Letter | Messi debacle shows Hong Kong needs to up its event management game

In addition to the massive news coverage locally, I saw reports on CNN, BBC and Bloomberg, and in the New York Post, Financial Times, Reuters and Time Magazine. While the media focus was on Lionel Messi’s “absence” from the game, I was more concerned over the event management ability of the organisers.

Twenty years ago, when I was running a professional conference organiser, we would team up with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to pitch for global mega events to be held in the city. Back then, our only shortcoming was venue availability because…