To celebrate the 154th anniversary of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce today, Hong Kong’s oldest business organization held its fifth “Free Ride Day,” which allows everyone in Hong Kong to ride on trams and two Star Ferry routes free of charge for the entire day. The tinkling of bells officially launched HKGCC Free Ride Day this morning, witnessed by over 50 members, Chamber staff, and members of the media. Chamber Chairman Y K Pang used the occasion to wish all companies a healthy and prosperous year ahead.
“For the past 154 years, the Chamber has gone through various ups and downs with members and the community, and we have all worked hard to build a prosperous future for Hong Kong,” Pang said at a press conference to kick off Free Ride Day. “Our birthday wish this year is for all business sectors to thrive and for everyone to have a happy and prosperous year. We also hope that society can come together to make sure constitutional development moves ahead.”
To help spread news about Free Ride Day, the Chamber has been running a “Chamber Quiz” on its Facebook page, which has received an encouraging response. It has also helped the community gain a better understanding of the Chamber’s work.
The Chamber also started a “Free Ride Day Photo Competition” on 15 May as part of the celebrations leading up to 29 May, the date of the Chamber’s establishment. Members of the public have the chance to win a HKGCC souvenir by taking a photo of the Chamber’s logo, or any participating member companies’ logo. They then simply upload it to their Instagram feed with the hashtag #freerideday2015 and follow HKGCCHAMBER. We hope everyone will participate in the competition, which ends on 11 June.
In the afternoon, Pang, CEO Shirley Yuen and some members of the Chamber’s General Committee, took The Star Ferry and distributed souvenirs to passengers. Speaking at a press conference in the afternoon, Pang said he was delight with the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public about Free Ride Day, which also serves as one of HKGCC’s initiatives to bring together the entire community. We also hope that it spreads the message that HKGCC, as the voice of business, and its members, have long contributed towards building a brighter and more prosperous Hong Kong.
Yuen said she expects over 300,000 passengers will benefit from Free Ride Day, adding that she hopes it will also spread a “feel-good” atmosphere throughout the community.
She reiterated her gratitude to the 52 participating and supporting members, as well as three media partners – HKC Enterprises, Metro Broadcast Corporation Limited and the Sing Tao Group, including Sing Tao Daily, Headline Daily and The Standard – who helped make Free Ride Day such a success.
Photos can be downloaded from www.chamber.org.hk/en/media/pressphotos/
Photo captions:
Photo 1: Chamber Chairman Y K Pang, CEO Shirley Yuen, General Committee members, and member companies participating in Free Ride Day, together with Chamber staff, enjoy the festive mood at The Star Ferry to celebrate the Chamber’s birthday.
Photo 2 & 3: Chamber Chairman Y K Pang, Deputy Chairman Stephen Ng, CEO Shirley Yuen and General Committee members ring bells to officially kick off Free Ride Day.
Photo 4: Chamber Chairman Y K Pang, CEO Shirley Yuen and General Committee member Leland Sun welcome members of the public on board the Star Ferry for a free ride.
Photo 5: Chamber CEO Shirley Yuen meets little Spiderman on board and gives a folding fan away as a souvenir.
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Media inquiries: Please contact Ms Milly Lo at 2823-1248 / [email protected]