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As the inaugural BEYOND International Technology Innovation Expo in Macao is approaching, let’s hear from our co-founders, Dr. Gang Lu and Jason Ho, on why they created BEYOND and what we can expect from it.
Q1. How did you two meet?
G: We met during the 2019 London Tech Week, we were guest speakers for a roundtable conference in London. After returning to China, we continued to keep in touch. I would then invite Jason to be a guest speaker at a few TechNode events.
J: During gatherings, one question would frequently come up as a discussion point: why is it that Asia has so many tech innovations and possesses such a huge market potential, yet there has never been a platform like CES, MWC, and IFA, that can bring the global tech innovation industry together? So one day, I said to Lu Gang on WeChat: “Let’s build a new platform in Macao and call it “Beyond”, which means ‘to transcend’,” and that was the very beginning of ‘BEYOND’.
Q2. What inspires the three visions: BEYOND Business, BEYOND Technology and BEYOND Boundaries?
J: The three visions come from our daily experiences. Technology is not only changing the consumer electronics industry, but also transforming traditional businesses around the world. Hence, we hope that everyone who participates in BEYOND will realize the various impact that science and technology has had on many industries.
G: BEYOND Business and BEYOND Technology both imply that, apart from seeing what commercial value tech can bring to our society, we think it’s important to also explore what tech can bring to our society in terms of achieving a sustainable future and solving global challenges. Especially during COVID-19, science and technology has been put into great use to save lives. As for BEYOND Boundaries, we think there shouldn’t be any geographical boundaries in technology. Instead, there should be open conversations among global tech communities to recognize the importance and value of global collaboration.
Q3. What are your goals for BEYOND?
J: This is the inaugural event for BEYOND. We hope that thereafter there will be a big global tech scene in Macao every year. We believe that Asia is an emerging market for companies to explore and expand into in the coming years. As such, our goal is to make the BEYOND Expo one of the biggest and the most impactful events in promoting cross-industry and cross-border cooperation in Asia. We hope to bring the global science and technology innovation industry into the APAC market.
Q4. While preparing for BEYOND, what changes have you experienced?
G: Well, one thing is for sure, both of us have grown more white hair since we started, and I suppose that’s the biggest change we’ve experienced thus far. Jokes aside, we knew from the beginning that it wouldn’t be easy to build such a large platform from scratch. And frankly, the journey was indeed very difficult. Thankfully, we were fortunate to have friends and peers that we have met along the way that really resonate with our three visions and believe in us. Since we firmly believe in the value that BEYOND can bring to everybody, we, too, have faith in BEYOND and everybody who has supported us thus far to make it happen. Thank you.
For tickets and more information about the event, please visit BEYOND official website; for business, please contact bd@beyondexpo.com.