#SMWHK Round Two - Ding Ding!
After being left disappointed by #SMWHK yesterday, we started the second half of the week with caution - had we pre-paid for a series of events that were destined to leave us feeling short changed?
Last night we ventured to the Apple Store to watch Casey Lau, who is highly regarded in Hong Kong for his involvement in HK’s digital space and passion for social media. We can happily say the event ticked all the boxes: the description of the event was exact, the venue was cool, the presentation was interactive and it offered something for everyone and he hosted the event for free.
Things were looking up.
This morning we attended the China Trending powered by Cohn&Wolfe-impactasia. Having been let down by previous speakers, we were looking forward to listening to a panel with widely regarded names and an understanding of the China landscape. The description of the event said that the presentation would cover how the “growing digital population shaping social media platforms”, “creating content around the “Great Firewall””, “trends influencing online cultures in Greater China and the rest of Asia”, and predictions for the future of social media in a country in a political and economic situation that is defying trends faced by the rest of the world”. We weren’t disappointed. Speakers from JingDaily, CIC and Cohn&Wolfe-impactasia offered a great insight into trends and predictions for social media in China.
Unfortunately, the content lacked the political and censorship angle that had been described but all in all, it was a solid hour’s presentation with Carrie Wang, Digital Director of Cohn & Wolfe-impactasia, Shanghai, as an undeniable highlight.
We were however shocked to learn that the event was being streamed on the internet for free. The event space, PURE Soho, was far over its maximum capacity with people being forced to sit in seats which you could not see the presentation from - our team included, even having arrived 25 minutes early. The presentation could not be seen/read by people at the back and some couldn’t see the speakers. With a door charge of $150, we were expecting the number of attendees to be capped to ensure everyone benefited from the presentation.
Sadly, I think we would have learned more sitting at our desks, streaming the event from the internet, without paying the $150 door charge that included one ‘free’ drink.
Tonight and tomorrow however we look forward to two free events, the Social@Ogilvy unofficial closing party and Jocelyn Liipfert’s PitchYrCulture. We’ll be sure to let you know how these go; Social@Ogilivy looks set to be a great night!
What we’re interested to know, is where is the money going? Why are our colleagues in London, San Fran and Washington D.C all benefiting from free events at Social Media Week in their respective cities? Why were events that were originally registered as free (which they should be in the spirit of social media…) suddenly charging a door fee? Does a latte/orange juice/7UP now cost $150?
Social media is a free tool that enables people to share knowledge, stories, ideas and interests at no cost. Shouldn’t our city’s Social Media Week allow the same?
