American music queen Taylor Swift announced her world tour concert earlier, but Hong Kong was not on the list, which aroused heated discussion in the society. New Democratic Party legislator and convener of the Executive Council, Ip Lau Suk-yee, raised an oral question at the Legislative Council today (24th), asking the government to actively attract international superstars and top mainland celebrities to hold concerts in Hong Kong. “Taylor Swift has held 66 concerts in the United States. We made a billion dollars in Asia and went to Singapore. We missed this opportunity.” She even criticized the government’s response as “very bureaucratic.”
Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau Yang Yunxiong said that the government will work with intermediaries to actively invite different singers and groups to come to Hong Kong. “As for whether they will come or not, we will leave it to the market to decide, because we are all very difficult for the government to decide. The words must be passed around, and we call them success or failure first.”
Suk-yee IP attended the Legislative Council meeting on January 24. She was concerned about how the government would strive for international pop concerts to be located in Hong Kong, and whether it would proactively contact the industry and relevant stakeholders to jointly formulate plans to promote the Kai Tak Sports Park as a large-scale performance venue. (Photo by Lu Yiming)
Yang Runxiong: Last year, an average of two international superstars came to Hong Kong to hold concerts every month
Sandra Yip is concerned about how the government will strive to host international pop concerts in Hong Kong and whether it will proactively contact the industry and relevant stakeholders to jointly formulate plans to promote Kai Tak Sports Park as a large-scale performance venue.
Yang Runxiong said that the government has asked different organizers about the reasons for holding concerts in Hong Kong, and they all responded that holding a concert needs to consider the singer’s schedule, concert scale, finances, expected target audience, customer group and number, as well as the venue. He emphasized that the number of large-scale pop music concerts held in Hong Kong has gradually returned to that before the epidemic, and many of them are internationally renowned superstars. According to statistics, in 2023, there will be an average of about two internationally renowned superstars every month, coming to Hong Kong for each concert. Most of the large-scale concerts with more than 10,000 attendees are more than two. In 2024, more superstars will come to Hong Kong to hold concerts.
New Democratic Party Legislative Council Member and Executive Council Convenor Ip Lau Suk-yee lamented that Taylor Swift’s concert was snatched away by Singapore. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Yang Yunxiong said that the government will work with intermediaries to actively invite different singers to come to Hong Kong. It will then be left to the market to decide.” (Screenshot of Legislative Council live broadcast clip)
Said that the usage rate of the Hong Kong Coliseum is nearly 100%, which proves that Hong Kong is attractive
He continued that the occupancy rate of the Hong Kong Coliseum in the past five years has been nearly 100%, and there are also large-scale concerts in Asia Pacific and the Central Harbourfront, with audiences reaching 10,000 to 20,000, which proves that holding concerts in Hong Kong is attractive. He said that although the Hong Kong government rarely provides subsidies to organizers, it does provide different assistance. The Hong Kong government has learned from the organizers. Among them, international superstar agents said that concerts must be arranged in advance, so the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has provided early arrangements. Under a one-year “subscription” arrangement, Wan Chai Waterfront can be used on a short-term lease basis.
He also pointed out that the Kai Tak Sports Park will be gradually completed by the end of this year. It will have three venues, one of which has a soundproof retractable upper cover and can provide a large-scale performance venue with up to 50,000 seats. The outdoor stadium also provides foldable Seating system capable of hosting entertainment events for up to 10,000 spectators.
Ye Liutan criticized Yang Yunxiong for being a bureaucrat when his Taylor Swift concert was snatched away by Star Nation
Sandra Yip criticized Yang Yunxiong’s answer as “very bureaucratic”. She pointed out that the well-known internationally renowned superstar Taylor Swift will hold a world tour concert, but is not scheduled to perform in Hong Kong. “She has earned one billion US dollars in 66 concerts in the United States. Asia went to Singapore, and we missed this opportunity.” She asked the government whether it would actively seek top international superstars such as Beyonce or mainland “top stars” to hold concerts in Hong Kong. She repeated many times, “Be proactive. Well”.
On July 6, all the prefabricated steel components for the large-scale retractable roof of the main stadium of Kai Tak Sports Park arrived in Hong Kong, marking that the roof project of the main stadium has entered a critical stage. (Picture of Kai Tak Sports Park)
Yang Runxiong: The market determines whether one will come or not.
Yang Runxiong said that after the opening of the Kai Tak Sports Park, the government and operators will cooperate with each other to attract more foreign singers and groups. “As for whether they will come or not, let the market decide, because we all have It’s hard for the government to say that it must be passed on to the other side. We call it success or failure first, but we don’t think about it that way.”
DAB Legislative Council member Chow Ho-ting asked whether the government would “take the initiative” and “take the initiative” to invite international superstars to Hong Kong to show the government’s sincerity. Yang Runxiong said that when the opportunity arises, he will invite international singers to Hong Kong through intermediaries and organizers, but he reiterated that different types of singers can attract their audiences.
Liao Changjiang, the “squad leader” of the pro-establishment camp, said that the outside world questioned whether the equipment at Hong Kong’s concert venues needed to be improved and asked whether the authorities would update the equipment. Yang Runxiong said that current concert organizers have their own requirements for concert design. He believes that relying on government design is better than providing space for organizers to express themselves freely.
2024-01-24 04:43:31
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