Programme, The Entrepreneurs Live
Wednesday 29 April
Jing An Shangri-La, Calypso 2F, 1218 Middle Yan’an Road, Jing An Kerry Centre, West Nanjing Road, Shanghai 200040, China
08.30 – 09.20: Morning coffee
09.20: Take your seats
09:30 – 09:35: Meet the team
Introduction
Welcome to Shanghai: 09.35 – 10.00
Shanghai is the beating heart of the Chinese economy and a magnet for the brightest business visionaries who want to work, build and innovate in China. Two creative minds from the city’s art and design scene reveal what makes China’s commercial capital tick.
Speakers:
Alex Mok, co-founder of Linehouse
Bao Yifeng, co-founder of Art021
Hospitality
Journey to the west: 10.00 – 10.25
China’s tourism dollars are significant enough to make or break neighbouring economies. But today, with consumption being encouraged at home, domestic travel is coming into focus. Frequent flyers from eastern China are discovering their county’s vast interior, journeying to the central and western regions in search of exclusive experiences. Independent brands are building some of the best examples of this new luxury, rooted in local traditions, geography, cuisine and design. The CEO of a peerless hotel group from Yunnan province unpacks modern Chinese hospitality and what makes a good hotel.
Speaker:
Tashi Tsering, CEO of Songtsam
Retail
Unpacking the Chinese consumer: 10.25 – 10.55
The maturing tastes and shifting spending habits of the Chinese consumer has upended the global luxury industry in recent years, forcing department stores, developers and even city leaders to rethink their strategies. With the retail world in flux, we hear from two Shanghai entrepreneurs with a finger on the consumer’s pulse.
Speakers:
Austin Zhu, founder of ZZER
Xin Yuan, brand leader at An Ko Rau
Coffee break: 10.55 – 11.25
Monocle panel: 11.25 – 11.35
Fashion
Cutting-edge style: 11.35 – 12.00
Fashion schools around the world are brimming with young Chinese talent – but who has all the tools to become the next Uma Wang? Meet the husband-and-wife duo who lead the way in spotting emerging design talent and bringing fresh-looking brands to market as well as the co-founder of one of their most successful partnerships to date.
Speakers:
Justin Peng and Tasha Liu, founders of Labelhood
Yutong Jiang, co-founder of Shushu/Tong
Beauty
Say hello to C-beauty: 12.00 – 12.30
Every time another Chinese brand goes global, disrupting industries from cars to social media, it begs the question: what’s next? Chinese skincare and perfume brands are cornering the premium market, which was once reserved for foreign products, by combining Chinese culture and ingredients with international design. Could C-beauty be the next breakout star? The founders of two Shanghai labels give us the skinny on a sector that is keeping in touch with its roots while getting ready to go international.
Speakers:
Yisa He, founder of Herbeast
Lishi Ni, founder of Melt Season
Lunch break: 12.30 – 14.00
Manufacturing
Making it in China: 14.00 – 14.30
Japan went through it. South Korea went through it. Now China is going through it. Manufacturing in East Asia began with the reputation as a low-cost alternative to the West before consumers finally caught up with the superior quality and skills developed over several decades. These days, in industries from fashion to technology, China is increasingly spoken about as the best place to make highly technical products. Two experienced business leaders with decades of experience in Chinese factories tell us why they swear by “Made in China”.
Speakers:
Igor Duc, CEO and founder of Native Union
Daisuke Hironaka, CEO of Stellar Works
Design
Horse power: 14.30 – 15.00
Chinese cars are now a common sight on roads around the world. But rather than settling for the cost-conscious customer, leading automakers are building premium labels and eyeing mature markets in Europe, North America and Australasia. They are betting that state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge design can make up for the heritage of their storied European competition and disrupt brand loyalty that is often handed down by generations of drivers. We get behind the wheel of this luxury race with the chief designer of one of China’s most successful automakers.
Speaker:
Stefan Sielaff, chief designer at Geely Auto Group
Coffee break: 15.00 – 15.30
Art & culture
Live radio session: Museum of the future: 15.30 – 16.00
Building a modern museum is no longer as simple as designing a beautiful building with a white box inside for displaying expensive wall art and sculptures. There must be movement, technology, a diversity of mediums, physical engagement and plenty of social-media moments. As the look and feel of cultural institutions the world over are rehung for future audiences, we learn from the founders of two new institutions in Asia taking a different approach to the typical Western model.
Speakers:
Colin Siyuan Chinnery, founder of Sound Art Museum
Purat “Chang” Osathanugrah, founder of Dib Bangkok
Placemaking
Eat, drink, shop: A blueprint for urban redevelopment: 16.00 – 16.25
Good restaurants, buzzy bars and well-executed retail are not only important to the livelihoods of the shopkeepers and servers behind the establishments. They create vibrant neighbourhoods and bring significant benefits to entire cities and countries, from providing a platform for local entrepreneurs, driving the economy and acting as a magnet for tourism and talent. The opening of New Bahru in 2024 did just that, turning an old school in Singapore into a bustling new destination – easier said than done.
Speaker:
Teng Wen Wee, founder of Lo & Behold
Wine
Raise a glass to Chinese wine: 16.25 – 16.55
China’s wine industry is now receiving due consideration by sommeliers and wine connoisseurs all over the globe. Beyond the big-name labels attracting investment from luxury brands, there’s a world of family-owned vineyards run by passionate oenologists who have learned the art of winemaking in France and mastered it on home soil. A vintner from Ningxia in northwest China pairs a lesson on Chinese wine with a taste of the terroir.
Speakers:
Emma Gao, founder of Silver Heights
King Wang, head sommelier and beverage director at Jing An Shangri-La
Farewell & prizes: 16.55 – 17.00
Drinks & dinner: 19.30 – 22:30
After-party – night cap & dancing: 23.00 until late
