It's been a whale of a ride since the first Sevens in 1976 and Mike Rowse - a.k.a. Mr InvestHK - has seen them all. He recounts his favourite experiences from three decades, as does fellow tournament stalwart Heather Deayton
After a day at the Sevens, your client will be eating - and drinking - out of your hand. Just ask InvestHK chief Mike Rowse, who has been to every Sevens and will be busy promoting Hong Kong over the weekend.
Rowse says the Sevens has a 'powerful impact' on guests and visitors and business becomes a soft sell.
'I'll be working all three days entertaining guests and promoting Hong Kong,' Rowse said yesterday. 'They are business people we've targeted to invest in Hong Kong - potential investors mostly from North America and Europe. Being at the Sevens has a powerful impact. I let them see it first hand, so I don't need to hard sell [Hong Kong]. And every once in a while I hand them a beer.'
Thousands of fans make the pilgrimage to Hong Kong in late March and the city becomes a convenient meeting place and conference venue at this time of the year.'Lot's of companies - for some strange reason - schedule their meetings in Hong Kong at this time,' he said. 'These are people from the international business community and their families.' Rowse says no other event in Hong Kong comes close to touching the Sevens.
'The Sevens is the most prestigious event [here]. I wouldn't change a thing about it. It's world class. The Rugby World Cup Sevens has been held here twice. The administrators of the world game chose Hong Kong, which shows the calibre of the Hong Kong Sevens,' he said.