Santa Goes Virtual: Hong Kong Turns to Technology to Dazzle – Online and Offline – This Christmas

To ensure the festive season feels unique and immersive, Hong Kong retailers, businesses and artists have tapped into technology to bring you Christmas like you’ve never seen it before.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201220005032/en/

 

360-degree virtual tour of Hong Kong’s festive Central Business District (CBD), part of the 2020 Hong Kong WinterFest (Photo: Business Wire)

Take a 360-degree virtual tour of Hong Kong’s festive Central Business District (CBD)

 

Welcome to the joyous world of Christmas Town! Part of 2020 Hong Kong WinterFest, a citywide celebration spearheaded by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, this virtual wonderland will transport you to Statue Square, a historic public space in the heart of Central.

 

Just like real-life Hong Kong, Christmas Town is surrounded by iconic skyscrapers and all decked out for the holidays, showcasing a towering tree and festive Christmas lodges. Adding an extra Hong Kong touch, Uncle Siu – a popular English educator known for his charming voice – leads visitors through the innovative, 360-degree online experience, where lots of fun, interactive stops await.

 

In this snow-kissed virtual town, you can choose your own adventure: Learn how to make festive DIY crafts, such as aromatic wreaths, ornaments, pop-up holiday cards or candle holders, via video tutorials; download holiday-themed WhatsApp stickers designed by famous Hong Kong illustrators, like Din Dong, Dustykid and Messy Desk; and tune in to beautiful Christmas carols along the way. To experience the excitement of Hong Kong’s one and only Christmas Town, all you need is a computer or mobile device.

 

Take a 360-degree virtual tour of Christmas Town, part of the 2020 Hong Kong WinterFest until 3 January 2021.

 

The world’s first “AI Butterflies Illuminating Interactive Art”

 

In Wan Chai, a 7-metre-tall, stained-glass butterfly and over 350 little LED butterflies have turned Lee Tung Avenue into a playground of light. Dubbed “Butterflies of Hope,” the world's first AI-powered butterfly art installation aims to inspire and uplift, reminding visitors of all the hope, love, beauty and positivity in the world.

 

Every afternoon, when the sun shines high in the sky, the glass installation refracts natural light onto the ground, effectively painting the boulevard with light and colour. Come evening, a music-and-light symphony takes flight as the butterflies ‘dance’ to the sound of music using artificial intelligence.

 

But that’s not all: The Lee Tung Avenue atrium is also home to a stunning, 12-metre-tall Christmas tree, with some powerful special effects. Combining touchless interactive technology and a special shadow projection technique, the tree projects butterflies onto the clothes of visitors – a feat of art and technology.

 

Enjoy the festivities at Lee Tung Avenue until 10 January 2021.

 

Get lost in the Asia debut of Globoscope, a light showcase from France

 

K11 MUSEA, a new cultural-retail destination and arts hub on the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, has turned up the Christmas spirit this year with A Very MUSEA Christmas Village. The village spreads joy and wonderment with a roster of artistic cultural experiences, including the Asia debut of Globoscope.

 

Created by Collectif Coin, a renowned French art lab, the site-specific immersive light show stretches across the Bohemian Garden, a roof-top open space. A 20-minute private experience with Globoscope can be reserved to enjoy the surreal, sensory light exhibit with family or friends. It’s a sight to behold: Glowing spheres dance and swirl in choreographed light movements, while the dramatic Hong Kong skyline shines in the distance.

 

Adding to the festive vibes, K11 MUSEA has also dreamed up a gorgeous Christmas Forest with glistening golden trees in the mall’s atrium, not to mention a special Santa Muse Parade and a Christmas Market.

 

Experience A Very MUSEA Christmas Village through 3 January 2021.

 

“Christmas Every Day” goes high tech with virtual Santa Meet & Greets

 

For the past 50 years, Harbour City has marked the holiday seasons with larger-than-life Christmas installations and festive surprises. And this year is no different: Harbour City’s “Christmas Every Day” celebration once again promises unforgettable holiday memories, plus a roster of online experiences at your fingertips.

 

This holiday season, take a virtual tour of the incredible decorations throughout the mall and “check-in” on social media or share your Christmas wish list with Santa during a virtual Meet & Greet. For the little ones, Harbour City has created an interactive online colouring game, where children can dress up their “Monster Friends” – adorable 3D cartoon characters illustrated by Dutch artist Eva Cremers – and then watch their masterpiece come to life!

 

The holiday extravaganza continues in person. At the “Christmas Lighting Garden” on the Ocean Terminal Deck, you can wade through a sea of illuminated LED clovers and dandelions and enjoy the “Christmas Lighting & Music Show” every evening with the stunning Hong Kong skyline as a backdrop.

 

Enjoy Harbour City’s “Christmas Every Day” online and offline experiences until 3 January 2021.

 

Images and videos are available from: https://hktb.filecamp.com/s/2020_Hong_Kong_Christmas/fo

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201220005032/en/

HKSTP Calls Innovators Worldwide to Join the Virtual Elevator Pitch Competition 2020

EPiC offers US$200,000 in cash prizes and exclusive cross-border business and investment opportunities to entrepreneurs

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) announced that the Elevator Pitch Competition 2020 (EPiC 2020) is now inviting applications from around the world. Given current global circumstances, HKSTP will stage the event on a virtual platform for the first time. Local and international startups and innovators can go beyond the geographic boundaries and unlock tremendous opportunities at EPiC 2020, which will take place from 6 to 13 November.

Marking its fifth anniversary, EPiC 2020 comprises a series of one-week events for the 150 contestants shortlisted from a competitive pool of global-wide applications. The startups will simulate the signature 60-second elevator ride to pitch their innovative business ideas virtually via a 1-minute video to a judging panel of major investors and industry leaders, who will select the top 10 finalists. The finalists will be announced during the final pitching competition on 6 November where they will battle to be named EPiC champion of 2020 in a 5-minute presentation plus a Q&A session.

Following the Pitching Competition, the contestants also have the chance to explore cross-border business and investment opportunities to help propel their technology innovation across all key stages of the entrepreneurial journey. The Global Matching Day programme, which will happen from 9 to 12 November, connects the best startups with thousands of leading investors and corporate leaders to explore business opportunities in the Greater Bay Area and Asia Pacific. The “Investment x Corporate Innovation Conference” on 13 November concludes the EPiC week by bringing together I&T heavyweights and global pioneers to discuss the regional investment opportunities and share the ways to drive corporate innovation and growth.

Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP, said, “EPiC 2020, as our annual flagship event, is a unique platform to connect international innovation and technology (I&T) talent, startups and investors to accelerate global partnerships and collaborations. We are hosting our first-ever virtual EPiC this year to drive greater value and synergies among entrepreneurs and corporates across the globe in view of market challenges.”

“At HKSTP, our belief in entrepreneurial spirit and our commitment to sustaining the growth of the I&T ecosystem remain as strong as ever. We strive to provide a beacon of growth opportunity for startups around the world and support them across the critical early stages of their innovation journey.”

Last year, the competition attracted a record number of 650 entries from 48 countries and cities across the globe. Over 70% of the finalists were from 33 different overseas markets, including Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States, among others. The event brought more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, angel investors, industry players, incubators, accelerators and tech disruptors together, to sustain the I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong.

Who can apply: 

1. Tech startups that are less than five years old and have received less than US$10 million in funding by 31 March 2020 OR individuals who have not yet established any companies
2. Ideas should focus on one of the four technology areas: Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, FinTech, Health Technology and Smart City.Applications will close on 19 October 2020, at 23:59 hrs, Hong Kong time.

Please visit https://epic.hkstp.org/ for more detailed information on EPiC 2020.

List of Awards & Prizes

Award	Cash Prize (for each winner)
Champion	US$100,000
4 Tech Winners (Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, FinTech, Health Technology and Smart City)	US$10,000
Top 10 Finalists	US$6,000

About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

Comprising Science Park, InnoCentre and Industrial Estates, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is a statutory body dedicated to building a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem to connect stakeholders, nurture technology talents, facilitate collaboration, and catalyse innovations to deliver social and economic benefits to Hong Kong and the region.

Established in May 2001, HKSTP has been driving the development of Hong Kong into a regional hub for innovation and growth in several focused clusters including Electronics, Information & Communications Technology, Green Technology, Biomedical Technology, Materials and Precision Engineering. We enable science and technology companies to nurture ideas, innovate and grow, supported by our R&D facilities, infrastructure, and market-led laboratories and technical centres with professional support services. We also offer value added services and comprehensive incubation programmes for technology start-ups to accelerate their growth.

Technology businesses benefit from our specialised services and infrastructure at Science Park for applied research and product development; enterprises can find creative design support at InnoCentre; while skill-intensive businesses are served by our three industrial estates at Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long. More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200923005526/en/