Knowledge Primer 7 – “Enabling the Ecosystem for Resource Circularity in the MICE Industry”
6th June 2024 (Thursday)
14:30 - 17:30
Rayson Huang Theatre, The University of Hong Kong

You are cordially invited to the seventh Knowledge Primer (KP) titled “Enabling the Ecosystem for Resource Circularity in the MICE Industry” under the “Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business” (PSLB) project, initiated by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) of HKU with full support from the Hongkong Bank Foundation.

Hong Kong is a bustling city that hosts a wide range of business events and exhibitions throughout the year. While they provide valuable market information, knowledge, networks and opportunities for professionals from businesses, government, and the non-profit sector, the cost of organising these events often comes at the expense of the environment, which contravenes the ideals of low-carbon and sustainable future that many businesses uphold. Therefore, it is imperative to transform the traditional ‘linear’ nature of these events into a ‘circular’ and more sustainable model.

Leveraging the knowledge and practical experience of speakers from the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry, this Knowledge Primer will take a close look into the necessary conditions–be they infrastructure, policy change, industry support or innovative collaboration models–for resource circularity to take root in business events. Two keynote speakers will shed light on the following topics:

  • Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau will discuss the role of Government policy, infrastructures and capacity building in guiding the trajectory of circularity and sustainability advancement in MICE industry;
  • Macau Fair & Trade Association will present on sustainable initiatives that incentivise the practitioners to adopt more circular and sustainable practices to achieve net zero goals.

A moderated discussion featuring industry practitioners from Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited, Informa Markets, KPMG, New World Corporate Services Limited and ReThink Hong Kong will follow to cascade the industry’s best practices. The panellists will share views on the collaboration needed to catalyse circularity practices and innovation in the MICE industry.

The event will also celebrate the launch of “A Practical Guidebook to Circular Economy (Volume 2): Collaborating with Value Chain Partners for Organising Circular Events and Exhibitions”. The Guidebook is a consolidated self-learning resource for the MICE industry practitioners to integrate resource circularity principles in business operations through the value chain-based event frameworks. A well-thought step-by-step guidance and templates are made available to help readers putting ideas into action.

  The event details are as follows:

Date:6 June 2024 (Thursday)
Time:2:30pm – 5:30pm (4:30pm – 5:30pm will be the networking session)
Venue:Rayson Huang Theatre, The University of Hong Kong
Format:Physical and Online via Zoom*
Language:Mainly English and Cantonese (with bi-lingual simultaneous interpretation)

*A participant limit will be in place for physical and online attendance to cater to the maximum capacity of the venue and online streaming platform. Please sign up to reserve your space.   Should you be interested in participating, please register HERE on or before 5 June 2024. You are welcome to contact Mr. Woody Cheng at Telephone: 3910-2463 / Email: pslb@hku.hk for queries.   PSLB Team

Category :   Event

Other Happenings
Event
A Dialogue on Building Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships
To kick off our conference and network launch event for the Network for the Study of Social-Ecological Systems (SES) Transformations, the Centre for Civil Society and Governance hosted a public dialogue on “Building Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships.” We were very pleased to welcome network members from across the Asia-Pacific region, alongside practitioners, government representatives, and guests from Hong Kong to the event. We would like to sincerely thank Professor Samson Tse, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Ms. Linda So, JP, Director of the Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office, for delivering the opening remarks. Ms. So’s opening speech was both inspiring and timely, reinforcing the importance of advancing nature-based solutions and sustainable practices as well as the government’s understanding of the challenges and opportunities in building a resilient and sustainable future through the Northern Metropolis Development. We were also honoured to have Professor Yahua Wang (Tsinghua University) and Dr. Ruth Meinzen-Dick(International Food Policy Research Institute) as our keynote speakers. Professor Wang explained the challenges of applying the SES framework across contexts due to variability in variable selection and interpretation, while also highlighting the importance of complexity, robustness, collaborative networks, and the potential for integrating AI and SES research. He also reflected on the importance of collaborative networks in working toward a more common SES language. Building on this, Dr. Meinzen-Dick spoke to the importance of bridging theory and practice, transdisciplinarity, and building connections across people, institutions, and disciplines. She highlighted the importance of engaging with property rights and collective action in robust ways, and reflected on how experiential learning fosters collective action. We were pleased to also offer a panel session featuring Professor Maiko Nishi, Professor Ching-Ping Tang, Professor Stephen M.B. Tang, and our Centre Director Professor Wai-Fung Lam. Dr. Winnie Law led a fruitful discussion on critical issues such as challenges in evaluating and understanding social-ecological systems beyond conventional metrics, including how to capture the broader social, ecological, and long-term impacts of these systems and partnerships. Thank you once again to all keynote speakers, panelists, participants, and guests for contributing to such a thoughtful discussion.
Learn more
Award and Achievement
Congratulations to Dr. Vivian Chu on the Early Career Teaching Award 2025
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Vivian Chu, Lecturer at the Centre for Civil Society and Governance, Faculty of Social Sciences and Programme Co-Director of Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance, has been awarded the Early Career Teaching Award at HKU’s Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony. The award recognises her unwavering commitment to teaching and the significant impact she has on student learning, highlighting innovative approaches that address unmet needs and exemplify best practice. Please join us in congratulating Vivian on this well-deserved honour and in celebrating her contributions to teaching excellence at our Centre and across the University. List of award recipients: https://www4.hku.hk/award/ceremony/award-recipients For further information, please visit: https://www.hku.hk/award/  
Learn more
Event
Network for the Study of Social Ecological Systems (SES) Transformation – Network launch
The first conference and official launch of the Network for the Study of Social Ecological System (SES) Transformation will take place as a two-day event on 5–6 May 2026, organised by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong. The network brings together scholars working on social-ecological systems, governance, commons, cultural heritage, environmental policy, and sustainability transitions from a range of institutions across the Asia-Pacific and beyond. For more details: https://ccsg.hku.hk/en/network-for-the-study-of-social-ecological-systems-ses-transformation-network-launch/
Learn more