First established in 2008, Social Enterprise Summit (SES 2014) is a prominent annual event that gathers world-acclaimed social entrepreneurs, social enterprise experts, business and political leaders to share their visions and experiences in social innovation and entrepreneurship.Social Enterprise Summit 2014 - Launching Event cum Keynote Speech takes place today (September 20) in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, to kick-start SES 2104 which features a two-day international symposium (November 3 - November 4) following a series of social innovation events.
The Launching Event held today is officiated by Mrs. Betty Fung, Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs, HKSAR Government and Professor Timothy Tong, President of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Mrs. Fung said, "The rapid development of local society raises demand in all kinds of services and creates challenges, hence we need more platforms to connect individuals and groups in our community, creating the synergy to make a difference in the society." She continues, "We are delighted to witness the continuing development of social enterprises inHong Kong in recent years. Numbers of social enterprises have rose from 260 to 450 in the last 6 years with a stunning 70% increase. Their range of services and target groups has extended as well." Dr.Jane Lee, Chair of Organizing Committee of Social Enterprise Summit remarked, "SES is like a box of scale model, comprising 4 core elements: society, business sector, the government and academic sector. Together they contribute to the development of social innovation inHong Kong. SES aspires to offer new business model to solve social issues. The theme of SES 2014 is 'Our Answers for Tomorrow'. We hope that social enterprises will be the answers to different social problems of today."
Mr. Steve Brown, American entrepreneur and director of documentary film "Spark: A Burning Man Story" participated in the event today as the keynote speaker, to share his passion on social entrepreneurship and how he used his expertise in software technology to help people in need. He is joined by two young local filmmakers with an eye on social issues - Mr.Wong Siu-Pong, independent documentary film director and Mr.Chris Ng, independent film director.Wong Siu-Pong is known for his award-winning documentary "Fish Story", which brought him the nomination for the New Talent Award at the 10th Hong Kong Asian Film Festival. Chris' talent is recognised with his award-winning film "Meeting of the Half Moons" that brought him the Golden award at ifva and nomination for best short film at the Golden Horse Festival. Three directors share their passion in revealing social problems through their lens, and driving social change with their films.
SES 2014 is now open for registration.
http://ses.org.hk
