Taipei
and another in Harbin, and two 200-metre towers allied to two retail destinations in
Mainland China.
Lead’s immediate expansion is focused on southeast Asia, and it has set up a presence
in both Singapore and Malaysia to cover these key markets. In time Lead is planning to
set up a representative office in Mainland China, and further afield, will be establishing
in Europe, probably the UK, towards the end of 2015 or early 2016 as the market
strengthens there. In this regard, Blore sees the strong connections between Hong Kong
and the UK as very helpful in assisting Lead in establishing a UK design studio.
Blore and Lead’s other seven founders have lived in Hong Kong for a long time. “The
phrase ‘open for business’ is often used, but it fits very well what Hong Kong has to offer.
It is a liveable city and very accommodating to both new and established businesses.
Setting up Lead in March 2014 took us only two weeks, and then we were off and
running. The reporting and tax rules are uncomplicated and undemanding, so for
business ‘newbies’ like us we can maximise our time growing our company rather than
being tied up in bureaucracy and filing procedures,” Blore concluded.
www.leadarchitecture.com
Morphis
Architecture
Urban Transformers
“Culturally, Hong Kong is a wonderfully
collaborative and productive city as a
platform for Asia and beyond.”
Morphis is a UK landscape-architectural startup founded by Mark
Blackwell and John Montgomery in August 2014. Morphis’s approach
celebrates context, experience and memory. Emphasising the
connections between people and nature, Morphis has a threeprong design ethos: responsibility for people’s health and wellbeing,
connection with nature, and creating experiences that enhance
people’s enjoyment of public space as part of the sustainable cities
movement.
Morphis recently won the international design competition for Kai Tak
City public realm. “The ‘Living Roots’ design concept is Banyan-tree
inspired, symbolic of the urban jungle growing coherently in time and
space,” Mark Blackwell, Partner and Chartered Landscape Architect,
Morphis, said. “What Hong Kong people are missing are opportunities
to connect with the natural environment, stimulate their senses, and to
bring family and friends together to celebrate the unique sub-tropical
environment in Hong Kong.”
After quitting their corporate careers in early 2014, Blackwell and
Montgomery set up Morphis to focus on their passion for landscape
architecture and design. “Culturally, Hong Kong is a wonderfully collaborative and
productive city as a platform for Asia and beyond,” Blackwell said. He sees continued
sustainable growth across Asia, and with Hong Kong’s pro-business environment,
ease of setting up a studio, and the opportunities to connect with other clients and
professionals, makes it easy for Morphis to operate a global business from here.
Nurturing Talent
Morphis is passionate about the evolution of cities and communities, including
nurturing and inspiring local talent. Morphis has been supporting the Hong Kong
Design Institute to develop a degree course on landscape architecture that is accredited
by Birmingham City University (UK). Morphis has employed student interns to work at
its office in Central. Blackwell also lectures at the University of Hong Kong’s Division of
Landscape Architecture, encouraging students’ aspirations for a career in this exciting
design field.
Montgomery met InvestHK’s Creative Industries team at a Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) event earlier this year. Morphis appreciated the practical information,
publicity and networking support provided by InvestHK.
www.morphisdesign.com
5
OMA
World-class
Architectural Firm
Enjoys Cultural Diversity
from Hong Kong Base
“Hong Kong is the design centre for
this part of the world.”
Architecture
OMA Hong Kong started with a dozen staff in 2009 and has quickly expanded to a local
team of 85.
OMA has recently completed some of its most important projects, including the Shenzhen
Stock Exchange and CCTV headquarters. Projects under design and construction include
the Taipei Performing Arts Centre, the Tencent headquarters in Beijing, and the SSI Tower
in Jakarta.
The firm is structured in such a way that it does the designs where its clients are, as the
design strategy is very much based on communication with clients. Hence, OMA has its
design centre in Hong Kong which operates throughout Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
“Hong Kong is the design centre for this part of the world,” David Gianotten, Partner –
Architect of OMA said.
While the design teams are based in the city, Gianotten and his team travel to see clients
regularly, and Hong Kong is convenient in this regard. “It has one of the largest airports
in the region, direct flights to almost everywhere within four to five hours. Also, the city
attracts people, enabling us to find good talent and get them to move to Hong Kong. This
helps create the cultural mix of people that we need to sustain our office. In other places
in Asia that would be more difficult, because people may not want to live there and the
creative industries are not as well-developed as they are in Hong Kong,” Gianotten said.
OMA chooses its projects carefully and prefers to grow organically with quality rather
than quantity being the driver of potential growth. “We really want to be engaged with
clients that are interested in building not only a unique place but also an innovative place,”
he said.
OMA’s long-term plan is to grow its business from Hong Kong. “We are interested in
creating not only a long-term relationship but also an architectural language and way of
working that fit well with the Asian culture and that would enrich the overall portfolio of
OMA,” Gianotten added.
Crossover between Nations and Cultures
Currently, the Mainland China market accounts for about one-third of OMA’s portfolio and
Southeast Asia another third. OMA also operates in Oceania, Taiwan, Japan and Korea.
“It is a very healthy mix and we have been working very hard to establish our portfolio. We
think it is important to work across the whole of Asia and Oceania. The crossover between
the nations and cultures is very important in our work. There is not one Asian culture, but
many, and they can be enriched by ideas from each other,” he explained.
Gianotten joined OMA in 2008, launched OMA’s Hong Kong office in 2009, and
became partner in charge of OMA Asia in 2010. He finds Hong Kong a fascinating and
human-oriented city. “My wife and I built our family here; my kids were born here
and they love it here. For me this is a very good reason to try to contribute to Hong
Kong and make it my own place. I come from a very different culture but in general,
I really love this city,” he concluded.
6
Original date of publication: January 2014
PURCELL
UK Conservation
Architect to Revitalise
Central Police Station
“A new and refreshing way to do business.”
Architecture
PURCELL, established in London in 1947, was focused from the outset on the
conservation of historic buildings, even before the term “conservation” was being
taken seriously. Its project portfolio includes such prestigious buildings as the National
Gallery, National Maritime Museum, British Museum, Westminster Abbey, Canterbury
Cathedral and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust invited the firm in 2008 to prepare a
Conservation Management Plan for the Central Police Station (CPS). The plan involved
in-depth research in order to propose how the historical buildings, based on existing
features and characteristics, could be transformed into a centre of heritage, arts and
leisure facilities. CPS is due to be finished toward the end of 2016. The external facades
of the buildings fronting Hollywood Road have already been completed.
When visiting Hong Kong, the partners were struck with the ease of doing business,
the buoyancy of the economy, the growing interest in conservation and the available
means with which to fund it — all in addition to Hong Kong’s proximity to important
markets like Taiwan, Singapore and Mainland China. They decided to set up a full-scale
office in Hong Kong, rather than just a single-project office.
“In Hong Kong, the mind-set is different. The presumption is always that you can do
business with the people you meet — a new and refreshing way to do business,” Brian
Anderson, Partner, PURCELL, said. Anderson was relocated to Hong Kong during the
setting-up stage.
Since its arrival in Hong Kong in 2010, the company has expanded to 16 staff and is now
working on projects in Mainland China, Singapore and Myanmar. It is doing additional
work in Hong Kong, and has recently opened offices in New Delhi and Melbourne.
Current plans include opening an office in Shanghai to service potential projects there
and across eastern China.
PURCELL said that architectural conservation matters to the cultural and economic
development of a city. It also thinks that the concept of “smart” cities is partly related
to how “liveable” the cities are, and that they are measured on how easily people can
navigate and travel.
“The experience of a city lies very much in its spatial quality, and the conservation of
what is good is an excellent way of explaining a city’s cultural identity and promoting
exemplars for future generations to enjoy,” Anderson said.
www.purcellhk.com
Updated: September 2015
7
air|space
Art and Culture
An Art Lover’s
Second Home
“Hong Kong is a great combination of arts
and culture, city and nature. It’s so small,
so contained, and it’s never boring.”
Slow down. Sip a cup of espresso, savour the taste of fresh organic food,
and indulge in Latin American art. The air|space art gallery dining
experience was brought to Hong Kong last October by Italian gallerist
Birgit Vagani, and partner Riccardo Bardallini from the UK. Located in a
factory-turned-commercial building in Ap Lei Chau, air|space comprises
an art gallery named toof [contemporary] which connects to a warm
and welcoming health and organic eatery called artichoke [canteen]
with an outdoor terrace.
some in hospitality. I came from Milan and I see in Hong Kong a great combination of arts
and culture, city and nature. It’s so small, so contained, and it ’s never boring. Within 15
minutes, we can get to a very nice beach or go hiking ,” Vagani enthused.
air|space’s goal is to bring international contemporary arts focused on
Latin American and Brazilian artists to Asia. “We are very fortunate to
be part of the emerging South Island Cultural District. It is home to 15+
galleries and studios and is frequently visited by local people and an
international crowd, including visitors,” air|space ‘s director, Vagani, said.
“Inspired by art, food and conscious living , we found this integrated
experience is well received by Hong Kong people.”
With dining chairs and tables handmade from abandoned boat wood by Bardallini, the
space aims to promote a sense of health and wellbeing. “We want to bring something new
and positive to Hong Kong. air|space’s concept is more common in Europe but is still a
fresh one in Asia. We consider Hong Kong our home, and we want to make air|space an art
lover’s second home,” Vagani said.
Contemporary Art District
Positioned as Hong Kong’s new destination for contemporary art, the
South Island Cultural District includes Wong Chuk Hang , Ap Lei Chau,
and nearby areas. Its connectivity will be further enhanced upon
completion of the MTR South Island Line (East) in early 2015. “The
accessibility of this district will improve and it is exciting to see new
businesses opening next door. It is very easy to form partnerships with
other small businesses like wine, tea and coffee companies, and even
8
“Doing business is easy and welcoming, and we don’t need to deal with bureaucracy. The
sense of freedom, and people’s openness to appreciate arts from a different perspective —
all these add to Hong Kong’s appeal as a contemporary hub in this region,” she added.
A Unique Multi-purpose Venue
The 4,500 square-foot space is also marketed as a multi-functional space which is
sophisticated and well equipped, suitable for both private and public functions. Within
half a year of operation, air|space has played host to many corporate and PR events and
attracted an impressive amount of media coverage in print and on TV.
Hong Kong’s central location in Asia is convenient for emerging artists travelling to this
region. “air|space is a bridge between artists, collectors and art lovers. We will continue to
leverage InvestHK’s support and networks to spread the celebration of art in all its forms
and open peoples’ eyes beyond visual stimulation,” she concluded.
www.toofcontemporary.com
Original date of publication: April 2014
Art Basel
Art and Culture
Art Basel Show in Hong Kong:
Asia’s Premier Art Fair
“Hong Kong is right at the heart of Asia. Its superb
transport infrastructure and links make it convenient
for Art Basel’s visitors from the US and Europe.”
After 40-plus years in Basel, Switzerland, Art Basel added to its
shows there and in Miami Beach, Florida, when it launched the third
platform of its international art show here more than three years ago.
Art Basel show in Hong Kong has since become the international
standard for the region, presenting both local and emerging galleries,
as well as attracting the premier international galleries. It has built
strong collaboration locally with key cultural organisations, including
the Asia Society, Art Asia Archive, Para/Site Art Space, Spring
Workshop, Hong Kong Arts Center and M+. It is continually expanding
its collaboration with local and international cultural groups like
Hong Kong Art Gallery Week, Gallery Night and HKU Space.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have local partners and institutions
who’ve been very supportive of our show, and who time their
wonderful exhibitions and special events during this time of year.
There are around 150 events taking place within the city during the
Art Basel week,” Adeline Ooi, Director Asia, Art Basel, said.
The Hong Kong show this year took place in March and included
233 galleries and exhibition spaces, representing 37 countries and
territories. Nearly 60,000 people attended. The show attracted
private collectors and arts institutions from around the world, many
participating for the first time. Art Basel has become a meeting point
for the global art world, and offers a platform for artists, gallerists,
collectors and museum directors to meet and exchange ideas.
Art Basel’s success is a testament to Hong Kong’s unrivalled
advantages. “Geographic location is key advantage,” Ooi said. “Hong
Kong is right at the heart of Asia, and attracts visitors from across
North and Southeast Asia, as well as from Australia and New Zealand.
Its superb transport infrastructure and links make it convenient for
Art Basel’s visitors from the US and Europe.”
“Many of our guests also explored the local galleries and arts institutions during their
stay, and we know that many of them also made the most of their travel by visiting
nearby countries to experience the art scenes there.”
Art Basel sees incredible potential for the art market in the Asia Pacific region, which
accounts for some 60 percent of the world’s population and includes a growing
number of people with the means to become collectors. It is increasingly important
for the international art community to have an opportunity to engage with collectors
and the art communities in this region.
Regional Focus
Art Basel Show in Hong Kong represents some 250 galleries, half of which have
exhibition spaces in Asia and the Asia Pacific region. They offer a diverse collection of
artworks, including pieces by established artists, newly emerging artists and curated
projects.
The Hong Kong team, which initially had one VIP Manager, has been expanding along
with Art Basel, which now employs 25 VIP Relations Managers covering key cities
worldwide. The 30 full-time staff members here have a wide range of responsibilities
that include marketing, design, VIP relations, gallery relations and operations. The
global head of sponsorship is based in Hong Kong, as the city provides access to the
region’s more than 3.3 million high-net-worth individual giving rise to sponsorship
opportunities.
www.artbasel.com
9
Artshare
Chinese Contemporary
Art — Online
“Hong Kong is the perfect place to start
a business in art.”
Art and Culture
After working for three years at Morgan Stanley in London, Alexandre Errera, Founder
and CEO of Artshare, decided to leave the financial industry, and move online instead.
He successfully launched his first online business two years ago and, passionate about
art and fascinated by Asia, he decided to move to Hong Kong in 2012 to set up Artshare.
He spent one year researching the regional market, meeting with leading artists, curators,
collectors, critics, and gallerists before setting up in Hong Kong.
“Hong Kong is the perfect place to start a business in art. There is a lot going on in the
cultural scene. It is a major art auction centre in the world and full of dynamism. The
quality of art galleries and exhibitions here is of an international level and is evolving
quickly. There is a strong demand for art and it is our mission to offer people the
opportunities to see and enjoy art. Also, there are no import and export taxes on art, which
is different from Mainland China,” Errera said.
His vision for Artshare is for it to become a hub for Chinese contemporary art. People who
may know little about it can visit the online gallery, view the curated exhibitions and learn
about what is happening in the region. While the focus is on the web-based platform,
collectors also have the opportunity for private viewings in person.
Errera promotes this platform both online and offline, including at exhibitions and panel
discussions and via social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. The
site takes an in-depth curatorial approach to the online model, selecting 10 or more pieces
of work per month to exhibit online. The mediums include painting, drawing, sculpture,
and photography. Sourcing is wide, from private collections to galleries, working with
established as well as emerging artists, with a focus on Chinese contemporary artwork.
The company is also supported by an Art Advisory Committee which comprises five
public figures in the art scene but with different profiles.
The clientele is mixed — 50 percent in Asia and 50 percent split between Europe and the
US. “We want to build a platform not just for Hong Kong or for Asia but for people in Europe
and the US as well, especially where a number of key initiatives are happening in these
markets which focus on Chinese contemporary art,” Errera added.
Artshare currently has five local staff in Hong Kong who look after marketing, content
generation, video production, logistics and payment services, and two interns who are
local university students studying art.
Errera has never lived in Asia before but found it amazingly easy to adapt to the lifestyle in
Hong Kong. “Everything is so easy, from setting up a company to operating a business on a
daily basis. Things just could not be better,” he enthused.
He appreciated the support from InvestHK in virtually all aspects of the setting up process
and connecting him with partners in the cultural field. “I cannot think of anywhere else in
the world where a government department is so willing to help and is always available,”
he concluded.
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www.artshare.com
ChicZando
Your Link to Art
and Commerce
“Hong Kong has the potential to be
a regional art and cultural hub.”
Art and Culture
ChicZando is an arts consultancy specialising in cross-platform art collaboration in
Hong Kong and Mainland China. Its mission is to link art and commerce by offering
sustainable solutions through creative marketing and innovative programming
with a “one-stop shop” model from inception to execution. Its services include
arts consultancy, music/performance production, event management and music
distribution.
The name ChicZando derives from the Italian musical term “sforzando”, which
indicates a sudden, accented boldness and a “chic” creative team. The team has now
grown to seven members and they possess expertise in arts management, music
production, commercial and property management, marketing, branding, curating,
event management and production skills.
Sheryl Lee, Founder and Creative Director of ChicZando, was born in Hong Kong and
moved to Canada when she was 12 years old. As a returnee, she saw a disconnect
between art and commercial institutions. From managing a music distribution
company to creating arts marketing solutions, she wants to play a role in bridging the
gap between art and business.
“Artists may not know how to position themselves and commercial institutions may
not know how to maximise the value of art. For each project, we study the client’s
DNA and at the same time make sure the return on investment is evaluated and
measured,” she explained.
Lee’s vision is to pave the way for creative industries and to help Hong Kong make a
greater mark in the global art and cultural scene. The studio aims to create a platform
for artists, especially home-grown and regional artists, to showcase their work. “Hong
Kong has the potential to be a regional art and cultural hub,” she said.
Midtown POP
As the creative consultant for Soundwill Plaza II — midtown in Causeway Bay —
“Midtown POP”, a pop-up multi-functional creative space on the 17th floor of the
building, was launched during Art Basel Week in May 2014. Midtown POP has since
become a popular venue for local and world-class arts and cultural development.
Upcoming projects include M+ museum in March and Le French May.
Lee grew up in Wanchai and is delighted to set up ChicZando in the same
neighbourhood. The studio is spacious and designed with an open plan to create
a cosy and collaborative atmosphere. It brings back many good memories and Lee
particularly treasures the local cuisine which cannot be found elsewhere.
www.chiczando.com
Original date of publication: March 2015
11
Edouard Malingue Gallery
Art and Culture
Art for All,
and All for Art
Edouard Malingue spent six years working with his father in his gallery in Paris and a
further five years in London as an art dealer. In 2009, he considered it the right time
to open his own gallery to show contemporary art and chose Hong Kong, the best art
platform in Asia, as a place to import works of art and from which to explore the rest of
the region. To his delight, the immigration and business facilitation procedures were
straightforward and within a month or so he had completed the process and started his
own gallery in Hong Kong.
“There is a limit to cost here, but there
is no limit to what you can achieve.”
“Hong Kong is one of the largest auction centres in the world, after London and New
York. The legal and taxation systems are simple and straightforward. The gallery has
been developing steadily in the last few years,” Malingue, founder of the gallery, said.
Malingue attaches great importance to cultivating an open and trustworthy relationship
with his customers. In addition to the local market, he travels frequently within the
region, including to Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Mainland China, Korea and Japan to
meet his clients. In this respect, Hong Kong is a convenient city as every key market in
the region is within four hours’ flight time.
The gallery showcases emerging and established contemporary artists from around the
world. Notable exhibitions held in the city include the French conceptual artist Laurent
Grasso, sculptor Fabien Mérelle and Cuban collective Los Carpinteros. The gallery also
showcases works by emerging Asian, Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese artists.
According to Malingue, the local art market is growing in depth and breadth. Asian
collectors are beginning to collect works of art from around the world. They have also
gained self-confidence and aesthetic appreciation in the sense that they are willing to
collect works of art which delight them, rather than simply collecting works by famous
artists. In Malingue’s view, art collection should go beyond the investment perspective
and establish a cultural dialogue between the artist and the collector.
The gallery organises around five shows a year, participates in art fairs and publishes
catalogues to let people know more about its works and artists. While rent is not cheap,
Malingue finds costs in Hong Kong reasonable as compared to other jurisdictions which
levy heavy taxes. “There is a limit to cost here, but there is no limit to what you can
achieve,” he said.
Presenting Public Art
The gallery has gained recognition for installing large-scale public sculptures in the
city, including the sculpture Three Heads, Six Arms at 1881 Heritage in Tsim Sha Tsui,
Laurent Grasso’s Anechoic Pavilion on the rooftop of Pier 4 in Central, and recently,
Fabien Mérelle’s life-size sculpture “Pentateuque” in Statue Square.
Malingue appreciates the help from InvestHK in making these works of art accessible
to the Hong Kong public through providing the contacts of various companies and
government departments. He also welcomes art students to visit his gallery and start a
dialogue.
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www.edouardmalingue.com
Pace Gallery
Setting the Pace in
Contemporary Art
“Hong Kong provides easy access
to Asian clients.”
Art and Culture
Connecting to Local Artists Acting as an information centre outside Mainland China,
Pace Hong Kong aims to connect with galleries from all over the world and represent
Hong Kong artists. “It is interesting to see how our network is growing organically here.
We are not a gallery just selling artworks, but a global Hong Kong gallery which identifies
local artists and represents them,” Lin said.
Pace Gallery participated in Art Basel Hong Kong. It plans to hire more local staff to run
the Hong Kong gallery and bring more artists to the city. It is also looking for studio and
storage space. “InvestHK’s support is great. We are proud to play a part in Hong Kong’s
booming art community and contribute to its development,” Lin concluded.
www.pacegallery.com
Established in the US in 1963, Pace Gallery is a leading contemporary
art gallery representing many of the world’s most talented artists and
masters. The gallery has set up a 1,000 square-foot showroom space
within an office premises in Hong Kong to build its local business
network with a flexible programming setting.
“Hong Kong provides easy access to Asian clients. We meet a lot of
young clients here, such as those of the K11 art mall. We are curating
something for the Hong Kong Arts Centre and will be supplying some
art pieces to the M+ Museum,” Leng Lin, Regional Partner, Pace Asia,
said. “I like Hong Kong very much for its professional way of doing
business. It is a melting pot of Asian and Western cultures, as well as a
place with competitive taxation benefits.”
Leng set up Pace Beijing in 2008. Now he has opened an office gallery
space at Entertainment Building in the hustle and bustle of Hong
Kong’s Central business district in May 2014 . The inaugural exhibition
features Zhang Xiaogang’s Oil-on-Paper works. Pace Gallery’s Carsten
Nicolai also presented a new audio-visual installation, (alpha) pulse,
for Art Basel Hong Kong across the entire façade of Hong Kong’s iconic
International Commerce Centre (ICC).
“After five years in Beijing, we feel our belonging to Asia and Hong Kong
is getting more important. It is a window to the world,” he added.
Original date of publication: July 2014
13
White Cube
White Cube Broadens
the Art Horizon
“Hong Kong plays a pivotal role as a
base in Asia, and as an ideal platform for
debuting artists from around the world to
showcase themselves in this region.”
Art and Culture
White Cube, with two galleries in the UK, chose Hong Kong over other regional cities for
expansion shortly after opening its 60,000-square-foot gallery in Bermondsey, London,
in 2011.
White Cube said Hong Kong was its immediate choice, as the vibrant city has the
energy of New York and access to the commerce of Mainland China. It is a post-colonial
territory with ties to Europe, but is also quintessentially Asian, and offers a platform for
doing business far more easily than any other location in the world.
Rapid Growth of the Art Scene
Opened in 2012 and situated in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central district, White Cube
occupies an impressive two-storey gallery space. Its exhibitions have included artists
like Gilbert & George (Gilbert Prousch and George Passmore), Damien Hirst, Anselm
Kiefer, Antony Gormley, Jake and Dinos Chapman, and Marc Quinn, among others.
“Since opening in 2012, we’ve seen an exponential interest from our China and
southeast Asian collectors in collecting Western contemporary art,” Aenon Loo,
Director, White Cube Hong Kong, said.
Most companies go to Asia for economic reasons, but for a gallery of this calibre and size
the motivation was the challenge of doing something new. White Cube’s aim is to create
a deeper dialogue among art collectors, artists, curators and the general public, which
can change the way that people see contemporary art in Hong Kong.
With developments like the West Kowloon Cultural District underway, White Cube sees
massive and rapid development of the art scene here. “M+ has a certain future now. It
will play a leading role in educating and encouraging Asian collectors in the years to
come,” Loo said.
“There’s also a new generation of collectors in Asia, as young as 25 years old. They are
well informed and collect contemporary art on an international scale,” he added.
Loo also notes a growing trend of collectors who do not travel to London, as it is much
easier for them to come here. “Hong Kong plays a pivotal role as a base in Asia, and as
an ideal platform for debuting artists from around the world to showcase themselves in
this region,” Loo says.
Commenting on local talent and government support, White Cube said it been very
satisfied with the level of professionalism of the local staff it has hired, and with the
publicity support offered by InvestHK.
14
whitecube.com
Yellow Korner
The Art of Living
“Hong Kong has a lot of assets and potential to
be the art hub in the region.”
Art and Culture
Yellow Korner has 80 galleries worldwide and opened its first Hong Kong gallery in 2013
in the IFC (International Finance Centre) mall. The brand presents a portfolio of over
300 artists and more than 2,000 photographs classified in nine themes: dream and
creation, fashion, history and celebrities, landscape, music, nature, sport and technic,
travel and urban.
The concept came from a simple equation — increasing the number of copies of an
art photograph makes it available to more amateurs and collectors. As if to prove the
equation, within a year, the gallery has expanded its footprint to include branches
in PMQ (Police Married Quarters) and Shatin in the New Territories, serving different
clientele.
“Hong Kong has a lot of assets and potential to be the art hub in the region. There is a
vibrant international community and people enjoy different lifestyles. People here
do not take things for granted and have a questioning attitude which is the first step to
propel changes,” Arthur de Villepin, Chairman, Greater China, Yellow Korner, said.
“Galleries often convey a feeling of distance. We want to make art affordable and to let
people enjoy art in a relaxed way,” he added.
Art can be a vague concept but within everyday life, it can make people look at life in
different colours. It is not only for the rich and educated, but is essential to everyone.
De Villepin’s vision is to encourage people to bring art and life to their home, and in this
respect, education is a big part of what Yellow Korner does. De Villepin is trying to infuse
the idea that art can change one’s life, and progressively, art will become an essential.
De Villepin sees art as part of an identification and individuation process — it
distinguishes who you are vis-a-vis your neighbours. “Society needs art to be able to
think differently. The spirit of entrepreneurship is to create a world for tomorrow rather
than simply making money at the right moment,” he said.
Yellow Korner is already pondering further expansion in the Hong Kong market and the
next step will be Mainland China and Taiwan.
De Villepin feels being part of the Hong Kong community. Having worked with different
teams from InvestHK, he said, “I have never seen a government agency as active
as InvestHK. The colleagues are exceptional and because of their enthusiasm and
support, I have so much ambition for Hong Kong. I would like to bring in more projects
and encourage like-minded people to come here to enter the Asian market.”
www.yellowkorner.com
15
Brandaroma
Design
Stepping out from the lift on the 10th floor of a commercial building in East Kowloon,
wafts of fresh flowers and gentle musky fragrances lead you to Brandaroma’s Hong Kong
design centre. By creating unique fragrances for global retail brands, Brandaroma helps
luxury five-star hotels, casinos, banks and high-street retailers differentiate their brands,
delivering a unique experience for their customers and guests by triggering emotional
responses to fragrances when they step into their premises.
Since its establishment in Hong Kong in 2006, Brandaroma has not only expanded in
terms of staff size, but also office space and product ranges. “Business has been fantastic
as we’ve focused on creating unique fragrances for our clients’ brands. Additionally,
many hotel guests want to experience the same fragrance at home and that’s why
we’ve developed retail perfumed candles and reed diffusers for them to bring home,”
explained Tim Fawcett, Managing Director for Brandaroma Asia.
“Hong Kong is a phenomenal base to start a business and then expand into overseas
markets. The workforce is multilingual, highly-skilled, motivated and flexible,” he said.
The company constantly looks for talent who are able to articulate the feelings of
fragrance to their clients with the right vocabulary.
“Fragrances add pleasure to people’s life and are an important part of it. Hong Kong is
an exuberant, energetic and exciting place to work and our fragrances are carefully
enhancing workplaces and retail space here.” he added.
Emotional Branding
Tim Fawcett deals with many CEOs and senior management teams directly to explain
how scent marketing can amplify brand equity, echo brand propositions and change
perceptions. He cited the example of using fragrance in casinos, which significantly
reduces the perception of cigarette smell and creates a better ambience in the venues.
“The sense of smell instinctually affects emotion and evokes memorable experiences,
beyond sight and sound. Scent marketing is a subtle but sophisticated way to bond with
your customers and increase sales revenue,” he explained.
Scents from the
Fragrant Harbour
“Hong Kong is an exuberant, energetic and exciting
place to work and our fragrances are carefully
enhancing workplaces and retail space here.”
With over 1,000 customised fragrances already in its library, it takes less than a week for
Brandaroma to design a fragrance and install the ambient diffusion systems for a client.
There are also seasonal fragrances to reinforce emotion branding and create a festive
mood to enhance the customer experience.
A veteran in the fragrance industry, Tim has worked in many other countries but
he finds Hong Kong an incredible place to live in. “It’s a great place to raise a family.
Schooling is great — my children can write and speak Mandarin. The city is safe and life
is fabulous with many outdoor activities. The city’s cultural diversity is reflected in the
incredible food, architecture and people that we meet, work with and socialise. We’re
very lucky to be here and we work hard at Brandaroma for all our clients to make sure
that it stays that way.”
www.brandaroma.com
16
buyMeDesign
Design
Spot and Buy Designers’ Treasure
“Hong Kong is just like a bridge to Asia Pacific, with an
amazing diversity of lifestyles and cultures. People connect
very easily with others and build long-term relationships.”
buyMeDesign is a unique platform promoting and selling emerging
designers’ products. Targeting business-to-business (B2B) clients,
it has 250 designer brands and more than 6,000 lifestyle gadgets,
furniture and fashion items frequently sought after by corporate
clients, including design and architecture firms, retailers and the
hospitality sector.
buyMeDesign started with a two-member staff five years ago. It then
got in touch with InvestHK’s Creative Industries staff, who offered
a full range of facilitation services, including introduction to the
Cyberport Incubation Programme. The incubation services enabled
buyMeDesign to expand steadily to five employees taking care of
public relations and promotion work for the designer products it
represents. Previously driven by online content only, its business has
expanded to offline, curating the annual boutique designer event
— “In bed With Designers” — at Design Hotel Group’s hotels. These
events partner with major design fairs such as Maison & Objet Asia,
the International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS) and the Hong Kong
Business of Design Week (BODW).
“We appreciate the support from InvestHK and Cyberport, which
always point us in the right direction with good referrals of service
providers, like PR agencies, logistics partners, distributors and
investors,” Florence Coirier Giraudon, Curator and Founder of
buyMeDesign from Paris, said. “Hong Kong is just like a bridge to Asia
Pacific, with an amazing diversity of lifestyles and cultures. People
connect very easily with others and build long-term relationships.”
With its Hong Kong head office in Cyberport’s Smart-Space, and a branch office in
Taipei, buyMeDesign’s focus is on more than Mainland China. “Apart from Hong Kong,
Taiwan and Singapore, we have also clients in the US. So it is more convenient for us
to be in Hong Kong. And the importation of goods into Hong Kong is also very flexible,”
Giraudon said.
Despite challenges entering the Mainland China market, Giraudon thinks Hong Kong’s
international environment, openness to business, thriving startup ecosystem, ease of
hiring staff and competitive salaries all combine to make it a promising entry point to
the Mainland.
buyMeDesign considers innovation, creativity, sustainability and user-friendliness
the most important criteria for its selection of designer brands. One of its signature
items is the “Ostrich Pillow”, a squishy headgear by the Spain and Switzerland-based
studio, Studio Banana Things. With more than 60 percent of its brands coming from
Asia, buyMeDesign welcomes design startups from anywhere in the world to make
use of its one stop sourcing solution associated with events and editorial promotions
to expand into Asia, from Asia and beyond Asia.
17
Gruppo Pozzi
Turning Creativity
Inside Out
“Hong Kong has a design-oriented environment and
the retail scene is very vibrant.”
Design
With over 20 years of international experience in the retail sector, Gruppo Pozzi is now
bringing its expertise in creating unique and innovative retail spaces to Hong Kong.
Gruppo Pozzi specialises in retail store design, the engineering of retail spaces and
project management for mid-to-high end retail brands. Founded in Milan in 1990,
Gruppo Pozzi launched its Asia headquarters in Hong Kong in 2013.
The company considered both Singapore and Hong Kong for its regional headquarters.
“Hong Kong has a more design-oriented environment and the retail scene is very vibrant.
The city offers a complete supply chain which enables us to implement the retail projects
seamlessly, and its proximity to Mainland China helps increase our brand exposure in this
fast-growing market,” Luca Muraro, Managing Director, Gruppo Pozzi, said.
About 70 percent of its clients are cosmetic stores and the rest include fashion and
apparel, healthcare and pharmaceutical, and consumer electronics, etc.
While the company can provide a one-stop solution to its clients — from research,
design, technical survey to production, assembly and logistics — the business model
in Hong Kong and Asia is slightly different as design and construction are usually
undertaken by different contractors. In this regard, Muraro finds Hong Kong contractors
of a very high standard as compared with other places in Asia.
The Hong Kong office has a core team which mainly oversees retail design and project
management. It also engages professionals on a project basis from time to time. Muraro
finds the local workforce highly skilled, hard-working and most importantly, able to
apply their skills and educational background into the projects. He is looking to expand
the team by hiring more project designers.
Going forward, the company will continue to develop a network of reliable local
partners to facilitate its expansion into the Asian and Mainland markets.
Muraro first got in touch with InvestHK at a seminar held in Italy. Since then, the
information and advice provided by the department has been instrumental in helping
the company’s expansion strategy. “InvestHK has provided an incredible amount of
information which is reliable and updated. As a government department, it’s been
driving business the right way,” he said.
Having lived in Hong Kong for about a year, Muraro enjoys the high quality of life in the
city. “Hong Kong is the place to be,” he enthused.
www.gruppo-pozzi.com
18
Herman Miller
Design
Top Innovative Furniture
Company Uses Hong Kong
as Design Hub
“Hong Kong is a great hub, an easy place to get in and out of.”
“We have chosen Hong Kong because we want to have all our core functions based
in one place to speed up and align decision-making in Asia,” Jeremy Hocking, Vice
President Asia Pacific, Herman Miller Hong Kong, said.
The company’s finance, R&D, operations, supply chain management, marketing and
HR are grouped together in Hong Kong. “Hong Kong is a great hub, an easy place to
get in and out of. It’s easy to travel to our other offices in India, southeast Asia, Japan,
Australia and, of course, Mainland China,” Hocking said.
The company set up its regional office in Hong Kong in June 2009 with a handful of
people. Within two years its team had expanded to 175 people, it had co-located all
key business functions to the office in Wanchai, opened its Asian R&D design studio
in Wong Chuk Hang, and recently completed the acquisition of large independent
local furniture manufacturer POSH Office.
Mainland China is not only the hub for manufacturing Herman Miller’s products in
Asia, but is also a rapidly growing market. “An average Chinese company is not going
to spend less in its office than it did five years ago. It is going to spend more because it
is looking to improve the quality of its workplace so it can attract and retain the right
staff. On the contrary, in western markets in Europe and in the US, many companies
are trying to reduce their real estate and to do more with less. This coupled with
the subdued rate of GDP growth makes Asia the right place at the right time for us
to invest — and Hong Kong is perfectly located for us to capture the opportunities in
emerging markets like India and Mainland China,” Hocking said.
www.hermanmiller.com
19
Radius Product Development
Design
From Engineering
to World-Class
User Experience
“Since Hong Kong is very close to major
manufacturing hubs in Mainland China,
we are able to move our conceptual
designs to production much faster while
minimising risks and cost.”
Radius is a global innovation and product development company
headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with additional locations
in Chicago, Hong Kong, Shanghai and recently opened San Jose in
the Silicon Valley. Radius creates unique product solutions which
enhance people’s lives, create meaningful product experiences and
increase brand loyalty, and services in diverse market segments,
including healthcare, FMCG packaging, industrial, consumer
electronics and emerging technologies. Radius recently moved from
Tsing Yi to a 7,000-square-meter office at Hong Kong Science Park’s
newly opened Phase 3 and considers Hong Kong a strategic location
to provide solutions for leading multinational, local and emerging
companies in the region.
“The advantage of Radius is our ability to pull together talent from
our five global offices to work on a project best suited to the client’s
needs and product requirements. Since Hong Kong is very close to
major manufacturing hubs in Mainland China, we are able to move
our conceptual designs to production much faster while minimising
risks and cost. With an office in Hong Kong Science Park, commuting
to the China border takes only 30 minutes!” Ko said.
the consumer needs across different geographies, particularly Asia, is critical. The
traditional “one-product-fits-all” offering has proven to be less effective as the global
market and consumers have evolved. The Radius team provides research capabilities
which they utilise to gather key insights into the user experience and critical design
aspects to enhance the product’s potential for success in any market.
Some eye-opening projects include a trendy, foldable mouse that is now exhibited
at the US Museum of Modern Art; a waterproof mechanical jacket for industry-use
tablets with advanced features for use by doctors and nurses in hospitals, and an
instant water-filtering drinking bottle. To meet business needs, Radius plans to double
their staff from 20 to 40 by 2016.
“We are constantly looking for experienced staff with both engineering and design
background, whom we call ‘hybrids’ — people having broad skill sets that span the
product development process and facilitate the overlapping of the research/design/
engineering functions, which in turn spark innovation. We hire both local and
overseas candidates to create diversity in our team,” Ko said.
By leveraging InvestHK’s services and Hong Kong Science Park’s network, Ko’s
ambition is to increase the firm’s capacity as one of Asia’s top design firms, providing
thought leadership and world-class product development solutions.
In Search of “Hybrids”
As more companies think global, the importance of understanding
20
SCAD
Design
Leading Centre for
Creative Studies in Asia
“As a sophisticated international city with a
significant, ongoing need for creative talent,
Hong Kong has proved to be the ideal location
for SCAD in the region.”
Over the years, Savannah College of Arts and Design (SCAD) had been
approached by a number of cities eager to have a campus in their
community. Hong Kong was seen as a city where SCAD students and
professors could partner with cultural and business organisations and
where graduates would have the opportunity to pursue professional
careers.
“We’re very pleased with our decision to situate our first Asian campus
in Hong Kong. As a sophisticated international city with a significant,
ongoing need for creative talent, it has proved to be the ideal location
for us in the region,” Grant Preisser, Associate Vice President, SCAD
Hong Kong, said.
SCAD’s ongoing connections with local Hong Kong businesses that hire
its students for internships and full-time careers has led to students
collaborating with a diverse range of companies in different business
sectors.
SCAD is recognised as a leader in the field of historic conservation
and adaptive rehabilitation. In its 30-year history it has revitalised
more than 70 buildings and historic structures as facilities that serve
as a living laboratory for the study of art, architecture and design.
The project of conserving the North Kowloon Magistracy Building earned SCAD
recognition in 2011 when it was given the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for
Culture Heritage Conservation.
Preisser has been in Hong Kong for more than a year and finds the city amazing.
“I think it’s probably one of the easiest places to transition to. I definitely want to be a
Hongkonger now that I am here,” he said.
“InvestHK as an organisation was really what put Hong Kong
on our radar. They worked with us every step of the way
and continue to work with us to ensure that we succeed in
our operations, and also in creating the connections and
the network that’s really going to push us to the next level,”
Preisser enthused.
View Video
www.scad.edu
21
StartJG
Design
Differentiation By Design
“Being in Hong Kong has given us a great
platform for China, and also allowed us to stretch
easily into southeast Asia, India and Australia.”
Jonathan Cummings was tasked with setting up an Asian hub for
the British brand-consultancy StartJG in 2009. A Group Director,
Cummings had led the agency’s entry into Dubai and Russia. He
chose Hong Kong as an attractive base for the region. An impressive
global reputation preceded the agency’s arrival, having worked with
innovative brands including Virgin, for whom they developed the
iconic “Script” identity and also created a host of group sub-brands.
Other major accounts included adidas, Barclays and Dubai Airports.
But moving into Asia without any clients in the region presented a
major challenge. Cummings puts their eventual success largely down
to a combination of timing, luck, perspective and the right choice of
location.
“Our arrival coincided with an increase in understanding of the
importance and place of branding,” says Cummings, who has guided
the agency from its start to becoming a dominant force in Hong
Kong’s marketing landscape. “Businesses were becoming clearer
and more savvy about the commercial value that’s added though a
strong branding strategy, and we were well placed to contribute to a
refreshed outlook.”
A strong international track record, combined with enthusiastic
networking, led to some early wins. In its first year, StartJG Hong Kong
secured two major clients — Chow Tai Fook, a luxury retailing giant in
Hong Kong, and the China arm of Procter & Gamble.
22
“When we initially set up, it was just myself in the office, but a couple of major successes
enabled me to build a strong team and we’ve been growing ever since. Being in Hong
Kong has given us a great platform for China, and also allowed us to stretch easily into
southeast Asia, India and Australia,” Cummings said.
The company employs a team of 40 — a mix of local and international talent composed
of 11 nationalities, and including brand, digital and environment designers, along with
strategists, developers and project managers. What makes StartJG different in the
region is its ability to develop brands seamlessly across multiple touch-points, creating
differentiated strategies and executing them across both the physical and digital world.
“When we arrived in Hong Kong, there were few brand consultancies. They were
typically small and limited in their capabilities, especially in digital design and
development. We were able to offer a proposition that was appealing to clients, and
also to talent. We’ve been able to recruit very strong colleagues locally, as well as attract
international expertise to ensure that we stay at the forefront of the global industry,”
Cummings said.
The team also works actively with major design schools in Hong Kong, helping them
prepare the next generation designers.
Looking ahead, StartJG’s focus remains the same — to transform and elevate brands via
powerful propositions and distinctive creative strategies, bringing businesses closer to
their audiences, seamlessly and across all touch-points.
asia.startjg.com
Fifty-five
Digital Marketing
Mastering Big Data
Fifty-five is a data agency which helps advertisers leverage their data to increase
business performance and adopt a smarter marketing approach. It helps business
collect, enrich and activate their data to find new customers, foster engagement,
increase conversion, and drive sales across online and offline channels. Clients are
mainly from the fashion, luxury, hospitality and retail industries.
“Hong Kong is our first step to Asia.
It’s where most of our clients are
based and it is a fast-growing market.”
“We’ve considered a couple of options and have eventually chosen to set up in Hong
Kong as it is our first step to Asia. It’s where most of our clients are based and is a fastgrowing market,” Cedric Delzenne, Programme Manager, Head of Hong Kong office, said.
Big data now stands at the crossroads of many company’s IT, advertising, marketing
and eCommerce activities. One of Fifty-five’s goals is to help clients increase customers’
online purchase through reliable data. “Instead of being driven by intuition, a company’s
decision should be fact-based,” Delzenne said.
Fifty-five is a certified “Jeune Entreprise Innovante” (Young Innovative Company) and
is supported by Bpifrance, the French agency for innovation and SME development.
Together with about 2,000 selected startups, Fifty-five is a member of the Bpifrance
Excellence Network.
Delzenne attributed this success to a very selective recruitment process, and giving
employees the time and support to be innovative. “We encourage our employees to be
at the forefront of innovation for our clients. Innovation is at the core of everything we
do,” he said.
He moved to Hong Kong five years ago. “The longer I stay, the more I love this city. Hong
Kong is the only place I know where one can work hard but still have a balanced way
of living. It is very easy to make connections and is a great city for entrepreneurs and
startups,” he said.
Delzenne has also witnessed a big improvement in how innovation is supported by the
Hong Kong SAR Government. He found InvestHK’s StartmeupHK Venture Programme
phenomenal and noted the number of high profile international speakers being
attracted to events in the city. He also appreciated the department’s support in the
setting up process, especially in providing market information, publicity support and
connections to potential partners.
www.fifty-five.com
23
Innity
Digital Media Company
Clicks into Place
“Hong Kong is the regional hub of Asia.”
Digital Marketing
Established in 1999, Innity is a provider of interactive online marketing platforms
and technologies for advertisers and publishers. It has a strong foothold in southeast
Asia with offices in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Innity
launched its Hong Kong office in April 2012 to capture the huge potential of brand
advertising in the city and provide engagement solutions to local publishers and
advertisers and those in mainland China.
“Hong Kong is the regional hub of Asia. The opening of Innity’s branch here is part of
the company's continued geographic expansion initiative to increase its presence
in Asia Pacific, as well as to tap into the city's huge digital growth potential. Our
functions here cover business development, account management and operations,”
Bernard Tam, Digital Sales Manager, Innity, said.
The company’s network spans over 10,000 regional websites, including major
newspaper portals and premier sites in content channels such as technology,
lifestyle, automotive, business and entertainment.
Innity offers a variety of engagement based advertising formats and innovative
payment models. All marketers have different objectives and different methods
of judging the success of their campaigns. Innity adopted a cost per engagement
(CPE) model to help advertisers reach their target audience. Advertisers pay only
when users engage with their ads. The CPE model enables companies to reach out
to a wider audience at a more efficient cost while achieving maximum return on
investment (ROI).
The company’s clientele covers a broad range of products and services such as
financial services companies, properties, hotels, luxury goods, etc.
“InvestHK has been very supportive in our setting up process and has provided
useful market information and networking opportunities,” Tam concluded.
www.innity.com
24
Original date of publication: November 2012
Jump Willy
Jump Willy, Jump!
Digital Marketing
Jump Willy is a creative studio with a multi-disciplinary team which develops,
conceptualises, and produces custom made content in all forms of digital media
for advertisements, corporate videos, branded entertainment and animation
TV series.
Founded in 2007 in Porto, Portugal, Jump Willy quickly expanded to London, Los
Angeles, and now Hong Kong, working with dozens of brands around the world.
“Hong Kong has a good international
reputation and this helps a lot for creative
agencies like us to locate here.”
“Asia is the fastest growing market and Hong Kong is a natural choice from both
professional and personal levels. The city has excellent technology connectivity,
especially the broadband speed, enabling us to transfer data very efficiently. It has
a sound legal system and English is widely used in the community. It is also well
positioned to capture the growing opportunities in Mainland China, which is our
priority market. Hong Kong has a good international reputation and this helps a lot for
creative agencies like us to locate here,” João Seabra, Partner and Executive Creative
Director, Jump Willy, said.
On a personal level, Hong Kong is one of Seabra’s favourite cities, with a good balance
between work and life and a unique mixture of urban and natural space. Located in an
office in the Smart-Space at Cyberport, Seabra enjoys the serenity and space he needs
for inspiration, while at the same time finding it easy to travel to the city centre within
half an hour to meet his clients and business partners.
Seabra is looking for a local hire to focus on the creative side, with the objective of
building a self-sustainable team in Hong Kong servicing clients in the region. His vision
is to offer to clients an execution that is completely original, something that can stand
out from the crowd.
As a newcomer to Hong Kong, one of the company’s priorities is to build its network
and promote the Jump Willy brand. In this respect, Seabra finds the city’s ecosystem
very conducive to networking. “Compared with Europe, people here are relatively more
open to meeting potential business partners and connections you need to present your
work,” he said.
Never Give Up
Having gone through the process of starting a business from scratch, Seabra’s motto is
never give up. “You must be committed to what you do. There are always good times
and bad times and you must have the courage and strength to keep things going when
something knocks you down. Specifically for startups in the creative industries, one
must strive to deliver the best project and as original as possible. Do not follow, but lead,”
Seabra said.
Seabra learned about InvestHK in the process of identifying a city for the company’s
global expansion. He found the department agile and its services reliable and helpful.
“The InvestHK team is always so active and professional and very often I forget I don’t
have to pay for their services,” he enthused.
www.jumpwilly.com
25
Neverblue & Pulse Mobile
Canadian Digital
Marketing Firm Going
from Strength to Strength
“People are the key to our success in Asia Pacific
and there is no other place like Hong Kong in
terms of talent pool .”
Digital Marketing
Headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Neverblue & Pulse Mobile are
GlobalWide Media businesses. GlobalWide is a leading digital marketing company
group based in Los Angeles, specialising in generating online sales and transactions for
clients from various industries, including travel and online retail. The company drives
eCommerce transactions by harnessing the internet’s top web and mobile inventory
via a full spectrum of online marketing channels. Its clients are mostly large brands with
a global presence.
“Asia is the largest and fastest growing digital market in the world. Our Hong Kong office
positions us to meet and exceed our client demand and deepen our existing Asian
relationships,” Jeff Kwok, Director of Business Development, Asia, Neverblue & Pulse
Mobile, said.
“Hong Kong is at the heart of Asia, within roughly three hours’ flying time to other Asian
cities. With more than seven million inhabitants, the city is a market in itself and has
attracted companies from all over the world to set up their regional offices here. Hong
Kong is famous as a fast-paced business environment and for digital marketing; we need
this speed and efficiency to grow our market,” he added.
With more than 10 years’ of experience in digital marketing, Neverblue & Pulse Mobile’s
new strategy is to focus on eCommerce and mobile commerce transactions for clients.
Alibaba, Taobao and Expedia Group are some of the company’s key clients. To cope
with business expansion and increase operation efficiency, the staff size has grown
from two to 10 since its establishment in Hong Kong.
Neverblue & Pulse Mobile’s business model is based on cost per acquisition, i.e. the
advertiser only pays when an advert generates a sale or creates a new user. This “get
before you pay” concept enables advertisers to minimise overheads and maximise
returns.
Mobile Growth
Kwok is particularly impressed with the growth of mobile devices in the city. “Hong
Kong people are spending more time on their mobile phones than personal computers,
partly because of the limited space at home, and partly because they like to shop and
dine out, which increases the demand for mobile internet,” Kwok said.
Kwok attributed the company’s rapid growth to a unique vision, a clear strategy to
support that vision, the commitment to long-term success, and the right talent to
support the operations. “People are the key to our success in Asia Pacific and there is no
other place like Hong Kong in terms of talent pool,” he said.
Neverblue & Pulse Mobile found InvestHK’s support very helpful, ranging from
introductions to potential business partners in the industry to practical issues such as
visa applications.
www.neverblue.com
www.pulsemobile.com
26
Vision Critical
Digital Marketing
Hong Kong — A Significant
Gateway for Leading Canadian
Customer Intelligence Company
“Hong Kong’s international competitiveness seeks the most
innovative solutions that drive businesses to succeed.”
In 2012, Vision Critical opened its Asian headquarters in Hong Kong to
extend its reach into the region. With over 16 offices around the world,
including four in Asia Pacific, Vision Critical is committed to expansion
in the region as the demand for customer driven decision-making
continues to increase.
“Hong Kong allows Vision Critical to be closer with customers in
Asia’s international business centre. The city is a preferred location
for overseas companies to manage their operation in Asia, mainly
because of its simple and low tax regime, free flow of information and
geographical location. Hong Kong’s international competitiveness seeks
the most innovative solutions that drive businesses to succeed,” Peter
Harris, Managing Director of Vision Critical Asia-Pacific, said.
“The city has a high concentration of international Asia-based regional
headquarters. It is an ideal geographic location for business travel,
access to talent, and convergence of international east meets west
lifestyle and culture,” he added.
Headquartered in Vancouver, Vision Critical provides a cloud-based
customer intelligence platform that allows companies to build engaged,
secure communities of customers they can use continuously, across the enterprise,
for ongoing, real-time feedback and insight. Designed for today’s always-on, social and
mobile savvy customers, Vision Critical’s technology helps large, customer-centric
enterprises discover what their customers want so they can deliver what they need.
Unlike traditional customer research, which is slow, expensive and gathers dust
on a shelf, Vision Critical’s customer intelligence platform replaces static data and
cumbersome reports with real-time actionable customer intelligence that companies
need to build better products, deliver better services and achieve better business
outcomes.
More than 700 high-performance organisations use Vision Critical’s technology across
North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and South Africa. Following success with several
Asian-based customers and partners, Vision Critical opened its Asia headquarters in
Hong Kong with tenured and experienced leadership.
InvestHK has supported the launch of Vision Critical’s operations in Hong Kong and
provided visa assistance for senior managers moving from Canada to Hong Kong.
www.visioncritical.com
27
Barron’s Asia
Media and Entertainment
Barron’s Opens First
Regional Headquarters
in Hong Kong
“Hong Kong is the right place as it is an
international finance hub, pro-business and
supportive towards new enterprises.”
Published by Dow Jones & Company since 1921, Barron’s reaches an
influential audience comprising individual investors and professionals.
Barron’s provides readers with a recap of recent financial market action
coupled with insights on what’s likely to happen next.
Barron’s Asia, a new digital edition focused on the region and serving
its investors, was launched in Hong Kong in October 2014. This marks
Barron’s first overseas expansion since its establishment more than 90
years ago.
Barron’s Asia publishes a mix of Asia-focused content produced by
its new Hong Kong-based editorial team, along with full content from
the US edition. Regular Asia coverage includes a daily Asian investing
column, an Asia stocks blog, interviews with fund managers for their
investing ideas and stock picks, and analysis of stocks that could go
up and down, wealth management stories, and contributions from
financial professionals.
Kopin Tan and Tracy Young are the editor and publisher respectively,
both of whom are based in Hong Kong. The local team comprises eight
in editorial and two on the business side. They share resources and
human capital within Dow Jones including human resources, finance,
technology and customer service, among others.
“Hong Kong is the right place as it is an international finance hub, probusiness and supportive towards new enterprises,” Tracy Young,
28
Publisher, Barron’s Asia, said. The growing number of high net-worth individuals in Asia
is another key reason for Barron’s expansion in the region.
Barron’s Asia traffic is about 10 percent of the US-based edition. Well aware that Barron’s
is a more well-known brand in the US than in Asia, Young has a robust but targeted
digital campaign helping prospective readers understand that Barron’s has expanded
into the region.
Sea of Opportunities
“There is a sea of opportunities for the digital publishing market. Our business is going to
evolve around technology, viewability, programmatic and native advertising. We have
highly viewable advertisements and native advertising opportunities for brands to
distribute their thought leadership,” Young explained.
Both she and Tan moved from New York to Hong Kong six months ago and have
adapted to the city’s lifestyle in no time. “There is incredible access in Hong Kong. Senior
business leaders make ample time to meet; beautiful trails and beaches are just on the
other side of the island,” Young said.
InvestHK offered Barron’s New York team assistance shortly after the plan to launch in
Hong Kong was finalised. “Both InvestHK’s New York team and the Creative Industries
team in Hong Kong have provided seamless support to facilitate a smooth setting up in
the city,” Young concluded.
www.barrons.com
Bloomberg
Hong Kong and Bloomberg:
The First 20 Years
“Just like a news room, Hong Kong never stands still.”
The city’s dynamism and the development of its financial services
industry mirror Bloomberg’s evolution into a leading provider of
business and financial news, data and analytics.
Bloomberg opened its Hong Kong office in 1993 with just 30 employees.
The number has now grown to over 500, including journalists, news
professionals, and colleagues in sales, data, analytics, enterprise
solutions, customer service, marketing, information technology and
other administrative functions.
The Hong Kong news bureau alone has expanded by 50 percent in the
past two years as it becomes a bigger and more influential centre for
Bloomberg’s Asia coverage. Over the last year, Bloomberg News has also
expanded news coverage in ASEAN nations, South Korea and Australia.
“Just like a newsroom, Hong Kong never stands still. There is tradition
and culture but it is also a hub for cutting edge business thinking and
financial innovation. We’ve always felt there’s a natural affinity between
what Hong Kong offers and how Bloomberg operates,” Chris Collins,
Senior Executive Editor, Bloomberg News said.
“As Asia’s world city, Hong Kong is a major financial centre and has
always been a key regional hub for taking Asia to the world and bringing
the world to Asia. It is a bellwether of the region’s growth momentum
and increasing influence on global markets. From covering the Asian
financial crisis to the rapid economic expansion across Mainland China,
regional deal-making and the recent volatility in emerging markets, our
presence in Hong Kong ensures we deliver content that is fast, accurate
and definitive,” he added.
The Bloomberg Hong Kong office is now at the heart of its regional news
organisation and plays a prominent role in its global news network.
Content developed in Hong Kong is available across a variety of
platforms, including Bloomberg Professional service, Bloomberg.com,
Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Businessweek and mobile apps.
State-of-the-art Broadcast Centre
Bloomberg Television, now available to over 18 million households across 21 Asia-Pacific
countries, and has a state-of-the-art broadcast centre in Hong Kong. Stories about Hong
Kong are carried through 26 news bureaus in Asia and others worldwide, ensuring news
about the city receives a global profile.
Looking ahead, Bloomberg will expand its Asia and China coverage, especially in foreign
exchange and corporate finance. “Our future direction is to ensure we keep our finger
on the pulse of changing media consumption needs among Asia’s business consumers.
Increasing global interest in regional and local news content from Asia continues to
create opportunities for us to differentiate,” Collins said.
Most recently, Bloomberg has launched new initiatives to further its reach among
globally-minded business leaders in Asia, including a traditional Chinese-language
edition of Bloomberg Businessweek, a specialty foreign exchange news product called
First Word FX to provide real-time news and insight into the events affecting the currency
markets.
Collins finds Hong Kong one of the most interesting places in the world to live and work.
“It is a vibrant, multicultural place with universal energy and drive to be first amongst its
peer cities. The vibe in Hong Kong perfectly complements Bloomberg’s drive to be first in
what we do. Hong Kong challenges you to push yourself but also feels like home,” he said.
www.bloomberg.com/hk20
Original date of publication: November 2013
29
Celestial Tiger Entertainment
Tiger, Tiger,
Burning Bright
“Hong Kong is the hub of Asian entertainment.
We are proud to call Hong Kong home.”
Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), a vertically-integrated entertainment company,
operates several pan-Asian channels dedicated to entertainment throughout the
region. Celestial Movies and Celestial Classic Movies are the two flagship channels that
are programmed heavily with Hong Kong/Chinese films, while KIX and Thrill focus
on action programmes and horror movies respectively from the East and West. The
company also distributes all Lionsgate films and television content in East Asia.
Headquartered in Hong Kong, CTE has 60 fulltime staff who cover all business and
functional lines, including general management, finance, human resources and
administration, sales, legal, technical/operations, programming, marketing, research and
creative/on-air presentation.
“Hong Kong is the hub of Asian entertainment with a highly skilled, multilingual and
entrepreneurial workforce, great infrastructure, transportation and communications.
We are proud to call Hong Kong home,” Todd Miller, President and Chief Operating
Officer, said.
In Asia, pay TV penetration stands at about 50 percent — which means half of all
television households in the region are not yet legitimately subscribing to any form
of pay television. Together with the macro factors such as rising disposal income and
demand for quality entertainment, this represents tremendous long-term upside for the
company.
Southeast Asia is the core market for the channel’s business. Indonesia in particular is a
fast-growing market for the industry. Mainland China is also an important market where
the company has a robust business selling content to third party broadcasters and
platforms.
Miller first visited Hong Kong in 1989. He commented, “The energy and beauty of this
city still captivates me. I don’t want to live anywhere else. On weekends I am a big fan of
cycling, hiking and dining, and my son loves the many opportunities to play football.”
He is also very satisfied with the support that InvestHK has provided to CTE,
especially in terms of aftercare, marketing and publicity. “InvestHK demonstrates the
best attributes of Hong Kong — professional, efficient, results-oriented. The Creative
Industries team continues to be very proactive and resourceful in helping our company
grow, and connecting us to other like-minded companies,” Miller enthused.
www.celestialtiger.com
30
Ecozine
A Go-to Guide for Greener Living
“Hong Kong is well positioned right now in terms
of environmental growth and sustainability.”
First launched in Hong Kong in May 2014, Ecozine is a magazine
devoted to sustainable living. It offers a weekly e-newsletter, quarterly
magazine and daily updates online. The e-newsletter is distributed to
about 20,000 readers every week.
“The idea is to empower consumers to make smart, sustainable
choices in their daily lives and purchases, and we do this by making
them more aware of brands that are environmentally aware,” Lisa
Christensen, Publisher and CEO, said.
“Hong Kong is well positioned right now in terms of environmental
growth and sustainability. More companies are becoming progressive
and environmentally conscious. Hong Kong people are educated,
have high purchasing power and their spending power can transform
the market. The growing popularity of electric and hybrid cars is a very
good example,” Christensen added.
One of the reasons that Ecozine has chosen Hong Kong to be the
launchpad for its regional expansion is its freedom of expression.
“Hong Kong is lagging Canada in terms of environmental efforts but
is catching up quickly. Hong Kong is a hub for innovation and it is
amazing to see the increasingly sustainable technology being created,”
Nissa Marion, Ecozine’s co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, said.
“More and more consumers are determined to buy from responsible
companies. And business is taking note. According to an Accenture
study, sustainability has moved from a philanthropic programme to
the heart of business, and is a source of long-term economic and brand
value,” she added.
Ecozine has a fast-growing team covering design, content creation,
sales, events, and management. As the event organiser of the region’s
largest volunteer environmental event, “The Hong Kong Cleanup Challange”, it works
very closely with partner NGO, The Nature Conservancy’s team. Looking ahead,
Ecozine has plans to launch in other Asian cities such as Taiwan, Singapore, Mainland
China and even back to Canada.
The company is an active member of the Canadian Chamber Hong Kong and sits on
the chamber’s Sustainability Committee. “The Canadian community here is very strong
and InvestHK is a friendly, approachable, professional and pro-active government
department,” Christensen said.
Christensen found Hong Kong a great place to start up a business because of the ease of
setting up. She is also delighted to see that the government is putting in more resources
and attention on social enterprises. Her advice to any aspiring startup is “go for it”. “Don’t
try to do it on your own. Leverage on the networking opportunities, work with people
you trust and build a strong team,” she concluded.
www.ecozine.com
31
Letv
Let’s Watch TV
Differently
“With a unique east-meets-west culture
and a tech-savvy customer base, Hong
Kong is the ideal testing ground for
Letv’s ecosystem and business model.”
Founded in 2004 by Jia Yueting, Letv is one of China’s fastest growing technology
companies. Letv Group is committed to creating the “Letv Ecosystem,” a next-generation
internet engine that is vertically integrated to offer an online platform complete with
content, terminals and applications. The group is engaged in a rich array of businesses,
spanning internet TV, video production and distribution, smart gadgets and largescreen applications to e-commerce and internet-linked super-electric cars.
In July 2013, Letv was the first Internet company ever to launch its self-developed
and self-branded 4K smart TV delivering a four-times higher resolution than its Full
HD counterparts. Letv sold 1.5 million smart TVs in Mainland China in 2014, making it
the market leader in smart TV sales there. As a pioneer in Mainland China’s internet
landscape, Letv.com currently offers more than 100,000 episodes of TV drama and
over 5,000 movie titles. Its online platform draws an estimated 250 million page views
per day.
Leveraging Hong Kong to Go Global
In August 2014, Letv decided to set up its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Hong
Kong, bringing its established vertically integrated ecosystem of “Platform + Content +
Terminal + Application” to the city. Letv smashed the Hong Kong smart TV market when
it sold 100 smart TVs in just two seconds through online flash sales when it first arrived
in Hong Kong. As of March 2015, Letv has held 10 online flash sales in Hong Kong, with
1,000 smart TVs sold in less than 10 minutes on every occasion.
“We were very excited with Hong Kong customers’ response. In just a few months’ time,
our 4K TV has become Hong Kong’s top TV brand in terms of online sales volume. It
is a very good sign for our first step to expand globally,” Tin Mok, CEO, International
Business, Le Shi Internet Information & Technology (HK) Ltd, said.
Letv also teamed up with 3Home Broadband to provide high quality home
entertainment with high speed broadband connectivity to the local market. Looking
ahead, Letv plans to invest HK$ 500-600 million in Hong Kong each year, including
production of TV content locally. To support the fast growing business in Hong Kong
and to accelerate Letv’s expansion to other Asian markets, the Hong Kong office will
build a 150-strong team by end 2015.
“Setting up in Hong Kong is an important milestone for Letv to develop our international
business. With a unique east-meets-west culture and a tech-savvy customer base, Hong
Kong is the ideal testing ground for Letv’s ecosystem and business model,” Mok said.
Following the success of smart TVs, the company launched its own super phones in
April in Beijing. It has also teamed up with Chinese automaker BAIC Motor Corporation
to build the first internet-linked smart electric vehicle.
www.letv.com
32
Nikkei Asian Review
New Hong Kong
Editorial Team for the
Nikkei Asian Review
“Hong Kong is a free-market economy and the
city is already an international media hub.”
Nikkei Inc is Japan’s leading media group for business, with newspaper
publishing at its core. It publishes The Nikkei (Nihon Keizai Shimbun),
one of the largest business newspapers both globally and in Japan, with
about three million subscribers. In September 2013, Nikkei set up an
editorial team in Hong Kong for its new English-language multiplatform
publication, Nikkei Asian Review (NAR). The NAR bureau is located in
the same office as Nikkei’s newspaper and wire service bureaus and
Nikkei China (Hong Kong) Ltd, which is a separate entity overseeing
Nikkei’s Greater China publishing business.
“We would like to gain the trust not only of readers in Japan, but also
international readers, so we chose to set up an NAR editorial team here,”
Sadaharu Shimizu, Managing Director, Nikkei China (Hong Kong) Ltd,
said. “Hong Kong is a free-market economy, where almost every person
speaks English. Many international journalists are based here, because
the city is already an international media hub with lots of global media.”
With the increasing importance of Asian markets, Nikkei Asian Review’s
goal is to boost understanding of the region and dismantle stereotypes
about its people, businesses and nations.
As Nikkei cannot print its paper in Mainland China, the newspaper is
printed in Hong Kong and delivered to the Mainland.
Insights about Asia from the Inside Out
“Asia, as a whole, is underrepresented in the international news media because the
region lacks a home-grown service with global reach. No news outlets concentrate
primarily on covering issues and events across Asia. Nikkei is the only Asia-based
business news organisation with bureaus and correspondents in every major city. It
decided to rise to the challenges itself,” Shimizu said.
Zach Coleman, the deputy editor of NAR, works with several journalists in the news
bureau, along with many other contributors and journalists. “The number of reporters
in Asia outside Japan has doubled over the past year,” Coleman said.
The editorial team is working on a project called ASEAN 100, which covers leading
businesses in the member countries of ASEAN. The list includes 122 companies. The
service recently expanded with the launch of India 40 and coverage will be extended,
under the wider label “Asia 300”, to Hong Kong, Mainland China and South Korea later
this year.
InvestHK’s Creative Industries team invited Nikkei to the Society of Publishers in Asia
(SOPA) gala dinner on 10 June 2015. NAR won three prizes at the SOPA 2015 Awards for
Editorial Excellence. It will enlarge its subscriber base with a long-term target of 100,000
paid subscribers, according to Nikkei.
asia.nikkei.com
33
TV5 Monde
TV5 Monde Going from
Strength to Strength
“Hong Kong has a big role to play
in our future development.”
Within a period of six years, the size of TV5 Monde’s reach in the region has expanded
from 16 to 42 million subscribers, and the Hong Kong office has increased from one to
11 staff. In terms of office space, TV5 Monde has expanded from one to three units at
Cyperport and it now has representative offices in Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, India, and a
technical control centre in Cambodia.
TV5 Monde set up an office in Hong Kong originally as a distribution and sales office.
As the regional headquarters, the office is also responsible for all new media and
technology development for Asia-Pacific and provides full technical backup to its
headquarters in Paris. TV5 has expanded from one to two channels and is working
on additional channels to be launched in the near future. It is available in 42 countries
which together account for 60 percent of the world’s population.
“Hong Kong is right in the middle of our key markets geographically speaking. Within
four to five hours, I can be in any place in the region (except Australasia). I can travel
to Beijing and Taipei within one day. If I were based in Singapore, I would have had
to spend more time travelling and so it makes sense to be here,” Alexandre Muller,
Managing Director for Asia-Pacific, TV5 Monde, said.
While the French community is the fastest-growing expatriate population in Hong
Kong, TV5 Monde is particularly concerned with generating interest from local people
for its channels, and hence its strategy is to develop programmes of interest for them.
The content is also subtitled in English, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean (depending
on the markets) to make it more accessible.
“Hong Kong has a big role to play in our future development and this is why we have
invested so much in the technical infrastructure and equipment. While the Mainland is
an important market, other markets such as Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and
Vietnam are also important, and being in Hong Kong allows us to be in these markets at
the same time,” Muller said.
Muller hires local people and is keen to create a multicultural working environment.
Having a team composed of different nationalities also helps him understand better
what works in which market. The office also has a recent hire who focuses solely on
internet-based development and interfacing with TV live.
Having lived in Hong Kong for over six years, Muller finds it a very well-organised
and efficient city. He particularly enjoys the working environment at Cyberport,
which is more spacious in a green environment and less than 30 minutes from
the central business district. “As Cyberport is a public property and offers a more
stable tenure, we feel more confident to invest in our technical equipment here.
Cyperport is a great place to be, especially for people working in the creative
industries,” he concluded.
Tv5monde.com/asia
34
Yoogaia
Yoga on the Web
“Hong Kong is the most welcoming place for
setting up a business.”
Yoogaia is the world’s first and only live, interactive online yoga studio. With a
professional teacher instructing via webcam, users are able to learn and interact with
the teacher in real time. All that it takes is a computer with an Internet connection: like
Facetime, a two-way, real-time connection offers the teacher the possibility to instruct
the live class taking into account individual tendencies. With round-the-clock live and
interactive online classes, as well as recordings, users can easily find a routine that
works within their schedule, lifestyle, and budget. In addition to yoga, Yoogaia offers
pilates, kettle bell, core, Tai Chi and stretching classes.
Yoogaia’s founder and CEO Mikko Petäjä explored various options before eventually
choosing Hong Kong to be the company’s regional headquarters. “Hong Kong is the
most welcoming place for setting up a business. There is a growing popularity of yoga
in the city and in Asia, a well-developed pool of accredited yoga teachers and a reliable
infrastructure online. Not only is the city adjacent to the huge Mainland market, it is also
an ideal gateway to the rest of Asia,” he said.
Yoogaia in Hong Kong have two full time managers and is continuing to hire yoga
instructors. “The potential for yoga has increased exponentially in the last five years.
Well-established big studios co-exist with boutique studios in the city, but still classes
are often over-booked. An increasing number of yoga apparel companies are setting up
or expanding in Hong Kong, and the annual Asia Yoga Conference attracts more than
3,000 yoga practitioners,” Miko Bantigue, Country Manager, Hong Kong, added.
Petäjä founded the company following his own experience. Having to work long hours
and with three children, he thought about the idea of doing yoga classes at home but
was surprised he could not find any service provider to enable him to do so. He decided
to start an online yoga studio that might solve this problem for many people.
Lean Startups
Yoogaia was selected as one of the most promising startups of 2015 in Finland by
Talouselämä Magazine, a Finnish business publication. Startups are often advised to
start lean and Petäjä could not agree more. “It is very important to start off as lean as
you can, be open-minded, test and validate your assumptions before you make a huge
commitment. It requires willpower and courage and family support is also important,”
he said.
The number of users of Yoogaia has now grown to around 20,000. With studios in
Helsinki, London and Hong Kong, the company’s next target is New York.
Petäjä appreciates the comprehensive support that InvestHK provided during the
setting up process. “The department supplied many useful contacts, networking
opportunities, PR and marketing support, as well as information on legislation and
various best practices,” he said.
Petäjä is already pondering his own relocation to Hong Kong. “I love the city — it is
vibrant and immersive. You cannot help but fall in love with the energetic atmosphere
here. The general mentality and the way of doing things are also conducive to startups
in many ways,” he enthused.
www.yoogaia.com
35
Crystal Computer Graphics
Multimedia
A Proven Springboard for
Crystal CG to Go Global
“In the course of going global, Mainland enterprises
should first set up a business in Hong Kong.”
Crystal Digital Technology Holding Co Ltd (Crystal CG’s head office)
impressed the world with its animation work for the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games, the Shanghai Expo 2010 and the famous Qingming
Riverside scroll. Recently, it has won the Beijing 2022 Olympic
Winter Games bid for multimedia presentation, one of the biggest
achievements in its corporate history.
The company decided to set up a subsidiary in Hong Kong in 2002 to
take advantage of the city’s international and creative talent, as well as
its prime location, to develop its business beyond Mainland China. Its
Hong Kong subsidiary employs about 20 staff to work on many largescale projects for estate developers, the Hong Kong government and on
infrastructure works in Macau.
“Hong Kong has been a base for us to set up our offices in Singapore,
London and Dubai. Our team in Hong Kong has undertaken the
planning and implementation work, enabling Crystal CG to reach out
and go further in promoting Chinese creativity to the world,” David Li
Hai Zhong, General Manager, Crystal Computer Graphics Ltd, said.
“The Hong Kong office is multifunctional and serves as a gateway for the
company’s international operations. Our goal is to continue to provide
36
leading professional services, and to become the top choice for architects and property
developers. Hong Kong fits well with our goals,” he enthused.
As an overseas holding company controlled by its Beijing headquarters, Crystal CG
enjoys the convenience of doing business in Hong Kong — the financial flexibility and
liquidity of cash flow, as well as a level playing field. The company recruits both overseas
and local graduates, and the ratio is about 50/50. It maintains good connections with
the City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the Hong
Kong Institute of Vocational Education for recruiting creative talent.
“In the course of going global, Mainland enterprises should first set up a business
in Hong Kong, in order to adapt to the international business environment before
expanding abroad. Similarly, overseas enterprises can gain a better understanding of
Mainland China and its business environment by entering the Mainland market via
Hong Kong,” Li said.
Crystal CG also exhibited at Retail Asia Expo to showcase its technologies and creations,
deepen its knowledge in different subsectors, and reach out to potential investors. It
hopes to enhance its competiveness, innovation and adaptability in order to capture
opportunities in the future.
www.crystalcg.com.hk
NetDragon Websoft
Multimedia
Building a Transformational
Online Education Ecosystem
“It makes perfect sense for us to target both Mainland China and
Hong Kong as we look not only to launch our service in China
but also in the international markets. The user experience in
Hong Kong helps us understand the overseas markets.”
With its acquisition of local startup Cherrypicks, Hong Kong-listed
NetDragon Websoft Inc is keen to leverage its gaming and mobile
platform technologies and experience to revolutionise the conventional
education space.
Since its beginnings 15 years ago, NetDragon has become a serial
entrepreneurial mobile internet powerhouse. After listing on the
Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2008, the company
leveraged its online gaming business success to build and scale
91.com to become the largest mobile smartphone appstore platform
in Mainland China before selling it to Baidu for US$1.85 billion in 2013.
This was a landmark deal which is the largest internet merger and
acquisition transaction in Mainland China in dollar value terms to date.
To tap into the local talent and business networks in Hong Kong, in June
2014, NetDragon acquired Cherrypicks, a renowned Hong Kong startup
specialised in mobile app and O2O (online to offline) innovations.
From Gamification to Education
Leveraging its knowledge, expertise and success in game development
and building large internet/mobile platforms such as 91.com and
www.17173.com, NetDragon now wants to build an online/mobile
education platform that will disrupt and transform the way education is
delivered in the virtual world.
Ben Yam, CFO, NetDragon Websoft Inc, said the acquisition of a Hong
Kong company like Cherrypicks is beneficial in this endeavour.
“Cherrypicks is an internationalised top-tier mobile app design firm with
cutting edge UI/UX (user-interface/user-experience) expertise, and a
mobile internet team with the right DNA to deliver products that offer
View Video
disruptive instead of incremental value. The merger will definitely spark new ideas
between our R&D team in Fuzhou and Cherrypicks’ team on the mobile education
front,” he explained.
Yam commented it was not easy to recruit good people with indepth understanding of
UI/UX, as both can be very different in Mainland China and overseas markets. He said
the 400-person education team in Fuzhou will be joined by Cherrypicks’ specialists to
develop a mobile education ecosystem that will eventually target the global market.
“Hong Kong’s education sector is more advanced in this region as local students often
have a more internationalised background and speak better English. It makes perfect
sense for us to target both Mainland China and Hong Kong as we look to launch our
service not only in the Mainland but also in international markets. The user experience
in Hong Kong will help us better understand overseas markets,” he added.
Meanwhile, NetDragon’s online games for PC continue to be profitable and provide a
strong and steady cash flow for the company. As PC game market growth has slowed
down in recent years, Yam said the company is seeking to differentiate by leveraging
its accumulated years of a gaming technologies, know-how and understanding of user
needs.
“We have a strong pipeline of mobile and online games being developed, as well as an
initiative to develop our incubator programme in the Fuzhou headquarters to ensure
continuous innovation and synergies and to sustain our business momentum,” Yam
concluded.
InvestHK has been providing setting up and aftercare services for NetDragon’s Hong
Kong office since 2006.
www.nd.com.cn
Original date of publication: October 2014
37
Phonejoy Solutions Ltd
Game Changer
“Almost everyone in the city owns a smartphone
and this digital environment is particularly
important for technology startups like us.”
Multimedia
Phonejoy Solutions started operations in 2013 and has obtained funding from Kickstarter
and seed funds from private investors in Hong Kong. Its product called Phonejoy PLAY
turns smartphones into portable game consoles. It does that with a patented sliding
mechanism that allows attachment of any smartphone into the controller’s centre. The
product was first announced in Las Vegas in January 2013 and will soon be launched in
major retail and online stores throughout the US, Europe and Asia.
“We started first in Hong Kong because it is very easy to set up a business here. The legal
system is based on common law, the taxation system is simple and straightforward and
all business documentation is in English. Logistics is excellent and shipping costs to
anywhere around the world are low. I come from Germany and we have team members
from Europe and the US — we all find it very easy to integrate into the local environment,”
Martin Kessler, Founder and Managing Director, Phonejoy Solutions Ltd, said.
The company currently employs six staff who work on concept development,
design, prototyping, software development, advertising, sales and marketing. Product
manufacturing is in Shenzhen which is just across the border from Hong Kong, and
another reason why Kessler chose the city. “You can go to Mainland China very easily
while at the same time enjoy the lifestyle in Hong Kong,” he added.
Kessler loves electronic games and first conceived the idea for Phonejoy when he was
living in Guangzhou two years ago. He found it much easier and comfortable to play
games with a controller instead of touch screen but could not find such a product in the
market. He asked himself, “Why not make one myself?”
Turning an idea into a product was not entirely smooth sailing though. A number
of prototypes had to be made, each one better than the last but this took time and
money. Going from prototype to mass production was another challenge. But Kessler
encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to just get started. “You should not worry too much
about the first idea you have, whether it’s perfect or not. What really matters is to put
together a good team who share a common vision,” he said.
Cyberport Incubation Programme
InvestHK’s Creative Industries team reached out to Kessler at an event and introduced
him to the Cyberport incubation programme. “This is a very important step for us. The
office space is almost rent-free for two years and we’ve received support for marketing
and promotion which reimbursed half of our costs of participation in two game shows in
San Francisco and Silicon Valley,” he said.
With the product launching soon, Kessler will gauge the response from different markets
and adjust his strategies accordingly. The next steps are to work out a Mainland China
strategy and develop partnerships with key players in the market.
Having moved to Hong Kong almost two years ago, Kessler finds it a great place to work
and to live. “Hong Kong has a very convenient public transport system — one can even
take a helicopter to Macau. There are convenience stores everywhere, most are open 24
hours a day. The ICT infrastructure is excellent, with a high broadband penetration rate
and fast internet speed. Almost everyone in the city owns a smartphone and this digital
environment is particularly important for technology startups like us,” he concluded.
38
www.phonejoy.com
Simpleshow Asia
Simple Storytelling
“Hong Kong is home to many global and regional
headquarters where there is a constant need for
effective communications, both internally and
externally.”
Multimedia
Headquartered in Germany, Simpleshow Asia opened its first Hong Kong office in
October last year. It produces explanatory or explainer videos which have been
translated into more than 50 different languages and are used to communicate a
wide range of topics for training, internal communications and marketing purposes.
For instance, the company has produced a video to explain the election process in
Germany and the boarding procedures for an airline. For Hong Kong clients, examples
include a series of videos to explain safety rules for a construction company and new
financial regulations for a global bank.
“Hong Kong is home to many global and regional headquarters where there is a
constant need for effective communications, both internally and externally. A variety of
sectors which are our target clients have a presence in the city, including retail, banking,
construction, service industries like hotel and hospitality, as well as public institutions,”
Luc Moulin, Managing Director, Simpleshow Asia, said.
Universal Tool
Moulin believes that simplicity is the secret to good communications and drawing
is a universal communication tool which transcends cultural boundaries. What
Simpleshow is trying to achieve is to combine the latest trends in communications: to
simplify complicated key messages through story telling; and to use powerful drawings
and videos to help visualise and communicate the messages.
The Hong Kong office currently employs four staff for sales, project management, and
part of pre-production. The company is relying on word-of-mouth and online media
to promote its business, which has been growing steadily since the office opened five
months ago. Moulin is planning to get additional staff on board.
Having lived in Hong Kong for five years, Moulin found it an extremely easy and
pragmatic place to start a business. “It is a great city for events and is convenient to meet
people from all walks of life in professional and social gatherings. There is a very broad
range of potential clients for our business,” he said.
“Hong Kong is one of the best places in the world that offers a work-life balance. The city
is fabulous and can accommodate a wide range of lifestyles,” he concluded.
www.simpleshow.com
39
Ticketflap
Multimedia
Ticketflap — Your Local
Digital Box Office
“Hong Kong is very open to collaboration.”
The concept of Ticketflap began three years ago with Clockenflap, a
music and arts festival, which wanted a ticketing solution to satisfy
their clients’ needs. Hong Kong’s venues, promoters and, in fact, anyone
needing a ticketing solution wants an affordable, flexible, modern, online
and paperless ticketing option.
Over the past three years, Ticketflap has provided ticketing services
for more than 500 events in Hong Kong. Some 45,000 people attended
the last Clockenflap festival in November, during which Ticketflap
processed a single-day record of 23,000 transactions.
“We hope that Ticketflap can be a place that not only makes buying
tickets and getting in to events as painless and seamless an experience
as it should be, but also creates a platform that enables all of us to
discover more of the fantastic events taking place across Hong Kong,”
Martin Haigh, CEO of Ticketflap, said.
Haigh sees a lot of room for expansion as the number of events,
promoters and venues continues to grow in Hong Kong, Macau and the
region. Looking ahead, he is planning to expand Ticketflap’s footprint to
cover the whole of southeast Asia including Japan and Mainland China.
“Hong Kong is the ideal platform to grow our business. It has a simple
and low tax regime, an educated and talented workforce, and people
who are passionate about what they do. Compared to 10 years ago,
we’ve witnessed an exponential growth in the number of local and
international events taking place in the region,” Haigh said.
40
Ticketflap recently announced that its customers are now able to use Hong Kong’s
ubiquitous Octopus cards and products to purchase event tickets. In a new e-commerce
alliance, customers can access the fast and convenient Octopus Online Payment
Service to pay for the broad array of music and entertainment events offered by
Ticketflap using their Octopus.
“We are committed to offering customers more choices and convenience when they
purchase tickets,” Haigh said. “Octopus Online Payment Service certainly fills that bill,
as it gives our customers a convenient new payment option. Millions of people have an
Octopus in Hong Kong and many don’t have access to a credit card.”
Haigh also sees how the startup scene in Hong Kong has blossomed in the last few
years, evidenced by the increasing number of incubators and co-work spaces. “It’s
extremely useful to pool knowledge for the industry and, in this regard, Hong Kong is
very open to collaboration,” he said.
www.ticketflap.com
animakitstudios.com
Multimedia
In Pursuit of
an Animation Dream
“If you start a business in Asia, it is better to be in Hong Kong.”
“If you start a business in Asia, it is better to be in Hong Kong,” he said. “In
making the move of our studio from Shenzhen to Hong Kong, I found it is
more convenient to travel to other Asian cities from here, and given Hong
Kong is a financial centre and a Renminbi settlement centre, it is easy
for us to do transactions with Mainland China and our headquarters in
Paris,” he added.
Peyrache started his startup company three years ago and with the help
of InvestHK, he joined the Cyberport Incubation Programme in early
2012. The company managed to win a number of business deals with
some of the regional television broadcasters in Dubai, Indonesia, India,
Africa, Russia and some provinces in China. Its core business includes
selling of hardware, software and 3D animated content.
Ocean Park has adopted this 3D animation in its interactive talk show
for two years in a row. The technology connects real-time human body
motion tracking to cartoon characters, allowing Ocean Park’s staff to be
the animal characters on screen and interact with the audience in live
performance. Apart from live shows, the technology is also an interesting
option for the production of TV news, kids’ shows or educational
programmes using animated characters instead of real people.
Under the Cyberport Incubation Programme, the company is given free
office space at Cyberport’s Entrepreneurship Centre, financial subsidy to
hire internship students from local universities and the opportunity to
participate in international multimedia exhibitions held in Hong Kong, such as Siggraph
Asia, at reduced costs.
“Thanks to InvestHK’s support, we successfully hired four internship students from
local institutions who are specialised in computer graphics, online marketing and
creative media,” Peyrache said. He has full-time staff who graduated from the Institute of
Vocational Education (IVE) to assist on multimedia designs and other new projects.
Many governments in the world are subsidising the creative industries to maintain and
promote their own cultures. Hong Kong’s stringent legal enforcement in IP protection,
coupled with the free flow of capital and information, has made it one of the best hubs
in the world for the creative industries. Various worldwide and regional trade shows and
exhibitions for the animation industry, such as Siggraph Asia, Ani-Com & Games and Asia
Game Show have been taking place in Hong Kong to support growth and create many
opportunities for companies and startups.
“This is the second time we participated in Siggraph Asia with the help of the Hong Kong
SAR government. I hope we can create more business by connecting to the industry
professionals in this event,” Peyrache said.
animakitstudios.com
41
Facebook
Social Media
More Face for Hong Kong
“With a mobile penetration rate as high as 238 percent and the fact
that 83 percent of homes in Hong Kong have high-speed internet,
social media like Facebook would be one of the best and easiest
ways to capture new customers.”
According to Facebook, more than half of Hong Kong’s population
(4.4 million people) use the social network and spend 13 minutes on
average each time they log on.
According to a survey commissioned by Facebook and conducted by market
researcher TNS in January 2014, Facebook outranks popular messaging applications
and is the most favoured digital platform in Hong Kong.
“Facebook is a natural fit to the mobile platform. With a mobile
penetration rate as high as 238 percent and the fact that 83 percent
of homes in Hong Kong have high-speed internet, social media like
Facebook would be one of the best and easiest ways to capture new
customers,” Jayne Leung, Head of Greater China, Facebook, said.
The survey also found that traditional media made less of a mark, with respondents
planning to spend eight percent more time on Facebook, while spending 15 percent less
time reading newspapers and watching television, and 21 percent less time browsing
magazines.
Personalised Marketing
Today, advertisers have a plethora of choice when it comes to media
options to reach their target audiences. Facebook is a platform for
brands and it aims to make their marketing personal. It offers a range of
tools for marketers to reach, target, optimise, measure and scale efforts.
This makes it possible to maximise brand awareness at each consumer
touch point, drive and meet conversion goals through multiple ad
placements such as news feed and mobile news feed ads and other
formats, and reach the most relevant target audience.
The sales and marketing team in the Hong Kong office is structured by
key verticals which have high growth potential, e.g. FMCG, retail, mobile
technology, financial services and travel. “Our objective is to personalise
marketing — the Facebook you see is different from the Facebook I see
as we have different profiles and interests. This is our unique marketing
edge,” Leung said.
42
According to Leung, Hong Kong users particularly like watching or posting videos on
Facebook and this would be a potential avenue for companies seeking to raise their
profile in the city.
With advertising as the major income stream, Facebook Hong Kong will actively
promote to brands, SMEs and advertising agencies alike on how to use this social media
site to grow their business. Facebook is also helping Mainland Chinese companies to
make use of social media to promote their brands internationally.
“The whole idea of investing in this new Facebook office space stems from the fact that
in Hong Kong, there is ample opportunity to further expand our business, especially
in view of the very positive market response since we launched in 2011. The majority
of our team handle sales and marketing support to better serve our clients, including
multinational corporations, small and medium enterprises, and advertising agencies,
etc. Looking ahead, we plan to recruit additional staff,” Leung said.
www.facebook.com
LinkedIn
Social Media
LinkedIn Expands
Hong Kong Operations
“People live here, operate
and develop their business
here, meet their partners and
potential clients from this part
of the world. We felt it’s the
natural place for us.”
Two years after setting up in Hong Kong, LinkedIn has moved to a bigger and more
prominent office, signifying the firm’s commitment to the city.
LinkedIn, the largest global online professional network, has nearly doubled its global
revenue to US$473.2 million in the first quarter of 2014 than the same period in 2013. In
2012, it established an office in Hong Kong to develop North Asia business. Since then,
Hong Kong members has doubled to 900,000. In 2014, two years after its opening,
LinkedIn Hong Kong has expanded and moved to a 10,000 square foot office at Hysan
Place, Causeway Bay, with more than 50 employees.
“We crossed the 50-million member mark in Asia in February 2014,” Olivier Legrand,
Senior Director, Marketing Solutions, LinkedIn APAC & Japan said. “Hong Kong is a
strategic growth market in Asia Pacific to us. The city has the highest growth through
mobile and is among a few countries in the region that is leading the mobile moment.”
View Video
According to Legrand, more than 50 percent of traffic on LinkedIn comes from mobile
devices as compared to desktop. The Hong Kong office has different functions, including
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions and Talent Solutions. Serving clients and members across
North Asia, LinkedIn believes in a “member first” approach. They are mainly involved
in a diverse range of industries, especially in financial services, IT services, higher
education, telecommunications, and marketing and advertising sectors.
Asia’s Business Hub to Connect to Professionals
“From a marketer’s perspective, we felt it necessary to have a presence in Hong Kong
because Hong Kong is a hub for headquarters — more than 2,400 global companies
have set up their regional headquarters here,” Legrand said. “Having an office here and
being able to deliver our services close to these companies is important.”
Other factors that were equally attractive included Hong Kong’s strategic location in the
heart of Asia. “It is located very close to other places that are important to us like Taiwan,
Japan and Korea. So we set up an operation here to be responsible for North Asia,” he said.
“There’s a great connection to our mission statement of connecting the world’s
professionals, making them more productive and successful. People live here, operate
and develop their business here, meet their partners and potential clients from this part
of the world. We felt it’s the natural place for us,” he added.
Strong Business Uptake
LinkedIn saw strong uptake of its solutions, especially Marketing Solutions and Talent
Solutions, and a lot of interest from marketers. Cathay Pacific is a very successful client
case as they used LinkedIn to increase brand awareness among people who travelled
business class between the US and Asia two years ago.
Legrand found the setting up process efficient. “When we decided to open the Hong
Kong office, our finance director leveraged InvestHK’s support. We continue to be very
pleased with our choice to be in Hong Kong to develop our business in this part of the
world,” he concluded.
www.linkedin.com
43
Live It China
Social Media
An Online Platform to
Empower Language Learners
“Hong Kong has an excellent infrastructure, abundant resources,
and a growing startup community to provide support.”
Live It China is an online language exchange platform and the brainchild
of co-founders, Daniel Ropski and Julian Gaertner. It was developed
when they were university exchange students in Mainland China and
found it difficult to find a suitable Chinese tutor or language school. Live
It China was created as a startup company after receiving a cash grant of
HK$100,000 from Hong Kong’s Cyberport Creative Micro Fund (CCMF)
Scheme. In March 2012, it was admitted to the Cyberport Incubation
Programme and has now expanded to a team of six staff with offices in
the Philippines, Hong Kong and plans for a presence in Mainland China.
“The Micro Fund enabled us to develop the beta version of Live It China
and the incubation programme enabled us to turn our ideas into a real
product, raise funding from private investors and take our business to
the next stage,” Ropski said.
Live It China will re-launch its website in Hong Kong next year targeting
expatriates and overseas university students in Hong Kong, Shenzhen,
Macau and Zhuhai who need a companion to start their journey in
Chinese language learning.
Proximity to Mainland Market
44
One-stop Services
Apart from helping learners to find a language partner, Live It China also serves as a
platform for schools to advertise their language courses and better target their core
audiences. Once people sign up for a free membership, they can find tutors, language
exchange partners and schools that match their needs. They can also share their
learning experience with others and post reviews of teachers and schools.
To be successful in Mainland China, Gaertner believes it is important
to connect to the local community and understand their culture. “This
will be easier if people can find exchange partners or tutors through our
platform, and ‘live’ the language,” he said.
Gaertner found InvestHK’s services through Google Search and the referral from a
graduate of the University of Hong Kong. InvestHK provided tailor-made business
advice for setting up in Hong Kong, helped with liaising between other government
departments and lined up media interviews for the startup to gain exposure.
“Hong Kong is the ideal base from which to grow our business because
it is very close to the Pearl River Delta. Many westerners work and study
here. The city also has an excellent infrastructure, abundant resources,
and a growing startup community to provide support,” Gaertner
enthused.
“It is extraordinary to live in Hong Kong. The city is young and energetic with
multinational companies, so it is the perfect place for innovative products. The
competitive environment here can make us competitive everywhere,” he concluded.
www.liveitchina.com
5miles Ltd is a storytelling venture
for entrepreneurs in Hong Kong to
showcase their business, over the
Internet, and across the world. It
targets SME owners of lifestyle brands,
which are the preferred venues of
Mainland visitors. It tells their stories
through high quality documentary
videos that reveal what makes them
special. Through insightful interviews,
it brings out their knowledge and
passion and creates an emotional
connection with the customers.
5miles will create jobs in a declining
job growth area — filmmaking. The
decline in Hong Kong films, and
television jobs around the world, can
only be replaced by new and smart
economical mathematics, capitalising
on new technologies and efficient film
tools and practices. 5miles aims to
become one of the largest film student
hiring companies in Hong Kong and
globally. Its parent company is Yellow
Brick Studio Ltd.
www.5miles.biz
A.T. Digital Media Ltd was established
in November 2014 under the parent
company, Asia Travel Media Ltd. Its
scope of service includes mobile app
development, digital media solution,
social media platform engagement,
serving the needs for marketers to
inbound tourists. Under the parent
company establishment in Hong Kong,
A.T. Digital Media is pleased to have the
operation setup in Hong Kong where
it allows rich resources for business
and partnership opportunity as well
as a stable platform for the group’s
expansion strategy.
Its regional offices located in Hong
Kong, Macau, Singapore, Australia,
Guangzhou, Xiamen, and its
expansion plan in 2015 will be aiming
at coverage of North American and
European markets.
www.myworld360.com
ab Initio HK Ltd is a digital marketing
studio providing services in the fields
of web/app design and development,
social media marketing and online
advertising. “ab Initio” is a Latin term
meaning “from the beginning”. Its
primary clients are SMEs and startups
taking their first steps in digital
marketing, hence the name.
It set up in Hong Kong largely for
two reasons: proximity to Mainland
China and the boom in startup/
entrepreneurship culture in the region.
The latter is a phenomenon that is
being discussed in media all over the
world, but one can never really believe
the entrepreneurial vibe gushing
through the populace until you have
actually been in the city.
www.abinitiohk.com
AIM — Asian Integrated Media
(AIM) offers international sales
representation for premium media.
The company’s headquarters was
established here in 2003, and there
are also offices in Singapore and
Beijing. AIM is dedicated to driving
advertising revenue for publishing
partners, like Cathay Pacific’s inflight
media portfolio, Travel & Leisure,
Departures and the Washington Post.
The AIM sales team maintains strong
relationships with global advertising
partners like the Peninsula Hotels,
Shangri-La Hotels, Langham Hotels
and Cathay Pacific, which are also
headquartered in Hong Kong.
AIM has recently complemented its
core business in media sales with a
Hong Kong publishing company —
“Perspective”. It is also expanding
rapidly in the programmatic media
buying/ selling space, as a unique and
well-placed media business with local
and international prowess.
www.asianimedia.com
45
Amaranto Asia Ltd is an IT consulting
company with headquarters in
Hong Kong. The parent company
Amaranto Consultores S.L. is based in
Madrid (Spain) with offices in Cuenca,
Barcelona and a commercial office in
San Francisco (US). Amaranto works
closely with clients to define the best
solution considering both efficacy
and efficiency. Amaranto strives to
make the most of its clients’ financial,
technological and human resources.
Amaranto takes your project from
the concept, the functional design,
the graphic design, the solution
development up to the testing stage,
all carried out by a versatile team
working and cooperating closely with
a team of professors and professionals
from public research institutions and
universities.
Amaranto owns Europe’s largest digital
signage network (playthe.net) with
more than 5,000 locations in Spain,
which will be 10,000 by the end of
2014. Amaranto is expanding in the UK
and Germany as well as Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has 30 locations targeting
150 by the end of 2014.
www.amarantocompany.com
46
Artinerary Project Management is
a Hong Kong-based company with
experience in the US, Taiwan and
elsewhere, specialising in design,
implementation and maintenance
for a wide range of businesses. With a
special emphasis on arts, events, press
conferences, media, luxury products,
food and wine, interior design and
business solutions, Artinerary has
developed networks and partnerships
with different industries to deliver the
best services and support to clients.
Artinerary Project Management is
dedicated to assisting and supporting
clients by providing smooth and
effective solutions to accomplish
targets and enhance company profile.
Some completed projects include
Hermes, L'Oréal, Helena Rubinstein,
Fine Art Asia, HKIDA Press Conference,
Spread PR Management and
CULTURE Magazine.
www.artineraryhk.wix.com/artinerary
Artisia Ltd launches its first annual
FROM RUSSIA WITH ART Festival
introducing Russian classical and
contemporary arts to the Hong Kong
public. The events of the festival,
presented by Russian and Asia-based
performers, will expose audiences of
all ages to a variety of artistic forms,
offering a unique chance to immerse
in Russia’s rich art heritage and
celebrate eternal cultural values.
FROM RUSSIA WITH ART is officially
supported by the Consulate of Russian
Federation in Hong Kong. Artisia Ltd
is an independent non-profitable
organisation set up in 2014 to promote
cultural and educational ties between
Hong Kong and Russia. It also provides
logistic, information and PR support
to initiatives of individuals and
organisations in the field of Hong Kong —
Russia cultural exchange.
www.frwa.asia
Axel Vervoordt Gallery was
established in Antwerp in 2011 as
a part of Axel Vervoordt Company,
which is active globally in art, antiques,
and interior design since 1968. As
its first oversea exhibition venue for
modern and contemporary art, Axel
Vervoordt Gallery in Hong Kong —
which is a branch of Axel Vervoordt
Hong Kong Ltd — presented the
inaugural exhibition on 13 May 2014.
Before the opening of the gallery,
Axel Vervoordt Hong Kong Ltd was
established to manage acquisition of
artworks in Asia and Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong gallery will focus on
presenting both well-established and
emerging, modern and contemporary
international artists, some of them
lesser known to the Hong Kong
audience. It will also continue to bridge
artistic expressions between the East
and the West.
www.axelvervoordtgallery.com.hk
B+H Architects is an award-winning
full-service architecture and design
firm recognised for the delivery of
sustainable design, problem-solving
and construction administration skills
to large-scale, technically complex
projects around the world. Established
in Toronto, Canada, B+H has over a
60-year legacy of achievements in
the built environment. In 2012, B+H
expanded to Hong Kong to serve
clients in the local region as well as
southern China. The Hong Kong team
offers a full suite of services, including
architecture, master planning, interior
and landscape design.
A global practice with offices in
Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle,
Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Ho Chi
Minh City, Singapore, Delhi, Jeddah
and Dubai, the work of B+H spans a
wide range of sectors — commercial,
retail, hospitality, residential,
entertainment, healthcare, industrial,
educational, cultural, sports and
transportation.
www.bharchitects.com
Barron’s Asia is a new digital edition
created by Dow Jones/ News Corp. It
focuses on the region to better serve
its investors. Launched on 15 October
2014 , Barron’s Asia will deliver Barron’s
magazine’s signature sophisticated
advice about US, China, Hong Kong,
Asia and international investments
to high-net-worth Asian readers.
This marks Barron’s first overseas
expansion since its founding in 1921.
Barron’s Asia will publish a mix of Asiafocused content produced by Barron’s
new Hong Kong-based editorial team
along with content from the US and
Asia. Coverage will include: a daily
Asian investing column; an Asia stocks
blog; Asian company and mutual fund
profiles; wealth-management stories;
and contributions from financial
professionals. The website also
includes the full content of Barron’s
U.S. edition. Veteran Barron’s leaders
Kopin Tan and Tracy Young will serve
as Editor and Publisher, respectively,
of Barron’s Asia and will be based in
Hong Kong.
www.barronsasia.com
Operated by Bixmoor Media
Ltd, China Outlook is an online,
subscription-only magazine aimed
at creating a wide-ranging, multidisciplinary discussion on China’s
future. Utilising some of the best
new young writers (including many
Chinese nationals), China Outlook
is targeted at decision makers and
analysts in the government and
financial, commercial and academic
worlds, in the fields of diplomacy and
strategic studies, in law, environmental
science and education. Its subscribers
are encouraged to take part in the
debates and discussions initiated by
articles in the magazine.
Already recognised as a major
influencer of opinion on Mainland
China, it aims to become a major
player in the growing debate on the
Mainland. It chose to base itself in
Hong Kong as it is the gateway to
Mainland China with a high ranking
in the World Press Freedom index of
Asian countries. The Hong Kong office
is responsible for strategic planning,
sales and marketing, finance and
subscribers services.
www.china-outlook.net
Established in November 2013,
Business Wire Hong Kong provides
public relations, investor relations
and marketing professionals with
local access to the company’s global
media and online network. The
company’s new local presence enables
communications professionals to
cost-effectively target press releases,
multimedia and marketing content to
news organisations, consumer sites,
financial portals and social media
platforms both domestically and
throughout the world.
Hong Kong serves as Business Wire’s
regional headquarters, with sales
and editorial operations, a dedicated
website and products tailored to
market needs.
www.businesswire.com.hk
47
BuyMeDesign has had its regional
headquarters in Hong Kong since 2010
with an office for sales in Taiwan since
2013. Buymedesign.com is the Asian
design curated shop putting cuttingedge designers in touch with high-end
consumers, corporates, architects and
retailers for creative sourcing at retail
and wholesale price. Its unique model
also offers multiple services such as
PR and buzz marketing.
Recently launched in November
2013, in preview of the Hong Kong
Business of Design Week, In Bed With
Designers curated by buyMeDesign
is a bi-annual event and the first of
its kind in Hong Kong. It is all about
supporting emerging designers by
offering them an inspiring and creative
space to showcase and sell plus strong
PR exposure with partners such as
Maison & Objet Asia.
www.buymedesign.com
48
Catalyst Media Group Ltd is a Hong
Kong-based company that acquires,
creates and develops international
and Asian sports and entertainment
properties. The company was
established by its founder Patrick
Murphy in response to the growing
demand for high quality sports and
entertainment content in the AsiaPacific region.
Catalyst Media Group Ltd works
closely with property owners, media
organisations and brands by providing
tailored services and solutions
that help customers achieve their
objectives. The company provides
a full range of services including
consulting, brand development, media
content and sponsorship sales, client
servicing and event management.
www.catalystmedia.co
Active since 2014, Chiczando Concept
is an art consultancy specialising in
performing art collaborations with a
goal to “Link Art and Commerce”. Its
services include event production
and management for corporate
functions, brand marketing, as well as
large-scale art and promotion events
for land developers. It aims to provide
an all-encompassing “one-stop shop”
solution tailored to clients’ needs, from
concept development and planning
to production and management,
with a goal to imprint unforgettable
experiences every time.
Some of its recent projects
(from concept development to
management) in the region include:
“Opera in Town” themed Grand
Opening of Soundwill Plaza II —
Midtown and the “Back to Front” opera
backstage exhibition and their related
street opera performance promotion
campaign, Jazz Up Night at Galaxy
Hotel Macau in collaboration with
Moet Hennessy Diageo.
www.chiczando.com
COMQUEST is a French creative
design group set up almost 20
years ago. Relying on a network in
various economic sectors in Europe
including banking, insurance, sports,
tourism, corporate, philanthropy, etc,
COMQUEST set up an office in Hong
Kong this year. Its goal is to provide its
services in the Asian region, always
ensuring a French touch and a high
level of expertise and quality.
The company proposes a wide
range of communication solutions to
satisfy online or offline needs such
as corporate identity, logo, brochures,
catalog, advertisement or website,
web banner, e-newsletters. It strongly
believes that with its experienced
team, it has the appropriate tools
to accompany the dynamism and
eclecticism of Hong Kong and the
Asian region.
www.comquest.hk
Current Asia is a new breed of
marketing technology business
solutions provider. It brings together
a blend of strategy and demand
generation solutions relevant to
Asia Pacific that delivers customer
engagement and sales. The consulting
team includes innovators, planners,
data scientists and programme
managers. It works with companies
to bring together their structured
and unstructured data sets, integrate
them into a comprehensive data view
of the customer, and match targeted
marketing technologies and platforms
with compelling content strategies
that drives business results.
Ecozine, an online magazine focusing
on sustainability, has recently set
up its headquarters in Hong Kong.
It publishes a daily-updated online
magazine, a quarterly print magazine,
an e-newsletter and also produces
environmentally themed events
throughout the year, from conferences
to film screenings to parties.
Ecozine is a consumer resource
for smart, sustainable living. It
is a premium media outlet for
companies, NGOs and organisations
to promote and discuss sustainability
best practice, products, services,
campaigns, initiatives and events to a
huge and targeted audience.
Current Asia has presence in
Singapore and Hong Kong, and
partnership agreements in place
with a growing number of global and
regional solutions providers covering
marketing automation, CRM, analytics,
mobile and loyalty.
www.currentasia.com
ecozine.com
Established in 2010, Edouard Malingue
Gallery features emerging and
established contemporary artists from
around the world, such as Eric Baudart,
Cui Xinming, Jeremy Everett, Laurent
Grasso, Nuri Kuzucan, Los Carpinteros,
Fabien Mérelle, João Vasco Paiva, Sun
Xun, Janaina Tschäpe, Wang Zhibo and
Yuan Yuan. In addition to presenting
dynamic solo exhibitions, the gallery
pushes the boundaries of art in public
spaces and stimulates artistic discourse
through collaborations with curators
worldwide.
Following the success of these initial
four years, the gallery expanded and
moved to sixth floor, 33 Des Voeux
Road, Central. The new space, which
occupies an entire floor, provides
scope for a more ambitious and diverse
exhibition programme, offering greater
freedom of expression to the exhibited
artists and an enriching experience
for viewers. The gallery will continue
to support a wide array of innovative
exhibitions while continuing to develop
its line of curatorial projects and public
engagement.
www.edouardmalingue.com
eSynchrony is a hybrid online and
offline dating service with four years
of experience in Hong Kong. Its parent
company, Lunch Actually Group, is
the first and largest dating company
in Asia, with five branches including
Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur
and Penang), Hong Kong and Jakarta. It
aims to help single, busy professionals
find love.
Based on its 16 compatibility matching
analysis drawn from 11 years of
offline matchmaking experience in
Lunch Actually Group, the company
is confident that it can help singles
to find the most compatible partner.
By providing ID checking, it ensures
that its members can enjoy its oneon-one dating service in an effective,
convenient, secure, and private way.
www.esynchrony.com
49
DESIGN
FARM
fifty-five is a data agency which
helps brands leverage their data to
increase marketing, advertising and
sales effectiveness. It helps businesses
collect, enrich, and activate their
data to find new customers, foster
engagement, increase conversion, and
drive sales across online and offline
channels. Co-founded by former
Google executives, fifty-five has offices
in Paris, London and Hong Kong.
fifty-five’s client portfolio — mostly
from fashion, luxury, hospitality and
retail industries — has been growing
with major international groups,
of which an increasing number
are looking to expand their digital
operations across Asia. This represents
a real challenge as the Asian data
market is relatively young, therefore
evangelising the business value of
data is a priority. Opening a regional
headquarters in Hong Kong is the
second step of fifty-five’s international
expansion.
www.fifty-five.com
50
Established in Italy in 2006, GAA
Design is a cross-disciplinary design
and creative firm that works as a
cultural and artistic mediator. GAA
Design, as a transgressive player,
explores together with people’s
needs the unlimited scenarios of
imagination.
Together with forward-thinking
industry partners, GAA Design
explores the evolution of its modern
culture, social ecosystem and values
with the aim of celebrating the role
of products in its modern consumer
society. With one foot in the field
of applied arts and the other in
the modern industrial ecosystem,
GAA Design explores the alchemy
of human emotions and their
relationships to the experiences
that help it read and understand
its modern world and inspire
innovation. GAA Design is interested
in collaborating with partners across a
spectrum of industries: industrial and
product design, applied arts, visual
communications, service design,
business design, technology (IT),
lighting and interior design.
www.gaadesign.net
Galerie Koo is an art gallery located
in Central, Hong Kong, focusing
on contemporary art. The gallery
represents established and emerging
artists from different parts of the
world — mainly Europe and Asia. The
gallery hosts art exhibitions for gallery
artists and collaborates with galleries
outside Hong Kong. Galerie Koo
offers art consultancy service, from
development of commissioning work
for projects, supervising the on-going
process, to the final monitoring of the
installation of work.
The gallery targets to make available
different themes of original paintings:
abstract, conceptual, landscape,
portrait, fantasy world, where an
individual artist conveys his/her
theme of perceptions into distinctive
ideas with an aesthetic approach, to
more amateurs and collectors through
art exhibitions at the gallery and art
fairs around the world. The gallery
aims to promote contemporary
arts with beauty and colours to art
lovers of all levels domestically and
internationally.
www.galeriekoo.com
Founded in Hong Kong in 2007,
GoAnimate Hong Kong Ltd is a
do-it-yourself platform that helps
companies create marketing,
training, and sales videos quickly
and cost-effectively. Thousands of
businesses around the world use
GoAnimate’s cloud-based, drag-anddrop technology to create professional
videos.
With offices in Silicon Valley,
Taipei and Hong Kong, GoAnimate
provides users with a best-in-class
library of digital assets — characters,
actions, props, text boxes and data
visualisation tools — within its video
maker. Businesses utilise these assets
to create customised video content
for marketing, sales, and training
programmes. GoAnimate is committed
to helping companies of all sizes
create effective video content without
budget concerns.
GoAnimate.com
A successful retail environment is
no longer just a place to buy and sell
but a unique space where users can
experience, share and enjoy a blend
of design, innovation, technology
and engineering. Gruppo Pozzi Asia
Ltd is the mind factory where retail
projects are re-mastered through
experimentation, research, creativity
and innovation, and then delivered
globally.
Launched in October 2013, Gruppo
Pozzi Asia is the new regional
headquarters as well as a creative,
highly innovative and technology
driven company. It provides retail
design and full project management
for companies within the retail and
travel retail sectors that want to
provide a unique brand experience
and increase return-on-investment
rate. Hong Kong is a global trendsetter
and its booming retail sector makes it
a unique place to develop solutions
for worldwide export. With a stable
and business-friendly economy, Hong
Kong is a natural choice for the group’s
Asian operations.
www.gruppo-pozzi.com
Haines McGregor is one of the UK’s
most innovative and established brand
development agencies. The opening
of the first Asia-Pacific office in Hong
Kong is to meet continuing regional
demand from international clients.
The agency, headquartered in London,
has over 25 years of experience
in developing brands, innovation,
positioning, strategy, insight and
segmentation and brand identity for
world leading brands including Diageo,
Danone, Haagen-Dazs, Unilever and
Heinz. Sector experience spans across
food and beverage, alcohol, luxury,
health and beauty, leisure and lifestyle,
retail and services markets. Haines
McGregor fuses creativity and strategic
thinking with a reputation for local,
regional and international expertise
and project delivery.
Harbour Rights is an international
TV distribution company based in
Hong Kong. Its parent company is
AMPERSAND. Its core business is to
serve the ever-growing demand for
factual content around the world and
especially in Mainland China, where
the genre is new and very popular.
With documentaries and magazines
from Europe, North America or Asia,
it distributes its programme beyond
simply television, as it is active in
Inflight, DVD, VoD (video-on-demand),
closed-circuit TV and new media in
general.
www.hainesmcgregor.hk
www.harbour-rights.com
Being in Hong Kong enabled Harbour
Rights to source the best factual
productions from Asia and expand
regionally and internationally by
featuring content that appeals to
international audience. Hong Kong’s
strategic location enables its success
in TV distribution in Asia, especially
when it was given the opportunity to
represent French national broadcaster
France Television as its exclusive
agent in Asia Pacific in 2013.
China Huace Film & TV Co Ltd is
a leading company of Mainland
China’s film and television culture. Its
core business is film and television
production and distribution. It
produces about a thousand episodes
of TV programming every year. The
company ranks first in terms of global
production, broadcast rate, market
share, market share at prime time,
overseas export rate in the industry.
The company’s headquarters is
located in Hangzhou. It has offices
in Beijing, Shenzhen, Hong Kong,
Taipei and South Korea with over
20 branches and subsidiaries.
Huace Media International Ltd was
established in Hong Kong on
13 May 2013, aiming to make use
of the geographical advantages of
Hong Kong to integrate the resources
of playwrights and directors in
Hong Kong and overseas, enhance
international cooperation, improve
core competitiveness and build a
flagship of Chinese culture and media.
www.huacemedia.com
51
Introtainer Ltd is a mobile-first
company providing deep insight
and expertise in mobile strategy
and marketing. Establishing its
headquarters in Hong Kong in
2014 has enabled the company
to tap into the growth in Asia and
stay close to its customers in the
region. Introtainer provides mobile
development consultation service
and app marketing strategy. It helps
clients accelerate growth beyond their
markets in Asia-Pacific and western
countries via its unique channels
and partnerships. It has established a
trusting relationship with a number of
clients and major game publishers in
the regions.
Jaunty Group is the holding company
for the activities of Callaghan Walsh
Photographer. The company works
throughout Hong Kong and Asia
delivering photographic and video
requirements for clients in the
publishing, media, travel, leisure,
corporate, marketing and advertising
industries. The company’s client bases
has risen sharply since starting up in
Hong Kong with the likes of Hong Kong
Tatler, Getty Images, Grosvenor, Sands
Macau and Dior using the company for
their photographic needs.
Started in May 2014, Jumpstart is Hong
Kong’s first publication dedicated
to startups, small business and
entrepreneurs. It is printed six times
a year and is available for free at over
200 venues including co-working
spaces, chambers of commerce,
universities, coffee shops, hotels,
marketing agencies and other select
locations. It is also available online
on iTunes newsstand, Amazon,
Issuu, Android and other digital and
mobile platforms. News coverage
includes upcoming startup events
and workshops, articles from business
experts, interviews of local startups
and general coverage of Hong Kong
startup community. Jumpstart is
printed on FSC-certified recycled
paper and committed to maintaining
editorial integrity.
Kenshoo is the global leader in
predictive marketing software. Brands,
agencies and developers use Kenshoo
Search, Kenshoo Social, Adquant by
Kenshoo, Kenshoo Local, Kenshoo
SmartPath, Kenshoo Halogen, and
Kenshoo Anywhere to direct more
than US$200 billion in annualised
client sales revenue through the
platform.
www.callaghanwalsh.com
www.jumpstartmag.com
www.kenshoo.com
PlanDo is a mobile app developed by
Introtainer Ltd as a platform to share
and join gatherings instantly with
people nearby easily. It represents
its vision of facilitating interpersonal
interactions in the mobile-centric
world.
www.plando.so
52
Kenshoo is the only Facebook strategic
Preferred Marketing Developer with
native API solutions for ads across
Facebook, FBX, Twitter, Google, Yahoo,
Yahoo Japan, Bing, Baidu and CityGrid.
Kenshoo powers digital marketing
campaigns in more than 190 countries
for nearly half of the Fortune 50 and
all 10 top global ad agency networks.
Kenshoo clients include CareerBuilder,
Expedia, Facebook, KAYAK, Havas
Media, IREP, John Lewis, Resolution
Media, Salmat Digital, Starcom
MediaVest Group, Tesco, Travelocity,
Walgreens, and Zappos. Kenshoo
has 24 international locations and
is backed by Sequoia Capital, Arts
Alliance, Tenaya Capital, and Bain
Capital Ventures.
For more than 10 years, Keops Group
has been a consistent booth player in
Asia. To increase its performances, the
group decided to create its subsidiary
in Hong Kong, Keops Asie, this year.
The company helps in bringing a
French touch to Asia. Since 2000, it
has been laying out each booth as
a unique, welcoming, and modern
meeting place. It designs and produces
innovative winning décor.
It chose Hong Kong because it is a
business oriented city with a strategic
place in Asia. Its main customers are
premium brands in cosmetics, wine,
design and cars. The company has a
large pool of clients who came to Asia
and worked with it 10 years ago and
are still its clients today.
www.keopsasie.com
Established in July 2015 and
headquartered in Sydney, King
Content (HK) Pty Ltd is King Content’s
sixth office and its second office in
Asia, supported by the Asia head office
in Singapore. Hong Kong is a dynamic
and vibrant city where the needs of
digital content marketing are growing
rapidly. King Content forecasts drastic
growth in demand in the near future
and sees the need for a local presence
to provide services for clients here.
The Hong Kong office provides
content marketing services, like
website copywriting, video content
productions, infographic designs,
content strategy planning, and so on.
It provides content services not only
in English but also in Chinese both for
the growing number of local clients,
as well as for clients seeking global
expansion. King Content is planning
to open its seventh office in the near
future.
www.kingcontent.com.au
KOKONUZZ is a young lifestyle brand
created with a clear objective in mind:
to bring colour, fun and wackiness to
today’s busy and stressful urban life.
The brand was launched in 2012 by
Alexis Bautista, a Spanish designer and
entrepreneur. Since its inception, the
company has created a memorable
group of characters which connects
with the intercultural urban spirit and
appeals to young and old alike. Today,
the Kokonuzz universe includes
several different iconic characters,
each with its own personality and
story.
L’Immagine Ritrovata Asia is a wholly
owned subsidiary of L’Immagine
Ritrovata of Bologna, Italy, a highly
specialised laboratory and leader
in the field of film restoration. The
opening of the Hong Kong office
enables the laboratory to build
closer ties with its Asian archives
and film libraries, and to foster new
opportunities in the region. In addition
to liaison with archives and film
libraries, the laboratory in Hong Kong
will focus on film digitisation of picture
and sound.
KOKONUZZ current product line is
mostly focused on apparel items for
adult, children and baby and is mostly
active in Hong Kong. The company
is also expanding its designs and
characters to other product categories
and is open to collaborate with new
licensing partners to further expand
the brand globally.
www.kokonuzz.com
www.immagineritrovata.asia
53
Located at 74 Hollywood Road in
Central, La Galerie is one of Hong
Kong’s first art spaces specialising in
high-standard art photography and
prints. Founders Marie-Florence Gros
and Cyril Delettre have been totally
seduced by the energy driving the
city and want to share with the public
their passion and expertise at this new
gallery, right in the heart of the Asian
art scene.
La Galerie will cover and share all
aspects of photography, from fine
art photography to selected press
photographs. The gallery will present
international recognised masterpieces,
as well as a collection of growing
artists. La Galerie aims to become
quickly the reference where collectors,
investors and photography lovers will
be able to learn, share, experience,
live and buy art photography. La
Galerie will not only be a gallery, but an
interactive space for all artistic minds.
www.lagalerie.hk
54
La-vie Photography JAPAN was
founded in Kobe by LEC Co Ltd in 1995.
Taking the concept of “happiness can
be achieved in less than a second”,
La-vie Photography JAPAN has
successfully steered away from the
traditional shooting style of wedding
photos in Japan. Not only has the
concept of La-vie Photography JAPAN
achieved a remarkable success in
the Japanese wedding industry, its
finished product — “design album”
has also assisted the company in
achieving another milestone to
become a pioneer in the industry.
La-vie Photography JAPAN has 16
shops in Japan serving more than
30,000 couples every year. In 2014,
La-vie Photography JAPAN opened its
branch in Hong Kong to promote the
luxurious, high-quality Japan prewedding and wedding service to all
Hong Kong nuptial couples.
www.la-viephotography.com
Lamplight Analytics is a socialmedia data analytics company
headquartered in Hong Kong. The
Asia-Pacific region is one of the most
dynamic and complex places to do
business today, due to the diversity
of language, culture and social media
habits of the people living here.
Lamplight harnesses Asian languageprocessing technology to provide
marketers, strategists and business
leaders the most accurate and
comprehensive social insight tools
available in the region. This allows
brands to capture powerful, real-time
audience insight, enabling smarter
commercial decisions.
Use Lamplight to understand what
consumers are saying and how
competitors are performing. Monitor
marketing campaigns in real time,
to react quickly and maximise your
return on investment. Identify online
influencers and sentiment with
Lamplight to measure your share of
voice with the people who matter the
most to your brand.
lamplight.me
Leadarchitects Ltd is a new Hong
Kong architecture and design
company, specialising in large-scale
retail and mixed use developments
and also the branding and positioning
of projects and companies. From
master plans to individual retail stores,
Lead can offer creative solutions
across a wide spectrum of design
related services. Set up in March
2014, and operating out of loft spaces
in Quarry Bay, Lead has recently
opened design studios in Malaysia and
Singapore. The founders of Lead have
worked together as a team for the past
10 years and are committed to creating
a new kind of employee owned
company; one where all staff are
fairly seen as partners in the business.
Operating with a kinship for the values
that “doing good equates to good
business”, Lead is openly conscious
about the necessities of sustainability,
both in its work and its operations.
www.leadarchitecture.com
Lime* Creative is a full service
creative agency and video production
company based in Hong Kong
that writes, produces and delivers
powerful and engaging creative for
a wide range of industries in Asia,
such as commercials, corporate
communications, broadcast,
channel branding, on-air promos and
everything in between. Its services
include shooting, copywriting, editing,
post production and 2D/3D motion
graphics.
Its team has over 25 years of
experience working with some of
the world’s most prestigious brands.
Founded in 2010, the company was set
up by award-winning Creative Director
Bill McQueen and has become a highly
sought-after creative shop.
www.limecreative.hk
Macey and Sons Auctioneers and
Valuers was founded by Jonathan
Macey who possesses over 25 years’
experience in the auctioneering and
financial services industry. Macey and
Sons offers a comprehensive range of
art investment services to the Hong
Kong market, including but not limited
to advising on art investment and a
comprehensive range of exit strategies.
Macey and Sons recently opened an
art gallery in Hong Kong in November
2014 in order to service clients in both
the primary and secondary markets
by showcasing Chinese and Western
contemporary artworks. This new
art gallery provides a platform for art
sales, client events and educational
seminars focusing on art investment
and exit strategies, which serve to
strengthen and enhance the various
art investment services offered by the
company, whilst increasing the profile
of Macey and Sons to the general
public.
Founded in 2010 Makaron has been
developing home linen products and
accessories across Asia, combining
influences from both western and
Asian cultures. Autumn-winter 2013
saw the launch of new lines including
an elegant range of table decoration,
children’s creations as reversible
duvet covers and quilts, and an
outdoor collection with trendy picnic
mats, large beach throws, waterproof
pouches and contemporary totes.
www.maceyandsons.com
www.makaron-home.com
Makaron can be found in Hong Kong
at Kapok, Bumps to Babes, Petit Bazaar,
Mirth, Okooko, TroiZenfants and
Babushka. Makaron will attend the first
edition of M&O Asia Singapore from 10
to 13 March 2014 in order to reach new
Asian buyers.
With 37 years of experience
supporting international firms in
Japan with a flexible, holistic approach
to interior architecture, which is called
“360° Workplace Environment”, Midas
brings cutting edge, innovative office
concepts to help firms grow. The
Midas analysis, planning, design and
engineering services are tailored to
satisfy the broadest range of client
needs and the first overseas branch,
Midas Office Design (HK) Ltd was
opened in 2012. Hirotake Hayashi
is based in Hong Kong and ready
to assist and support international
firms seeking efficient and employeemotivating office design for Hong Kong
and Asia Pacific.
www.midasjapan.com
55
Mohawk is a creative advertising and
communications agency specialised in
the creation of big ideas that can work
across different media. Founded in 2007
by former members of JWT London
who were responsible for the creation
of HSBC’s “world’s local bank” campaign,
Mohawk has a breadth of experience
in advertising for blue chip companies
in financial and professional services.
The agency has created well-known
and award-winning brand campaigns
for the likes of Schroders, Standard Life
Investments and Deloitte — across TV,
digital, print, video, social media and
out-of-home advertising formats.
Mohawk understands the key
challenges faced by marketers today
and provides solutions which actively
help develop brands. Having already
run campaigns across the UK, Europe,
the US and Asia, the opening of the first
office in Hong Kong, Asia’s creative hub,
represents a commitment to bringing
their creative approach and unique
understanding of the advertising
industry into the Asia-Pacific region for
both existing and new clients.
www.mohawkhq.com
56
Morphis is an award-winning
landscape architecture and hospitality
design studio from the UK, with
offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The studio specialises in urban
transformation — creating innovative
and visionary projects that explore
the intersection of city, society and
nature. Its unique approach celebrates
context, experience and memory.
Morphis is passionate about the
emerging and changing nature
of cities, which has a profound
impact on urban life. It strives to
create connections between people
and natural systems, as well as to
implement sustainable and socially
responsive designs. Morphis recently
won the international design
competition for Hong Kong’s largest
regeneration project at the former
airport, Kai Tak City. Its Hong Kong
studio provides a unique platform to
collaborate closely with key clients
across Asia and beyond.
www.morphisdesign.com
NexChange is a social network
designed exclusively for the financial
services industry. Its mission is to
unite the global financial community,
enabling professionals to reach their
full potential.
NexChange was founded by Juwan
Lee in 2014, and headquartered in
New York City, home to its marketing,
product, content, creative and
business development teams. Hong
Kong houses NexChange’s technology,
business development, finance and
operations teams, with eight fulltime employees. The Hong Kong
operation — NexChange (Hong Kong)
Ltd — works closely with outsourced
technology and content teams in the
Philippines. Hong Kong was a natural
choice for expansion, with low-cost
technology resources and its status
as a global financial hub. NexChange
plans to double its staff here by the
end of 2016.
www.NexChange.com
Nikkei Inc, a major Japanese business
news publisher, established an
English-language editorial operation
in Hong Kong in September 2013, as
part of the launch of a new publication
called Nikkei Asian Review (NAR) that
has broadened the company’s focus
to the wider Asian region. NAR is a
multi-platform publication consisting
of a website, mobile apps and a
weekly print magazine and it aims to
be the only global news publication
specialising in pan-Asian affairs.
asia.nikkei.com
Founded in April this year, nowboat™
Ltd is the digital startup that is
changing seafaring. The startup
provides professional seafaring and
adventure for tourist operators. It also
provides business tools to manage
their operations more efficiently
and to market their services more
effectively.
Creating a new standard in the
industry, nowboat™ centralises global
offers in order to create a unique
experience for travelers, celebrating
their deep desire for adventure and
discovery. As a young and modern
business ecosystem, nowboat™
actively directs resources toward
protecting oceans and biodiversity
conservation projects. Collaborating
with NGOs and institutional
organisation, nowboat™ welcomes
customers to choose the allocation
of its social and environmental
responsibility budget through a special
built-in platform tool.
www.nowboat.com
Palais Royal Paris was founded in
1996 by two well-established fine
antique and vintage jewellery dealers
Tom Korpershoek and Gilles Zalulyan
at the prestigious Paris antique centre
“Louvre des Antiquaires”. Situated
in the Hollywood Road antique
neighbourhood and being the first of
its kind in Hong Kong, the store opened
in 2013. Having a team with over
25 years of experience in handling
quality antique and vintage jewellery,
watches and objects de vertu, Palais
Royal Paris bears a considerable
reputation amongst international
collectors and dealers. Its collection
consists of 19th — 21st century
European and North-American
authentic pieces from major jewellery
houses including Cartier, Van Cleef
& Arpels, Boucheron, Mauboussin,
Bulgari, Chaumet, Marchak and Tiffany
& Co, etc.
Paris Art Ltd invested in Hong Kong
because of the practical and easy way
of building a business in the city. Hong
Kong is also a good platform for artsrelated projects. Its office in Kennedy
Town gathers a team of French and
Chinese locals with great experience
in creativity, art consultancy and
stylish communications, as it wants to
emphasise the bridge between eastern
and western cultures. It is now able to
provide a true experience of lifestyle
mixed with art. Paris Art Ltd offers
elegant artistic support for events
such as live fashion illustrations or
arty culinary experiences. Its team
of dedicated professionals provides
original ideas tailored to customers’
specific needs.
Two Italian gallery owners first
opened an art gallery in Hong Kong
back in 2011. Aiming to celebrate
Italian contemporary art and bring
European art worldwide, they decided
to focus in Hong Kong where east
meets west. By further developing
their business, they partnered with
two other entrepreneurs in Hong Kong,
and established a new art gallery,
Parkview Art Hong Kong, in October
2014. Supporting a stellar group of
emerging Chinese and international
artists as well as bringing in European
modern masters, the 4,000-square foot
gallery space is the perfect platform to
exhibit and view artworks, where the
gallery initiates dialogue between the
curators, the artists and the audience.
www.palaisroyalparis.com
www.paris-art-ltd.com
www.parkviewarthk.com
57
Precedent is an international fullservice digital agency delivering
solutions that include digital
transformation, user experience
design, brand development, web and
mobile design and development,
content management, hosting and
support. Originating in the UK, and
with over 25 years of experience,
Precedent made its first international
move to Australia in 2009. It now has
seven international offices, 120 staff
and is recognised as one of the UK’s
and Australia’s leading digital agencies.
Having quickly identified the growth
and opportunities in the digital sector
in Asia, it chose Hong Kong as the
destination for its first regional office
in 2013. As digital experts in a number
of sectors including financial services,
education and travel and leisure, it
considers Hong Kong a natural fit for
its first step in Asia as it has a large local
market and superb access to mainland
China.
www.precedent.com
58
Propagandeur is a creative studio
and full service production company
that conceptualises and creates
video content for commercials
and advertising, digital platforms,
broadcast, corporate films, exhibitions
and global brands.
Founded by Adrian Seah, a former
Creative Director with CNN
International and FOX International
Channels in London, Singapore and
Hong Kong, Propagandeur draws
on the most creative talent from
around the world to produce the most
engaging and captivating content for
brands aspiring to speak to a regional
or global audience, whether on TV,
online or on mobile. Being based
in Hong Kong, Asia’s creative hub,
allows Propagandeur to serve brands
throughout the region — from luxury
clients to tourism, hotels to airlines,
governments to FMCG. Propagandeur
has passionate creative professionals
and storytellers specialised in putting
your brand onscreen, whether it is five
inches across or 50 feet wide.
www.propagandeur.com
Established in 2012, R+I is an
independent creative advertising
agency designed to produce culturally
relevant content for digital, mobile
and out-of-home (OOH) advertising.
Its Hong Kong branch was opened
in January 2015. R+I’s experience in
working with iconic brands and its
deep understanding of pop culture
give the company the agility to
anticipate and adapt to fast changing
markets, consumers, and technologies
while translating that into innovative
and inspiring ideas, as well as powerful
business results for its clients.
Radius Hong Kong Ltd is a global
innovation and product development
firm that helps companies develop
and deliver innovative, user centric
product solutions that optimise
experiences and enhance lives. Radius
expanded its operations in January
2015 and recently moved its Hong
Kong operations to Hong Kong Science
Park to facilitate continued growth,
and to better service local and global
healthcare, consumer, packaging and
commercial clients in Asia. Radius has
additional offices in Shanghai, Silicon
Valley, Chicago and Boston.
These ideas take many forms, from
branded films to TV commercials,
branding to product development and
cutting-edge in-house projects for the
likes of Chanel, Mazda Europe, Nike
Foundation, Red Bull, Ubisoft, Coke,
Avex Entertainment Group to name
a few. R+I’s mission is to become a
bridge between Asia and Europe and
more globally between Asia and new
markets by creating connections and
promoting some of the world’s next
top brands.
Radius offers a unique end-to-end
suite of innovation and product
development services, from research,
design and development, to testing,
engineering and manufacturing. Its
multi-disciplinary team of product
strategists, researchers, designers,
human factors specialists, engineers,
quality, and manufacturing experts
thrive on solving the complex
problems of a product development
programmme globally and regionally.
www.ricreative.com
www.radiuspd.com
Established in March 2014, Rasti
Chinese Art Ltd is the Hong Kong sister
company of Knapton Rasti Asian Art
Ltd (KRAA). KRAA was established in
London in 2000 by Nader Rasti and
Christopher Knapton, both ex-directors
of Christie’s in London, who specialise in
the sale and purchase of high-end Asian
works of art, predominantly Chinese.
The company also offers consultancy
and advisory services to private clients,
museums and auction houses. An
annual exhibition accompanied by
a specially produced catalogue was
held every November in London
and will now be held every October
in Hong Kong. In addition, KRAA has
participated in art fairs in San Francisco,
New York, Hong Kong and China.
As much of the market for Chinese
works of art has shifted to Asia
centring upon Hong Kong, Nader Rasti
established Rasti Chinese Art Ltd to
better meet the demands of his clients
in Asia. The scope of business of the
new company will also be the sale and
purchase of high-end Chinese works
of art and the provision of consultancy
and advisory services.
www.rastichineseart.com.hk
Rong Bao Zhai reopened its Hong
Kong branch in November 2013. The
new gallery is located in Cheung
Kong Centre, which is situated in
the financial and cultural centre of
Hong Kong. The Hong Kong branch
focuses on marketing Rong Bao
Zhai’s signature commodities, such
as Chinese calligraphy and paintings,
traditional stationaries, wood block
prints and art publications. The Hong
Kong branch will exemplify Rong
Bao Zhai’s position as a predominant
art gallery by regularly organising
exhibitions to promote outstanding
Chinese artists. Rong Bao Zhai will take
advantage of Hong Kong’s supremacy
as a leading international marketplace
to explore and expand into the global
art market. The Hong Kong branch
will revolutionise the brand image
of Rong Bao Zhai through innovative
marketing and operational strategies.
The gallery represents a bridge
between Chinese traditional culture
and modern ideologies and hopes to
increase global awareness for Chinese
art and culture.
Since 1953, Ryder Architecture
Ltd’s principles have remained the
same — design is fundamentally
about problem solving. It searches
for economic and elegant solutions
which become timeless and enduring
expressions of purpose. Its quest for
excellence in design is backed by a
continuing process of best practice
development in business and in its
talented teams.
www.rongbaozhai.cn
www.ryderarchitecture.com
In August 2014, it set up Ryder
(Asia) Ltd as a hub for the ASEAN
region and Mainland China and will
be supported by its UK teams to
serve clients across its established
sectors including education,
healthcare, industrial, infrastructure,
leisure, office, residential, science
and retail. Ryder Architecture is
committed to delivering BIM enabled
architectural excellence. Its practice
is highly proficient in utilising digital
engineering tools and has been at the
forefront of BIM for over a decade.
Through listening to clients, its
people build excellent relationships,
informing and enriching service
delivery.
SEEN — Music & Entertainment is
a brand engagement agency with a
strong will. It wants to help brands
to make the most of music and use
it for what it is meant to do: engaging
and sharing, inducing emotions,
dramatising stories and creating
unique experiences. The company
helps brands to express their unique
identity through consistent music
and sound in all its communication
activities and to promote its products
and services through integrated
communication plan by leveraging the
power of music.
In March 2014, SEEN launched a new
office in Hong Kong to share its knowhow in terms of brand engagement
through music and participation in the
rapid development of local creative
industries.
www.agence-seen.com
59
60
Serabeena designs and develops
creative toys for children aged three
to eight years old. Predominately
sold on an ODM (original design
manufacturer) basis, its products can
be found on the shelves of the world’s
leading toy stores throughout Europe,
North America, the Middle East, South
America, Africa and Australasia.
simpleshow helps large organisations
to communicate in a simple way about
complex topics by creating very short
and story-telling video clips based
on drawings only. It uses creative and
unique techniques that produce a
powerful tool to respond to internal
and external communication and
training needs.
Its toys seek to inspire imagination
and invention while encouraging early
child development through learning.
Serabeena products are manufactured
to the highest quality standard with an
uncompromising emphasis on safety.
The toy industry is one of Hong Kong’s
oldest and largest export industries,
making it the perfect place for
Serabeena’s newly established base.
Sixty percent of the 200+ clips it
produces every month globally are
for internal communication and
training in a wide range of topics:
company values, compliance training,
etc. The remaining 40 percent are for
marketing such as product, service or
company presentations. Simpleshow
is a German company founded in
2008. It has expanded in Asia from
2012 with the opening of a regional
headquarters in Singapore and a Hong
Kong sales and project management
office in May 2013 that is initially
covering Hong Kong and Macau.
Today, simpleshow is a team of 130
people globally with offices in Berlin,
Stuttgart, New York, London, Singapore
and Hong Kong.
serabeena.com.au
www.simpleshow.com
Widely recognised as the fashion
capital of Asia, Hong Kong was the
natural choice for luxury British
brand Smith & Norbu to open its first
concept store in Asia, where it offers
tailormade buffalo horn eyeglasses
and sunglasses.
A selection of more than 100 buffalo
horn plates is available, instore, for the
client to choose from for their Smith &
Norbu eyeglasses. Upon choosing the
material, the particular style that the
client desires is then discussed with
the craftsman who then will take the
client’s own individual measurements,
using 3D scanning technology. The
eyeglasses are handcrafted specially
for the client.
www.smith-norbu.com
Social with Woulfe pushes the
limits of the social media revolution,
which fundamentally changed how
businesses, organisations and even
government agencies think, operate
and thrive in a connected world. In
an ever-changing, evolutionary social
landscape, a business needs a trusted
social media partner.
Social with Woulfe offers measurable
value, some key services include
analytical social media insight,
creative visual identity branding
and importantly, daily human social
media community management
and engagement. Both reactive and
adaptive, the team attempts to attract
seasoned players in design, creative,
luxury goods, social development and
more. This amalgamation of talent
and experience, digital eyes and social
networks, illuminate an invisible
world where the stakeholders talk,
share, follow and praise or complain.
The liberation of customer sentiment
requires attention and Social with
Woulfe can help one succeed in this
dynamic ecosystem.
www.socialwithwoulfe.com
Spatial practice believes in greatness
and strives to realise desires and
dreams. It is formed by Dora Chi &
Erik Amir in 2013 as a collaborative
international office for innovative
architecture, urbanism and design.
Spatial practice believes the future
of design is in Hong Kong because of
its central location in Asia and it is a
bridge between east and west.
Creative industries play an
increasingly important role and
are a strong driving force in Hong
Kong’s economy. Spatial practice is
establishing its headquarters in Hong
Kong as a creative hub for all activities
in Asia and internationally with a
commitment to continuous design
innovation. The design approach,
stemming from a diverse multicultural
international background and working
with Pritzker Prize architects, is
different from the traditional Hong
Kong practice, and it will only be
strengthened by directly engaging in
the dynamic nature of Hong Kong and
its locality.
www.spatialpractice.com
Founded in Copenhagen in 1933,
Steensen Varming has over 80 years
of experience working with renowned
architects on international projects
encompassing architectural and urban
design, the private, corporate and public
sectors, modest upgrades and World
Heritage Sites, providing mechanical
and electrical engineering, sustainable
and lighting design solutions to
enhance human living environment.
It has offices in Copenhagen, London,
Sydney,New York and now Hong Kong.
In June 2014, Steensen Varming opened
its first Asian Studio in Sheung Wan,
Hong Kong, as this dynamic city is a
great place for creative companies to
operate amid an increasing demand
in Asia for design excellence and
innovation. It is an important and
buoyant market with plentiful supply
of international talent and the ease of
doing business for the architectural
sector. Located at the heart of Asia,
Hong Kong also provides a gateway
to opportunities within the southeast
Asian market and Mainland China,
which is an important step in the
company’s global development.
www.steensenvarming.com
Stories Design Management is a
strategy and creative agency working
with fashion, luxury houses and
kitchen ware brands on design
projects. It develops inspiring
storylines that set a brand’s design
apart, and integrates brands into
stories of creativity and innovation.
Based on its success in France in
the last 10 years, the company aims
to capture the opportunities by
managing and monitoring more
design projects for its French and
Asian customers directly from Hong
Kong. Most of its customers have
won international prizes: Red Dot
Design Award 2014 (Germany), The
Housewares Innovation Award 2012
(UK), GOOD DESIGN 2011 (US).
Founded in August 2014 and
headquartered in Singapore, SUGAR
is a unique lifestyle and discovery app
designed to help people discover their
cities. Hong Kong is a colourful and
dynamic city. Its social fabric includes
many small local businesses that are
hidden away in walk-up buildings or
little alleys that people can walk past
them every day and still miss out.
The only way to find out about such
hidden gems is by word of mouth. As
such, Sugar Technologies (Hong Kong)
Ltd launched its mobile discovery app
for the Hong Kong market in April 2015
and has swiftly enlisted a few hundred
merchants and users. It intends to
expand its merchant list beyond food
and beverage to fashion and lifestyle
with events, entertainment and sports.
It has chosen Cyberport as its head
office because it is the place to be to
promote, develop IT business, and hire
app developers and engineers easily.
Its mission is to help small merchants
get discovered without hefty spending
on advertising and marketing costs,
and helps users to discover their own
city while supporting small merchants.
storiesdesignhk.com
hk.wewantsugar.com
61
Theatreplan is a world-class theatre
consultancy practice. Its team of
auditorium designers, stage engineers
and sound and lighting consultants
have been creating landmark cultural
buildings and performance spaces
around the globe for over 40 years.
Theatreplan has worked on some of
the world’s most important performing
arts buildings, including Copenhagen
Opera House, the Royal Opera House
and Barbican Theatre in London and
Sydney Opera House.
Working in collaboration with
architectural practices, Theatreplan has
created award-winning venues such
as the Lyric Theatre, Belfast (2012: RIBA
Stirling Prize short-list); School of the
Arts, Singapore (2011: RIBA International
Award); and the 325-seat Hampstead
Theatre, London (2003: RIBA Award).
Following its recent success in securing
the prestigious contract to deliver the
Freespace venue for West Kowloon
Cultural District Authority, Theatreplan
has recently expanded into Hong Kong.
Theatreplan (HK) Ltd will be delivering
services to its growing portfolio of
clients in the Asia-Pacific region.
www.theatreplan.co.uk
62
Etechevent supplies event technology
solutions such as paperless ticketing,
RFiD (think of the simple swipe-andgo technology used by the Octopus
card) and WiFi. These products help
the company differentiate itself from
incumbents and produces more
efficient, profitable, connected and
enjoyable events. For example, its
paperless tickets allow for ticket
purchases on the day of the event,
removing the need to pay or wait for the
post, or to physically go to a retail outlet
to pick them up. The company is best
known via its B2C brand ticketflap.com.
Founded by British entrepreneurs Mike
Hill and Peter Gordon, Etechevent is
headquartered in Hong Kong, where
its management, programming,
administrative and sales and marketing
teams are based. The Hong Kong
company, Ticketflap, is proud to have
provided ticketing and technology
services to some of the city’s largest
events including Clockenflap music
festival and the AIA Great European
Carnival, which combined are projected
to attract over 800,000 visitors.
www.ticketflap.com
Urban Discovery is a social enterprise
with a mission: keeping heritage
alive in Asian cities for a vibrant and
viable urban future. Established
by Dutch urban planner Ester
van Steekelenburg in 2010 and
headquartered in Hong Kong, the
company strategically works with nongovernment organisations, developers,
governments and cultural institutions
throughout Asia to capitalise on the
economic value of heritage.
Vasconi Architectes by Thomas
Schinko, is a continuation of the
renowned practice of French architect
Claude Vasconi. Originally started
in Paris, the practice has offices in
Luxembourg and Hong Kong. The
Hong Kong office was established
in recent years after winning the
competition for the construction of
one of the biggest sludge treatment
facilities in the world near Tuen Mun,
which will be completed in 2015.
To increase awareness and change
people’s perception of the value of
heritage, Urban Discovery launched
iDiscover City Walks in 2012. This
smartphone application offers a series
of self-guided neighbourhood walks,
allowing locals and visitors alike to
discover city secrets and explore
hidden cultural gems in Hong Kong,
Macau, Yangon, Bali and Java, with
plans to expand to other historic
cities in Asia in 2015. Urban Discovery
was the proud recipient of the 2014
Cathay Pacific Airways Shooting Star
Award, for a promising, innovative, and
creative company operating in Hong
Kong.
Vasconi Architectes has extensive
experience in large scale urban and
territorial master plan design. Its
project scope includes infrastructural
projects, industrial buildings, wastetreatment facilities, healthcare
facilities, office buildings, cutting
edge retail and hospitality projects
including interior design, focusing
on efficient layout, implementing all
aspects of innovative sustainable, ecofriendly and energy efficient design.
The firm is expanding in the region
with increasing staff members and
is short-listed for the Kai Tak Fantasy
International Ideas Competition.
www.urbandiscovery.asia
www.vasconi.hk
VenueHub is Hong Kong’s first and
now largest online marketplace for
event venues. It is a free to use portal
that helps users find and book their
perfect venue for their events, taking
the strain out of the searching process.
With Asia-wide ambitions, it chooses
Hong Kong as the launching pad
for its venture because of the city’s
vibrant business environment as well
as its booming events and food and
beverage industries. It understands
that Hong Kong people have a strong
appetite for organising events and
parties, something vindicated thus far,
providing strong foundations for its
portal to grow. As of now, it provides
users with over 250 Hong Kong
venues to browse and book. Based
in Hong Kong, its team uses local
design companies and suppliers to
make its vision a reality. The ease and
transparency of doing business here is
something it finds very attractive.
Established in 1992 and headquartered
in Singapore, with offices in Hong
Kong and Thailand, The Activation
Group (TAG) was formed to synergise
the expertise of three established
creative agencies in Singapore; VMSD,
Oomph and Luminart. Through this
amalgamation, TAG has strategically
positioned itself as a multi-disciplinary
creative agency offering 360-degree
retail and brand activation solutions.
These include a huge breadth of
services such as retail space design and
build, experiential marketing, events
management and manpower solutions.
www.venuehub.hk
www.vmsd.com.sg
Vpon Inc has the highest mobile
advertisement market share in Taiwan.
It established a subsidiary company
in Hong Kong to provide local market
with more outstanding and precise
mobile advertising services. Vpon Ltd,
the Hong Kong office, takes care of sales
and marketing functions. It also takes
the role of business development with
Hong Kong local app developers to
expand mobile ad inventory.
Vpon, with subsidiaries in Shanghai,
Tokyo, Taipei and Hong Kong, is a
leader in big data ad technology.
Under TAG’s business direction, VMSD
has carved an unparalleled niche in
the global travel retail, luxury, fashion,
FMCG and entertainment industry as
well as the government sector in the
Asia-Pacific market. VMSD HK was set
up in Hong Kong to establish a strong
local presence in order to extend its
creative services for clients in Mainland
China. TAG boasts strong clientele
records which include global brands
such as Nike, Adidas, DFS and Unilever.
Founded in the heart of Tokyo in 1967,
Whitestone Gallery has been one of a
small number of pioneering galleries
in Japan. Whitestone Gallery in Hong
Kong is the first overseas operation of
the gallery, and is not only a platform
for introducing East Asian artists to the
international market, but also a path
to bring the international art scene
into Japan. With extensive surveys
on East Asian post-war period artists
and art movements, the gallery hopes
to create a new dialogue about the
relationship between contemporary
and modern art in Asia, and add more
diversity to the multicultural art scene
in Hong Kong.
Whitestone Gallery`s spacious
exhibition space in South Island
will be hosting in-depth exhibitions
to explore Asian modern and
contemporary art in conjunction with
local art institutions and businesses.
www.vpon.com
whitestone.hk
63
Art photography distributor and
retailer, YellowKorner’s concept has
been created using a very simple
equation: increasing the number of
copies of an art photograph makes
it accessible to more amateurs and
collectors.
Since its creation in 2006, the brand
has greatly expanded, with a chain
of 80 galleries across the globe. It
recently entered the Asian market
with branches in Singapore and Hong
Kong, where it opened in November
2013 and created 10 jobs. YellowKorner
expects to extend its activities in Hong
Kong by opening a pop-up store and
another flagship store by 2014. The
company’s global vision is to bring the
French art de vivre and its culture to
Asia. To do so, YellowKorner’s target
is to open a gallery in Taiwan quite
soon and to enter China’s market. By
2020 YellowKorner expects to launch
in new markets in Asia such as South
Korea and Japan.
en.yellowkorner.com
64
Yelp is a user-generated review site
and app that connects people with
great local businesses. Founded in San
Francisco in July 2004, people can
now find vibrant Yelp communities
in 31 international markets. Launched
in September 2014 in Hong Kong, Yelp
helps urban adventurers explore
Hong Kong in a new light. Boasting
one of Asia’s highest concentrations of
restaurants per capita, that means a lot
of tasty Yelp reviews.
But you can find a lot more on Yelp
beyond restaurants: Yelp can be your
local guide for real word-of-mouth
reviews on everything from boutiques
and salons to parks and dentists. Log
on to yelp.com.hk or download Yelp’s
mobile app for iOS or Android to find
great local businesses. Businesses can
get in on the action too at biz.yelp.com.
hk by claiming their page for free and
building their Yelp business page.
www.yelp.com.hk
Yoogaia is the world’s first live,
interactive online yoga studio. Yoogaia
lets people practise yoga in the
convenience and comfort of one’s own
home, at a fraction of a gym or studio
membership. With a professional
teacher instructing via webcam, users
will be able to learn and interact with
the teacher live.
Founded in Finland in January 2014,
Yoogaia now has studios in Helsinki,
London and Hong Kong, and soon
to be in New York. Live-streaming
interactive yoga classes across time
zones, Yoogaia has made wellness
accessible globally 24/7. Hong Kong
is Asia’s regional headquarters for
a number of reasons: a growing
popularity in yoga; a well-developed
pool of talent; and a dependable
infrastructure to deliver 24/7 yoga
classes online, globally. Coupled
with its proximity to Mainland
China with an estimated 10 million
yoga practitioners, Hong Kong is
strategically placed as the centre for
yoga business in Asia.
yoogaia.com
Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is for general reference only. While every effort has been made to keep
information current and accurate, InvestHK does not accept any responsibility whatsoever in respect of such information. There is no
implied endorsement of any material or recommendation of a company or service provider over another.
65
This brochure is printed on paper which is recyclable, acid-free and Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF).
此書以環保紙、無酸紙及基本無氯氣漂染印制
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@ Copyright 2015

Creative Industries – Case Studies

Transcription

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