B. Inspired Hong Kong: Future Trends for Finance

INTRODUCTION

On November 20th, Soho House in Hong Kong played host to the fifth in Broadsword’s B.Inspired event series. Designed for marketing and events professionals in the APAC region, the event was a deep dive into the global trends and emerging consumer behaviours set to influence the financial services sector in 2025. We kicked off with a presentation to set the scene and examine the current economic and geo political factors at play from award-winning data and research firm, Ipsos HK. Adrian Lo, Head of Strategy at Ipsos, shared key data points with the audience that are contributing to a ‘Here and Now’ mentality in Hong Kong and China compared to the rest of the world.

Adrian’s insights also included the growing need for transparency in financial marketing and the cautious optimism around AI’s impact. There is a clear conflict in the data between those that welcome AI and the advances that make work tasks easier and those that are concerned about AI replacing them. Trust was also a recurring theme with the data from a recent report showing reputational challenges for the Financial Services sector in comparison with other sectors such as Construction and Retail. The challenge for brands in this sector is creating campaigns that will resonate with the ‘Here and Now’ mindset.

Matt Green, Strategy Director at Broadsword joined Adrian onstage with regional Senior Events and Film Producer, Calvin Au to discuss the data and offer up some actionable solutions. The panel discussion was moderated by Broadsword’s Head of Commercial Development, Diane Carters.

The panel examined key points from the research looking at trust and how brands can position themselves as trustworthy via events. Matt felt strongly that honesty and trust needs to be earned but positioning yourself as a trusted source with both global and local perspectives from experts at events has worked well for a number of our clients. Calvin spoke about hologram technology and using solutions to bring key personnel to events who otherwise might not have been able to attend.

For the points around AI, Matt spoke about using Behavioural science to analyse audience dynamics for targeted marketing and predictive AI to enable more insight driven events. “From a programming perspective, specifically on global audiences this will allow us to focus on how to deliver the same content, but we adapt how the content is delivered to appeal across regions and demographics.” Calvin shared a music video that was scripted using AI, with image generation, animation and AI voices, to demonstrate how far the technology has come. It’s clear that human intervention, particularly within the creative process is still absolutely essential.

Tackling the “Here and Now” mentality – also referred to as YOLO (You Only Live Once), the panel explored the ways in which this might influence event design and planning. Matt spoke to Gen Z specifically and in the running of a global graduate induction programme – creating short, bitesize pieces of content and providing time for breaks and networking has been very successful. This allows the new cohort to build their connections and also fully digest the content. Often we provide regular spaces in the programme for reflection, feedback and comment.

We concluded with some thoughts on cross cultural dynamics and the challenge for event planners in creating content that will resonate with global audiences. The general consensus here from the panel is to have an over-overarching global event strategy, but to think and act locally for your audience. This aligns brand messaging and content topics but provides the freedom to actually address region specific issues.

Innovation Exchange provided a glimpse into the future, highlighting how brands can navigate cultural dynamics, leverage AI responsibly, and design campaigns that inspire trust and loyalty. As we approach 2025, these insights will undoubtedly shape marketing and event strategies for financial services professionals in APAC and beyond.