Grand opening: Secretary for Home Affairs Dr Patrick Ho (third left) joins guests at the opening of Business Opportunities of the 2009 East Asian Games Conference.

The 5th East Asian Games will bring business opportunities for local and international enterprises as the number of spectators, by conservative estimates, will exceed 200,000, Secretary for Home Affairs Dr Patrick Ho says.

Opening the Business Opportunities of the 2009 East Asian Games Conference today, Dr Ho said that in terms of scale, the games are second only to the Asian Games.

About 20 events will be held in December, 2009, the most ever. The Chinese Olympic Committee and the State Sport General Administration have pledged full support for the games and will send the country's best athletes to compete.

"The amalgamation of the East Asian Games and the commercial participation will not only result in the presentation of the most successful games but also reflect Hong Kong's role as an international business centre," Dr Ho said.

Good chance

The games' Planning Committee Chairman Timothy Fok said the event offers a good chance for companies to market their products and services and enhance the exposure of their brand names. Local and international enterprises can either join the licensed merchandise scheme or support the games as sponsors, or official suppliers or partners.

The committee hopes for mutually beneficial co-operation with the commercial and industrial sectors in the licensing and merchandising of products using the intellectual property of the games, which includes the emblem, slogan, mascot and anthem.

The committee has set up a booth at the Hong Kong Licensing Show 2006, which runs today to Thursday at the Convention & Exhibition Centre. Interested parties can write to the committee's secretariat by emailing esclee@lcsd.gov.hk.