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OSC MBA Challenge teams turn plans into actions at Swire Christmas fair

John Cremer

After several weeks of planning and preparation, all the teams taking part in this year’s MBA Challenge for Operation Santa Claus (OSC) will get a first big chance to “go live” with their various fund-raising projects at the Swire Properties' White Christmas Fair in Quarry Bay.

The event takes places at Island East over two days on 6-7 December and the range of attractions and entertainments is sure to draw large crowds looking to join in the fun with friends and family.

Last year's Swire Properties' Street Party.

Appropriately, the overall theme of the fair is “spreading Christmas cheer for charity”. Therefore, each of the MBA teams should have a more than receptive audience as they sell OSC merchandise at their booths and pitch some of their other ideas and projects designed to generate as many donations as possible for this year’s charity campaign.

In doing, there will be an element of friendly competition between the teams as they bid to show whose business strategy, sales skills and marketing concepts are most effective. But they should also be ready for the competition for attention from everything else going on as part of the fair.

Neighbourhood bars and restaurants will be laying on festive food and drinks and market stalls will be offering traditional Christmas gifts and delicacies. There will be live entertainment, including a capella singers and talented young actors, dancers and singers from the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation doing excerpts from well-known musicals.

Members of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing both classical and pop pieces, and there will be theatre workshops for children, as well as fun games for people of all ages.

Swire Properties, the main organiser, is expecting a turnout of up to 8,000 people over the two days and believes the fair will give the MBA teams the best possible “business environment” to get their various fundraising initiatives off to a great start.

“It provides a great chance for the teams to show their business talents and creativity in raising money for charity,” says May Lam-Kobayashi, head of public affairs of Swire Properties. “In addition, our White Christmas Street Fair is a great way for us to give back to the communities who have helped us flourish. It makes perfect sense for us to donate the proceeds raised to Operation Santa Claus, which supports smaller-scale and lesser-known non-profit making organisations which are making a meaningful difference in society.”

Swire Properties is anticipating a turnout of up to 8,000 people in the two-day White Christmas Fair this year.

Ellen Yeung, the project director for Operation Santa Claus, confirms that the fair will be a great opportunity for the MBA teams to reach out to the general public and turn plans into action.  Besides that, though, they will also be invited to attend the VIP drinks and launch ceremony on December 6, where they will have a chance to meet the MBA Challenge judges, the sponsor – Swire Properties – and influential figures from local business and the media industry.

“We are confident the fair is going to be a great event for all the family because parents and kids will be able to enjoy the food, the fun of the street performances, and shop for gifts,” Yeung says. “And it is all for a good cause – the proceeds will go directly to Operation Santa Claus.”

 

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