HONG KONG, Sept. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- To highlight the outstanding performance of the leading licensing practitioners in Hong Kong as well as to foster the development of the industry, Asian Licensing Association (ALA) launched the Hong Kong Licensing Awards 2017 ("HKLA 2017") on September 4 (Monday) at HKTDC SME Centre at the Launching Ceremony cum Licensing for Creative Industry Seminar.
HKLA 2017 is organized by ALA and sponsored by Create Hong Kong ("CreateHK") of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR")with the aims at showing appreciation to practitioners with admirable performance.
Ms. Maria NG, Deputy Director of Intellectual Property, officiated at the launching ceremony of HKLA 2017, together with Dr. Toby CHAN, Founding Chairman of ALA, Ms. Cindy KWONG, Senior Manager (Funding) of CreateHK, Mr. Danny CHEUNG, Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the HKLA and Board Member of ALA.
Guest speakers of the Licensing for Creative Industry Seminar are Ms. Claire GILCHRIST, Vice President of Hasbro Inc. Asia Pacific, Mr. LAM Chin-fai, CEO & Founder & Mr. TSE Yuk, Director of Innoduction Group INC Limited, and Mr. Gordon CHIN, Director of M & C Toy Centre Ltd. and Puzzle Animation Studio. They shared their insights on the development of Hong Kong's licensing industry and the upcoming trends of the international market.
Ms. Maria NG, Deputy Director of Intellectual Property, highly valued HKLA which connects industry talent and contributes to industry development. Speaking at the launching ceremony, she said, "HKLA is the first-ever award covering creative content related to licensing. It has been functioning as a valuable platform for industry exchange of expertise, contributing to the growth of a strong and competitive licensing and creative industries in Hong Kong."
Dr. Toby CHAN, Founding Chairman of ALA, spoke on the same occasion that HKLA would promote the sustainable development of licensing industry in Hong Kong. "Global licensing is expanding at a stunning speed. The retail sales of global licensed goods in 2015 already reached US$251.7 billion. Hong Kong licensing industry should take the advantage of being the regional centre in Asia. With the back-up of the Mainland, the second largest consumer market in the world, Hong Kong provides an excellent platform for the development of licensing business. We hope to embrace the global opportunities together with the local practitioners by holding HKLA," he said.
Mr. Danny CHEUNG, Chairman of the Organizing Committee for HKLA, introduced various awards of HKLA 2017 during the launching ceremony. "To recognise the outstanding achievements of creative talent, there are five award categories in HKLA 2017, namely Best Property, Best Licensee, Best Promotion Campaign, Best Young Property, as well as the Best New Character Design for Licensing."
Application for Hong Kong Licensing Awards 2017 is open from September 4 onwards, till 18 October 2017.
For further information and download of application form, please visit: http://www.hklicensingawards.hk.
About Asian Licensing Association
The mission of Asian Licensing Association is to foster the growth and expansion of the licensing, creative and innovative industries by drawing together the experience and expertise of the industry practitioners. The Association aims to co-operate with the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and other statutory bodies to strengthen the licensing, creative and innovative companies, thus enhancing the overall business environment and competitiveness of Hong Kong. The Association also aims to provide guidance to the industry practitioners for making win-win decisions which are favourable to both their members and the general public. Website: www.ala.org.hk/
About Hong Kong Licensing Awards
Hong Kong Licensing Awards (HKLA) were launched in 2015, and came to its third year in 2017. There are five award categories in HKLA 2017, namely Best Property, Best Licensee, Best Promotion Campaign, Best Young Property, as well as the Best New Character Design for Licensing, which is open to all Hong Kong designers with less than 9 years of working experiences in the creative and design sectors, with a view to promoting local original designs..
About Create Hong Kong
Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) is a dedicated office set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in June 2009 to co-ordinate the Government policy regarding creative industries, focus Government's resources catering for the promotion and speeding up of the development of creative industries in Hong Kong, and work closely with the trade to boost the development of creative industries. CreateHK sponsors HKLA since 2015. CreateHK's website: www.createhk.gov.hk
Disclaimer: Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
Annex 1
Hong Kong Licensing Awards 2017
Objectives:
Awards Categories:
1. Best Licensee Award
2. Best Property Award
3. Best Promotion Campaign Award
4. Best Young Property Award
5. Best New Character Design for Licensing Award
Timeline:
4 Sept 2017 HKLA 2016 Launching Ceremony cum Licensing for Creative Industry Seminar
18 Oct 2017 Closing Date for Entries
Oct - Nov 2017 Judging
9 Jan 2018 Award Presentation Ceremony
Winners' Benefits:
Annex 2
About Hasbro Inc.
Hasbro Inc. ("Hasbro") is a multinational toy company which strives for creating the best gaming experience in the world. Hasbro owns well-known brands, for example TRANSFORMERS, NERF Shooting Series, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, LITTLEST PET SHOP, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, etc and other licensed brands. The Company make use of toys and games, animation, TV shows, movies, digital games and licensed life products, satisfying kids and families' needs for fun and connects everyone by playing games. The Group's Hasbro Studio produce high-quality television programs and movies for various brands. Hasbro is also actively involved in charity and corporate social responsibility, with the commitment of establishing a safe and sustainable development of the world, having a positive impact on the lives of millions of children and families every year.
About Innoduction Group INC Limited
Innoduction Group INC Limited ("Innoduction Group") specialises in shopping mall activities and pop-up store planning and design, production of FRP, and to provide a unique experience for participants with new digital technology and the synergy effect of cross-brands. Its major licensing partners include Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Lego, Warner Brothers, Hasbro, Sanrio, KOEI, Bandai, Tomica, Asia Goal, Skater, SunStar and so on. In 2014, Innoduction Group cooperated with Festival Walk and Disney to decorate the mall with Disney Tsum Tsum animation design drafts with the first time adding maneuver elements in the scenes, including the creation of the world's highest 7 meters bell tower, rock theater, sword frenzy and sushi carnival. In addition, Disney Tsum Tsum's boom is extended to all kinds of boutique and mobile phone accessories, favored by the audience of different ages. Tsum Tsum Walk N' Roll Festival by Innoduction Group won the Gold Award for Best Promotion Campaign in HKLA 2016.
About M & C Toy Centre Ltd.
M & C Toy Centre Ltd. ("M & C") has extensive experience in toy industry with concise positioning and innovative ideas. It successfully promotes its own brand toys to all over the world. Since 2005, M & C has established Puzzle Animation Studio and created own brand animations, which include Ori Princess, AI Football GGO and World Peacekeepers. The animations facilitate animation-related toy selling, encouraging M & C to develop licensing business and create its own IP brands. Its Ori Princess and AI Football GGO won a (CreateHK's comment: if there is more than one Merit Award, "a" instead of "the" should be used here) Merit Award for Best Young Property and Best Property respectively in HKLA 2016. In future, M & C will continue in the domestic and overseas development of brand licensing business, set the industry chain power to explore business opportunities.
