Organisers of Asia’s premier tech conference in Hong Kong have postponed the event once again to 2024, citing coronavirus restrictions, while a government source has said authorities are looking into relaxing rules regarding premises that are off-limits to those under medical surveillance during quarantine.
The annual RISE Conference was originally scheduled for next year, but organisers on Monday said the city’s travel restrictions played a role in their decision to defer the in-person event made up of international delegates to March 2024, despite the hotel quarantine period being cut from seven days to three. Authorities have hinted at a further relaxation of measures in the coming months.
Katherine Farrell, a spokeswoman for conference organiser Web Summit who is based in the Irish capital Dublin, said the decision was due to “ongoing uncertainties” brought on by the pandemic, adding that organisers were working closely with the Hong Kong government.
When asked by the Post whether the recent shortening of the hotel quarantine period to three days, followed by four days of home medical surveillance with limited freedom of movement, was enough to hold the summit next year, Farrell said the current travel restrictions had played a role in the decision to postpone the event again.
“As we host international technology events bringing founders from all over the world, the current travel restrictions to enter Hong Kong played a part in our decision to postpone RISE,” Farrell said in a statement, adding that the government had not offered quarantine exemptions for the summit.
Hong Kong has hosted the annual conference since its founding in 2015, but the event has been cancelled since 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Other tech conferences organised by Web Summit will continue to be held in Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro and Toronto this year.
Under Hong Kong’s latest travel arrangements, arrivals found to be infected are given a red health code, while those under four days of home medical surveillance get an amber one. People with an amber code cannot enter certain premises such as exhibition and trade show venues, as well as restaurants and bars.
Health minister Professor Lo Chung-mau said on Saturday that authorities were reviewing the relaxed measures, and would look into allowing amber code holders to enter some types of premises, adding that he would make a decision based on scientific data. He has not set a time frame for the review.
Meanwhile, a government source said health authorities were reviewing the types of premises that were off-limits to people under medical surveillance to see if further relaxation was possible, but the announcement might not come soon, as authorities had to examine Covid-19 figures in the wake of the new rules which took effect last Friday.
The further postponing of the tech conference came as a blow to the government, as it was only last week that Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu vowed to fight for and poach global talent, as part of a renewed push for the city’s innovation and technology sector, with new initiatives to be revealed in his maiden policy blueprint in October.
Hong Kong tourism sector legislator Yiu Pak-leung said he would push for a further easing of measures.
“I will support the exhibition sector to push the government to modify this policy a bit,” he said.
The tech conference was due to take place in Kuala Lumpur last year, but in a surprise move, the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Web Summit announced that RISE would be held in Hong Kong for five years starting in March, as an in-person event promising 16,000 attendees, with visitors from more than 100 countries.
Past speakers have included executives from Uber and Alibaba Group, which owns the South China Morning Post.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board said it understood the decision to reschedule the in-person conference to 2024.
“The [board] will continue to render its full support to assist the conference to be staged in Hong Kong, and looks forward to welcoming participants from around the world,” a spokeswoman said.
For the bid, the tourism board teamed up with InvestHK and AsiaWorld-Expo, where the event was due to take place.
InvestHK, a government department overseeing foreign direct investment, said the relaxation of quarantine rules was widely welcomed, adding that the government would “continue to monitor the situation and make any necessary adjustments”.
Hong Kong is also set to hold a much-anticipated summit of global financiers and top bankers on November 1 and 2 ahead of the Rugby Sevens, one of the city’s most important sports event, but details have yet to be announced.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3189086/asia-tech-summit-rise-postponed-2024-despite-shorter?module=live&pgtype=homepage
