During my six-month Hong Kong marketing internship, I’ve learned a lot about the working culture in Hong Kong, the events industry, and my career potential. The highlight of my internship was working on the World Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2017 in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibitions Center. The event gathered over 1,800 attendees from 57 different countries around in the world. There were nearly 100 workshops and over 14 breakout sessions throughout the 3-day conference. Some dignitaries that attended include Honourary Leung Chun-Ying, the now Former-Chief Executive of HKSAR, Dr Qiu Baoxing, the Representative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Counsellor of the National Council of People’s Republic of China, and Ms Christiana Figueres, Vice-chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy. The event also consisted of a youth competition, VIP lunch, gala dinner, cocktail reception, and exhibition.
It was an amazing experience to work on a project of this grand scale. I’ve watched my senior colleagues drink countless cups of caffeine and lose countless days of ample rest. Despite the craziness of the Hong Kong marketing field work culture, I found myself in awe of the amount of passion and dedication that my colleagues poured into this event. I was left feeling hungry to learn and experience more. I can honestly admit, I had an phenomenal internship.
On top of that, I had the chance to experience life in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a hustle and bustle of a city, much like my home in New York. And maybe that’s why I chose Hong Kong among other great cities. The city is uniquely filled with people from all walks of life, delicious Michelin-star restaurants, fast public transportation, and East-meets-West cultural fusion.
During my stay, I also had the opportunity to travel to some amazing cities in the region like Kyoto, Taipei, Macau, Shenzhen, Guangdong, Seoul, and Tokyo. Some highlights during my travels include strutting down the streets of Kyoto dressed in a kimono, balancing on the edge of the Macau Tower, paragliding off a mountain in Taipei, bungee jumping over a lake in Seoul, and skydiving in the outskirts of Tokyo.
You may wonder, where is Kathy now? Well, I’m back in classes sitting in front of a computer screen writing final papers (and this blog post). I wish I was globetrotting around the world again. Anyhow, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work in Asia and would love to go back again soon.
Photos and content by Kathy Chen