Publicis pair snag deal for HK festival

Billed as the Hong Kong Harbour Fest, the October 17 to November 9 event will take place at a new site near Central. Details of the event were being finalised at press time, but a source said the organisers had set their sights on bringing the Rolling Stones and Kylie Minogue to headline the festival. "The site will be used every night by either international or local artists. It will not be limited to music, but will include sports and other performances," said a source.

With just over a month before it kicks off, critics are sceptical that organisers will succeed in bringing in big-name stars and have questioned the likely bill to lure them. The initiative - supported by the Hong Kong Government - is being led by Michael Denzel, NBA's VP and MD, and Jon Niermann, Asia-Pacific head of Disney. Both sit on AmCham committees.

Amcham has handed Leo Burrnett the creative brief following a six-way pitch, while Starcom beat three agencies for the media assignment. Mabel Leung, Starcom Hong Kong GM, said the media agency's priority would be to secure sponsors and media partners for the event. "IMG will assist us with the sponsorship. They did an excellent job with the Real Madrid and Liverpool events and are experts in this field. We will have to get the media partners and everything else done within the next two weeks because that's when the campaign needs to kick off," said Leung.

Burnett's regional chief Richard Pinder said the event would play a significant role in positioning Hong Kong as the hub of world-class international entertainment in the region.