Web Summit event in Hong Kong postponed due to pandemic

The organisers of the Web Summit have postponed a sister event it was due to run in Hong Kong early next year due to the Covid crisis.

The annual Rise conference was due to return to Hong Kong as an in-person event in March 2022 after the event was cancelled last year.

“Uncertainties brought about by the pandemic have continued and after much consideration, we have regretfully decided to postpone Rise to March 21st to the 23rd, 2023,” the company said.

“We will focus on bringing a global audience to worldwide events in 2023 and look forward to welcoming a global audience to Hong Kong soon,” it added.

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Rise, which typically attracts more than 16,000 attendees from more than 100 countries, was held in Hong Kong for five years from 2015 onwards, becoming one of the largest events of its kind in Southeast Asia. However, the 2020 event was cancelled due to safety concerns related to widespread pro-democracy demonstrations in the protectorate.

A plan to relocate the conference to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was announced late last year but this was abandoned after a deal was agreed in September to host Rise in Hong Kong for a further five years.

The success of Web Summit and its sister events has been overshadowed lately by disputes between co-founders Patrick Cosgrave, David Kelly and Daire Hickey, which have resulted in a number of legal cases.

The company’s flagship event, which started in Dublin before relocating to Lisbon, typically attracts more than 70,000 people. Web Summit returned as an in-person event in November, after being held as a virtual conference last year.