BIP Asia Forum and Entrepreneur Day open today

*HONG KONG, Dec 7, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) -* The *13th* *Business of IP Asia Forum (BIP Asia Forum)*, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR Government), along with the *15th Entrepreneur Day (E-Day)* hosted by HKTDC, open today.

This is the first time both events are being held concurrently for two consecutive days at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, offering a mix of forums, exhibitions, competitions, workshops, and business matching sessions.

The two events bring together more than 140 industry leaders specialising in intellectual property (IP), innovation and technology (I&T) and sustainability, along with international IP experts. They will exchange insights on start-up trends, IP applications and brand strategy as well as explore business opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and international markets. The events will showcase an array of products and technologies from over 350 start-ups and innovative projects.

*Margaret Fong*, Executive Director of the HKTDC; *Michael Wong*, Deputy Financial Secretary of the HKSAR; *Dr Lu Pengqi*, Deputy Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Organization; and *Daren Tang*, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), delivered remarks at the opening session this morning.

*Ms Fong *said: “A robust IP infrastructure needs to serve as the backbone for innovations, giving enterprises the confidence and capital to create. Hong Kong is a centre for innovation. It has world-class R&D and IP infrastructure, coupled with top-notch academic research and strong government support. The development of the GBA strengthens interconnectivity and cooperation among its cities across industries, including IP and innovation. This offers arising opportunities for businesses and fosters economic growth in the region and beyond.”

*IP & Innovation steering new economic growth*

The BIP Asia Forum, themed *IP & Innovation: Steering New Economic Growth*, gathers over 90 industry leaders to share their valuable insights.

At the *Policy Dialogue – Powering Economic Growth through a Future-Ready IP Policy*, Mr Tang said: “With COVID behind us, the world now needs to look forward and build new engines of growth for the future. This is why WIPO is focusing on IP’s role as a powerful catalyst for creating jobs, supporting business growth, giving hope to entrepreneurs, catalysing the creative economy and driving economic growth and development everywhere. Hong Kong, and the Greater Bay Area as a whole, is extremely well positioned to be a key global leader in this conversation. It is a centre of IP trade and innovation as well as a global platform for sharing ideas and perspectives for growth, not just in the region but also across the world.”

One of the first day’s highlights is the plenary session *Underpinning Brand Success: IP Strategies in the Digital Era.* It features *Mayeul Dastugue*, Legal Director of Global IP Enforcement of Christian Louboutin; *Laurence Morel-Chevillet*, IP and Brand Protection Director of Bulgari; and *Mayank Vaid*, Intellectual Property Director of Asia Pacific & China (Civil) of Louis Vuitton Pacific Limited. They will share their brands’ IP strategies for the digital economy and how they are utilising technology to reinvent their brands.

There are more in-depth sessions in the afternoon, including “IPHatch Asia - Empowering Innovation and Entrepreneurship with IP”, “Constructing a Renowned Greater Bay Area with IP”, “IP Collaboration and Competition in the Biomedical Industry in the Greater Bay Area”, and “Leading the Global Exchange of Digital Content and Intellectual Property Protection Development”. Speakers will delve into and exchange ideas on the latest trends and future development of intellectual property in various fields.

*Global Tech Summit gathers renowned tech firms*

At the *Global Tech Summit* on the Forum’s second day, *Olivier Klein*, Chief Technologist of Amazon Web Services Asia Pacific; *Shing Lee*, Cloud Solution Strategist (Data & AI) of Microsoft Hong Kong; and *Dr Ginny Wong*, Data Scientist of NVIDIA AI Technology Center Hong Kong, discuss the generative artificial intelligence (AI) trend and its impact on IP rights.

At another panel discussion tomorrow, legal experts share their insights on legal issues related to AI-generated content and third-party IP rights, and provide practical advice on how to manage such IP issues.

The Forum’s *Innovation & IP Market* brings together some 50 exhibitors and showcases more than 30 innovative projects from tertiary institutions, R&D centres and start-ups.

Furthermore, the ASEAN Secretariat and the HKSAR Government’s Intellectual Property Department have co-organised an *ASEAN Session* in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization, which features experts from the ASEAN and Hong Kong IP industries.

Several authorised agents and international brand holders are also featured, including fashion brand MCM Group; S2O Factory, the organiser of the S2O Songkran Music Festival; B.Duck Semk Holdings International Limited and others. They discuss how to apply effective strategies to maximise the value of trademarks in today’s rapidly changing global business environment.

*Entrepreneur Day: Innovation trends and opportunities in focus*

Themed *Building Resilience, Boosting Collaboration*, E-Day showcases over 300 start-ups, invention projects and support services from 11 countries and regions.

The exhibition also provides opportunities for networking and business matching, while also offering I&T insights that enable start-ups and SMEs to seize new opportunities. It features cutting-edge projects, such as Hong Kong company IG INNO Limited’s painting robot, which applies 3D point or line laser technology to ensure painting precision. In addition, Zhejiang Flectothink Technology from Mainland China showcases its wearable EEG sleep monitoring device, with precision levels comparable to sleep monitor devices used in the medical field.

Separately, Investment NSW takes part in the event for the first time and brings along nine start-ups from Australia to demonstrate health tech, green tech and smart city tech.

This year’s E-Day sees participation from incubators from the GBA, who share all that start-ups need to know about establishing businesses in the area.

50 local start-ups under the Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the GBA, supported by the HKSAR Government’s Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, also join the event.

The first seminar of E-Day was *T-Chat – **Cooling the Cloud: Igniting Sustainable Innovation for a Resilient Future* featuring *Serge Conesa*, Founder and CEO of Swiss start-up Immersion4. He received the Most Innovative Use of ICT Award from the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 2019.

He said: “Innovation means nothing without effective implementation. Even the smallest steps could make a difference in creating a sustainable data centre management system. Save energy as much as we can. It’s important that we at least try.”

The HKTDC is co-organising the *Global Dialogue on Women Entrepreneurship* session with The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, which brings together three outstanding female entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and the United States, including *Tonya McNeal-Weary*, Founder and Managing Director of IBS Global Consulting, Inc.; *Jenny Shen*, Co-founder and CEO of Foodplus; and *Chan Ming Wai*, Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Audiologist of Tandle Limited.

Mrs McNeal-Weary said: “Women entrepreneurs face the same challenges no matter how physically far apart we are. E-Day is a great platform that allows us to connect with the world. To all the men, if you have a company, hire women. Don’t be afraid to let women aboard. We can bring a lot of different creations and more insights to the table, as we are different.”

*10 global start-ups selected for Start-up Express International*

Following the success of last year’s event, the second edition of *Start-up Express International* is being held again during this year’s E-Day. Eight out of the ten award-winning global start-ups have gathered at the *Start-up Express International – Meet the Global Winners* event to share their industry perspectives and entrepreneurial experiences.


*InnoClub holds inaugural InnoClub Award Presentation Ceremony*

*InnoClub*, co-developed by the HKTDC and Hang Seng Bank, features the inaugural *InnoClub Award Presentation Ceremony* at E-Day to recognise outstanding achievements of the awardees in I&T.

*Websites*

*Business of IP Asia Forum website: *https://bipasia.hktdc.com/en/

*HKTDC Entrepreneur Day: *https://portal.hktdc.com/eday/en

*Start-up Express International: *https://portal.hktdc.com/startupexpress/en/s/start-up-express-international

Photo Download: https://bit.ly/3Raa0pV
The 13th BIP Asia Forum, jointly organised by the HKTDC and the HKSAR Government, opens today
(From left to right) Mr David Wong, Director of Intellectual Property, HKSAR; Ms Margaret Fong, Executive Director of HKTDC; Mr Michael Wong, Deputy Financial Secretary, HKSAR; and Mr Simon Cheung, Managing Director of Nestle Hong Kong Co., Ltd took picture at the Nestle Eagle Brand photo booth. Since becoming the first registered trademark in Hong Kong in 1874, the Nestle Eagle Brand has secured the company's growth for over 140 years.
Michael Wong, Deputy Financial Secretary, HKSAR
Dr Lu Pengqi, Deputy Commissioner, China National Intellectual Property Organization
Daren Tang, Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
The first seminar of E-Day was T-Chat – Cooling the Cloud: Igniting Sustainable Innovation for a Resilient Future featuring Serge Conesa, Founder and CEO of Swiss start-up Immersion4. He is also the recipient of the Most Innovative Use of ICT Award from the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 2019.
The Global Dialogue on Women Entrepreneurship brings together three outstanding female entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and the United States, including (far left) Tonya McNeal-Weary, Founder and Managing Director of IBS Global Consulting, Inc.; (second left) Jenny Shen, Co-founder and CEO of Foodplus; and (second right) Chan Ming Wai, Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Audiologist of Tandle Limited
Following last year’s success, the second edition of Start-up Express International is being held again during this year’s E-Day


*About HKTDC*

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn

*Media enquires*

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