Hong Kong Sevens at 50: where the business of sport meets the joy of it

This morning began in the South Stand (obviously), listening to the CEO of Kai Tak Sports Park, Andrew Kam Min-ho, open Branded’s Rugby Matters conference, rather appropriately sat in front of a Carlsberg bar.

Andrew’s message was simple: this park exists to grow sport, but just as importantly, it exists to make people happy.  In many ways, that says everything you need to know.

There’s an energy to Hong Kong that’s hard to describe unless you have felt it.  It gets into cells and bones, and quite simply, that energy is activated every time I return.  This year, the Sevens celebrates its half century.

Holly Millward Co-Founder & Partner

The Hong Kong Sevens has always been one of those rare sporting events that captures the personality of the city at its best; connecting, commercial, social.  Stories being told and memories being made.

It is far more than a tournament and as was noted this morning, you cannot sum it up in a single sentence. But to give that a go, it’s a true reflection of how Hong Kong shows up to the world.

I lived in Hong Kong for more than a decade and had the immense privilege of supporting HSBC as co-title partner of the Sevens when I was running one of the lead sport marketing businesses in the region between 2011 and 2021.

Having founded TTB Sport in 2021, our major shareholder TTB Partners was also founded in Hong Kong.  The city therefore happily remains part of my professional and personal DNA, past and present, and we have exciting plans for our business in Hong Kong and the region.

Hong Kong’s position gives it a continued role as a connector.  It is one of the most dynamic markets anywhere in the world.

Sport is already deeply embedded in the city’s identity, but what stands out most is how it lives across every level.  That is on show in spades this week.

Early last Saturday morning, I returned to the Hong Kong Football Club during the HKFC Youth Tens, where thousands of boys and girls represented their rugby clubs from across Hong Kong.  That very sight was a reminder of the importance of participation, but also a signal of the energy and possibility represented by the next generation in Hong Kong.

In close succession, the HK10s brings together the global rugby community in a way only Hong Kong can.  Informal, social but also powerful as a connector, with great sport on show (if – and the same goes for the Sevens, you choose to turn around and watch it…)

Beyond rugby, partners like HSBC and Cathay have long understood what this crucible of international business offers.  Events like the HSBC Global Investment Summit this week brought together global decision-makers, partners and clients.  As was mentioned this morning, HSBC actively chose to move this conference to Hong Kong due to the adjacency of the Hong Kong Sevens.  Not a bad line up if you are those clients.

Fundamentally, this is about people spending time with people.  To build relationships in a way that machines simply cannot.

All of this speaks to a city where sport genuinely matters. 

The Kai Tak stadium is now one of the leading sport and entertainment venues on the planet, with the very special history of being Hong Kong’s original airport, where back in the day pilots navigated an impossible turning bank and the washing lines of apartments to be in position to land on its runways. The Kai Tak team will put on an astonishing show this weekend.

As ever in sport, there is more to unlock here, especially in terms of realising and telling the story of its value.  To connect participation in community sport with fandom and major events and to ensure sport is sustainable and enduring.

As a business, we believe in the power of sport to create impact for both business and society.  Alongside our brand work, we have very deliberately built a social impact technology, xi, to help rightsholders, venues and giga projects measure the social value of sport in real time.  I have loved the conversations I’ve had this week based around demonstrating the value of these major investments in Hong Kong, as well with investors who increasingly see sport as a platform for social return, that can also be commercial and proven.

Organisations like Laureus Sport for Good continue to demonstrate what can be achieved through the power of sport, with that work celebrated this week in Hong Kong.  Laureus’ support to the Rugby for Good programme in the city is having a demonstrable impact on the mental health and social inclusion challenges that young people face here.  Health, alongside happiness, the beneficiaries of sport.

The Sevens turns fifty this year. It will be my fifteenth time here, and every year it still feels like a bucket list experience.

The idea of Kai Tak existing for happiness will stay with me.

Because beyond all the conversations that might happen around growth, investment and impact, sport still comes back to something very simple: happiness.

Speaking of which, on Sunday, I’ll be taking my Mum to the Hong Kong Sevens for the first time.  To show her what this week means to this city, and what it has come to mean to me.

If sport actually exists to make people happy, there are few better places to see that in action.  This one will be special.