News

Social Media Week cancelled

Social Media WeekThe biggest social media event of the year in Hong Kong has been cancelled due to a lack of funding.

Social Media Week, a free public event which typically attracts more than 2,000 attendees, won’t go ahead because sponsors from previous years have not backed it.

Some sponsors have chosen to support a rival one-day event, Social Media Matters, instead, Mumbrella understands.

Social Media Matters is scheduled for a fortnight before Social Media Week, which was to take place from 23-27 September.

One of the event’s organisers Jay Oatway, who runs a social media consultancy, told Mumbrella: “Social Media Week is a brand managed by a company based in New York. In order to participate under the banner of the official brand, you have to pay. In the past, agencies have paid the fee to have that branding. But this year, due to a cascading series of misfortunes, none of players involved in the past will be involved this year.”

Oatway is working on an alternative event under the working title of Social Media Week Unplugged, which is also planned to be held in September – the busiest month of the events calender in Hong Kong.

“Instead of a full-on week with large public events like at Social Media Week, we’re working on holding a series of lunches and dinners with high-level players in social media. It’ll be smaller and invite only,” Oatway said.

“It’s a shame that Social Media Week won’t go ahead this year. But it’s a free event and booking venues in Hong Kong is very expensive. And getting sponsorship this year has proved very tricky.”

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