Welcome to Asia Sustainability Conference 2022! As you attend the event on August 16-17, I hope this personal note will help you understand and gain more from this exceptional event.

The first ASC was conceived in 2020, at the peak of the pandemic in Hong Kong. Since gathering of speakers and attendees in a physical venue was not impossible, we put together an experimental, virtual programme focusing on investing for good. The response from you and other SCMP readership was so resounding that we courageously expanded this conference into a three-day affair in 2021, adding sustainability techonology (a.k.a. sustech) and diversity & inclusion. When participation at this event almost tripled, we knew that SCMP Events will need to up our own game in 2022.

As Hong Kong emerges from the claws of the coronavirus, we started to put together an ambitious plan to turn ASC 2022 into a hybrid event convening Hong Kong attendees at Cyberport (our esteemed co-organiser) and regional attendees virtually. In the past four months, we encountered more problems and obstacles than expected, but the team were resolved to push ahead and presevere. 

That brings us to today. What you’ll see tomorrow is the results of months of hard work and faith in making the impossible, possible. Here’s a guide for you on how to gain the most from the Asia Sustainability Conference 2022.

Comprehensive Programming

The line-up of speakers you will meet in Cyberport and on virtual stage for the next two days represent a diverse range of industries, countries, and domain expertise. Each panel will dwell into a different subject, therefore there is definitely something for everyone in the conference agenda. While speakers from Hong Kong will share their stories with you onstage, expect to see speakers dialling in from as far as United States and Europe, to our neighbours in mainland China and Southeast Asia.

Community & Networking

We know it is a rare opportunity for you to be able to meet fellow sustainability advocates in-person, so we decided to push the ASC Community online. From this, you will be able to browse who is attending the event, and use our virtual meeting function to connect and engage. Pro tip: for those of you attending in-person, meet up with other in-person attendees over casual coffee chats and impromptu lunches (see dining options in Arcade@Cyberport).

ASC Marketplace

We also have put together quickly an exhibition showcasing homegrown startups and organizations with cutting-edge innovations who shared a common purpose - to build a better, more sustainable world for future generations. In-person attendees at Cyberport are invited to visit these booths and have some fun with our attendee engagement contest, in which you collect points to win a virtual credit card worth US$500 to help kickstart your next holiday - no longer a pipedream for us Hong Kong dwellers.

I know it is perfunctory for event organizers to thank their sponsors in communications like this, but in this case, it is more than just a formality. Without the support from like-minded organizations like Cyberport Hong Kong, RBC Wealth Management, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Carbonbase, our vision for ASC 2022 would have remained a mere dream.

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy your time at the conference in the next two days. 

Yours sincerely,
Razlan Manjaji
Director, SCMP Events