Good times for a good cause: UBS Hong Kong Christmas party raises HK$1.6 million for Operation Santa Claus
- Festivities included karaoke dares that cost thousands to get out of, and a charity auction that saw a steak dinner go for HK$65,000
- For the past 22 years, UBS has been a partner of Operation Santa Claus, an annual charity drive co-organised by the Post and RTHK
It can be hard to say no when your boss asks you to sing for charity in front of all your colleagues, but Hong Kong staff at a global investment bank have come up with a way to get off the hook while still contributing to a good cause.
“I donated HK$10,000 [US$1,280] for someone to sing, but they said they’ll give back HK$20,000 to turn down my offer,” UBS Hong Kong chief executive Amy Lo Choi-wan recalled with a laugh as she described the company’s fundraising Christmas party on December 10.
Employees on the receiving end of the good-natured dares had the option of either going through with the performance, or buying their way out of it.
Dressed as animals, Dragon Ball Z characters and Squid Game guards, staff and their families also bid on donated items such as afternoon tea at the Peninsula hotel plus a helicopter ride, a private cooking class for 12, and a set of golf clubs designed by the American pro Patrick Reed. The highest bid of HK$65,000 was for dinner with wine for six at McKay’s, a steakhouse at the American Club Hong Kong.
Staycations, gadgets and fashion items were also among the 18 items to go under the hammer in the charity auction.
All in all, UBS raised some HK$1.6 million for OSC’s 18 beneficiaries this year.
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In addition to the live auction, 15 pieces from the UBS Art Collection’s Hong Kong archives were also open for bidding online from December 13 to December 15. The highest bid was for a silk-screen print, Chu 3, by the Japanese artist Isao Ikegami, which went for HK$2,600.
Also on the event programme were festive workshops on making wreaths, candles and Christmas trees, which participants paid HK$320 to join. A magician was also on hand to perform tricks and twist balloon animals, some of which were also sold for charity.
Lo said the company’s Christmas events were always fun, adding that she had taken part in the Christmas tree workshop and was the donor of the celebrity-designed golf clubs.
“The UBS staff is very loving; this event started from within the investment bank division and has now expanded branch-wide, into an annual Christmas blockbuster for everyone,” she said.
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At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last Christmas, the bank’s staff auctioned off home-made food in lieu of a large-scale party. Among the offerings were chicken soup, orange cake, strawberry mille-feuille, seafood paella and more. Lo’s pandan cake fetched HK$100,000.
A partner of OSC for 22 years, UBS has in the past sponsored a golf tournament, mask-making workshops for the charity’s beneficiaries and, since 2015, an annual training programme for NGO executives to hone their skills in management, communications and technology.
