After a hugely successful Monaco Yacht Show, industry professionals will continue to descend on Monaco during the month of October thanks to three major expos and one popular concert at the Grimaldi Forum.
The first event is the much-anticipated Sportel Monaco, running from 5th to 7th October. Sportel is the world’s leader in the Sports Content Media Rights and Technology Convention marketplace. Each year, key stakeholders from around the world meet up at Sportel events for targeted business meetings, knowledge sharing and decisive deal making.
Next up is the Cybersecurity Assises forum, where cybersecurity experts come together for one-on-one meetings, discussions, live demonstrations of the latest technologies, workshops and round tables on major trends in the sector. This show will run from 13th to 16th October.
To inject a bit of culture into the mix, renowned concert pianist Lang Lang will perform at the Forum on 21stOctober. He will be playing one of the most celebrated piano pieces in the history of classical music, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, consisting of an opening aria followed by 30 variations on it – a masterpiece that dazzles even today, nearly 300 years after it’s creation.
Rounding out the month, from 26th to 28th October, the One-to-One Retail E-Commerce Monaco show is coming to town for three days of conferences, business and networking made for the heavy-hitters in the retail and e-commerce world. Market players and decision-makers are joining together for the event’s 10th anniversary with 130 workshops and five keynote speakers on the roster.
The Grimaldi Forum says all events will be held following the most current health guidelines and with the safety of all participants in mind.
Monaco is like honey to the world’s brightest, most successful entrepreneurs and investors. Their stories are inspirational and motivational, and we at Monaco Life are pleased to share them you.
“I came to Monaco for the Grand Prix in May and I had a really good time,” Patrick tells me as we sit in the lobby of the Hermitage Hotel. “Before Covid, the word ‘holiday’ didn’t really exist for me. I was in a different city every few days, working non stop from 8am until 2am. I would always mix work with pleasure and enjoy travelling, but I realise now that health is the most important thing in life.”
Life didn’t start out easy for Patrick Tsang. Growing up in Belfast during The Troubles, he was one of the rare non-white people in Northern Ireland, speaking not a word of English the day he started at a Protestant school.
“The first day of school was very vivid to me. I was four years old and during recess all the kids got out their packed lunches with milk and biscuits. My mother, who didn’t know too much about the western education system, didn’t pack me anything to eat during recess. Obviously, a teacher brought me some biscuits. After lunch, we had some play time, as we were all heading back to the classroom I got beaten up by five boys, just because I didn’t look the same as them. I was crying and hurt and asking myself why they beat me up. That day taught me a big lesson: you have to fight for everything that you have in life. I needed to show people that I can be just as good as them, if not better.”
Patrick Tsang is now the fourth-generation chairman of the single family office Tsangs Group, an innovation-focussed company which bridges East to West and invests in companies primarily in Asia, North America and Europe.
“We try to invest by making a positive impact and positive influence with a mission to try to change the world to make it a better place,” says Tsang.
That determination to do better and aim higher is in Patrick Tsang’s DNA. His ancestors originated from Henan in central China thousands of years ago. They were part of an ethnic group called the Hakka, a nomadic tribe that moved all around China and were never considered ‘locals’ anywhere. About 700 years ago, the family emigrated to Hong Kong, which was essentially made up of fishermen and farmers, where they settled.
“My great grandfather came from the period during the Qing dynasty, had four wives and little resources. As he was illiterate, he saw that the power was with the pen and not the sword. So, he decided to use all his savings to educate one family member – his oldest son, which was my grandfather.”
Patrick’s grandfather went on to become one of the first Chinese entrepreneurs to open multiple Chinese restaurants and takeaways in north west England, and then the first to open restaurant businesses in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Dublin, Ireland.
“I was there for 18 years before I moved to London for college. Can you imagine? A bunch of Chinese kids growing up with thick Belfast and Dublin accents,” laughs Patrick.
Patrick Tsang went to London to read law and graduated from the prestigious College of Law in Guildford, England. He qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong and England before changing careers to finance.
As an investor, lawyer, advisor and chairman of various ventures, Patrick Tsang was always on the move, until Covid hit and the world was forced to a standstill. A hip operation last year also saw Patrick Tsang out of action for three months, giving him time to reassess his outlook on life and effect positive change.
“That immature, never say never mentality changes as you get older,” reveals Tsang. “You evolve to the point where it is not about me beating you, it is about me beating myself.”
It also gave Tsang the motivation to start a not for profit, social impact project.
“We had two years of social unrest in Hong Kong, very similar to Northern Ireland, and I had a lot of young people asking for advice on what to study, how to buy a house in Hong Kong, etc. At the end of the day, you can’t blame other people or the environment for your situation, it’s all to do with your own attitude. We can’t change the circumstances of the environment around us, all we can do is change ourselves and our attitude. Most of the time, successful people prevail in times of adversity.” Patrick Tsang interviewing Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley at the Monaco Streaming Film Festival 2021
In order to share these stories of success with as wide an audience as possible, Patrick Tsang created a podcast, interviewing celebrities, influencers and successful entrepreneurs. Titled ‘Anything is Possible’, the podcast now boasts over 60 episodes of one hour with personalities including venture capitalist Tim Draper, Bitcoin titan Brock Pierce, and former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci.
“There are others who are not perhaps as well-known but have very interesting stories, like a 24-year-old Indian lady called Dr Malvika Iyer, an international motivational speaker, social worker and disability rights activist who suffered a bomb blast at the age of 13 and lost both her arms.
“We also interviewed Adam Cheyer, handpicked by Steve Jobs and founder of Apple’s Siri. He’s also the founder of change.org which has had over five billion users since it began and has been instrumental in women’s rights movements.”
The interviews can be viewed on the ‘Anything is Possible Podcast’ channel on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well as DeFiance Media, a digital network broadcasting coverage of decentralised culture, finance and technology.
Patrick Tsang affirms he has no agenda with his podcast, apart from helping people.
“The objective is youth empowerment and education. I believe the same as my great grandfather, and the generations that came after him, that education is the key to everything,” says Tsang. “If we can help one, five, 10 young people, then they can have a multiplying effect of helping other people in issues like sustainability, climate change, food shortages… there are so many problems that need to be resolved and only the young can change them. The young generation is our future and if we channel the right energy and resources, Anything is Possible.”
Monaco association Artists in Movement is putting the dark days of the pandemic behind and dotting the Rue Princesse Caroline with unique, exceptional works of art intended to delight and inspire.
The pandemic has been a trying time for everyone, particularly those who make their living in the artistic realms. Now, artists have come together to display their off-the-beaten-track pieces at the 7th Sculpture Biennial on Rue Princesse Caroline.
This open-air event showcases the works of several artists, including Maria Amos, Beli, Elisabeth Brainos, Jean-Marie Fondacaro, Héléna Krajewicz and Rob Rowlands, Made, Mirabelle, Patrick Montalto, Stéphanie Natera, Hervé Nys, Richard Pellegrino, Panagiotis Pougaridis, Gery Rudent, Setch and Xzav, who have made creations that are intended to stir emotion, provoke thought and make people smile.
The National Council has made a special point of visiting the site to support the artists and, during a private visit, President Stéphane Valeri accompanied by Daniel Boeri, President of the Committee for Culture and Heritage, and Michèle Dittlot, the Committee’s Vice-President, discovered of the Biennial’s 15 works.
Since 2009, the Sculpture Biennial has exhibited works in places that are not necessarily intended for such a purpose, opening the doors between their world and the public. This year’s theme, ‘An air of freedom’, seems particularly apt in light of the worries stemming from the past two years.
Artists in Movement was founded in 2008 by Bernard Tétu, an artist and entrepreneur, who wanted to create an organisation that defined itself as both humanistic and artistic. The association sponsors several charity events and programmes, notably the building of a cultural centre in Burkino Faso which has since hosted exhibitions of local artists, as well as concerts and shows.
The Sculpture Biennial will be available for all to discover from 14th September to 22nd October at several locations along the Rue Princesse Caroline.
This Thursday and Friday, different stakeholders will come together for the Transition Forum in Nice with the aim of finding solutions to the ecological challenges facing humanity. We speak to the forum’s founder Lionel Le Maux to find out more. Monaco Life: What is the purpose of the Transition Forum and how did it come about?
Lionel Le Maux: The aim of the Transition Forum is to bring together different stakeholders of the Ecological Transition (public and private decision-makers, financiers, researchers…) to debate around four major themes – Food, Housing, Moving/Production and Consumption – and their challenges. In the end, the aim is to encourage the emergence of concrete projects integrating these different stakeholders. This Forum project is my initiative, as an investor (I am president of Aqua Asset Management, an asset management company 100% active in the Ecological Transition) who believes that the solution comes from the ability to mix diverse experiences. The forum has been running since 2018. What would you say have been the biggest achievements in that time that you have witnessed?
A number of concrete projects have emerged from these meetings – decentralised energy production units, decarbonised mobility fleet, but I won’t establish a ranking. In the end, the greatest achievement is undoubtedly the sustainability of this event. Why did you choose ‘Time to Cooperate’ as this year’s theme?
At the time of the Green Deal and the necessary acceleration of the Ecological Transition, it seemed important to us to encourage cooperation between local authorities, private decision-makers and financiers because it is from this cooperation that solutions mixing public and private financing/operating methods can emerge. What do you expect to come out of this year’s Forum?
As in previous years, I believe that the Forum will be dedicated to bringing together concrete projects and ideas for collaboration between the public and private sectors. My expectations are not linked to a single outcome but rather to a multitude of projects. Will the Transition Forum return to Monaco in the future?
We are delighted to have organised this Forum the first two years in Monaco where we were very well received and thank the City of Nice for taking over.
The Transition Forum may move to another city for its annual event and/or for other events during the year. We will be delighted to come back to Monaco!
The Transition Forum takes place on Thursday 30th September and Friday 1st October at the Palais de la Méditerranée in Nice.
Monaco Life is proud to be a media sponsor of the Transition Forum.
MonacoTech, the start-up incubator founded in the Principality in 2017, has put out its annual call for new start-ups in the green, clean, bio-med, financial yachting and digital tech worlds.
Applications are now being accepted by the Principality’s premiere start-up incubator, MonacoTech, for companies who are in line with Monaco’s values and in their foremost strategic sectors.
New businesses looking for a boost with backgrounds in green tech, clean tech, biotech, medtech, fintech, digital or yachting are asked to submit applications between 27th September and 25th October before midnight in order to be considered.
The selection process will take place in three distinct stages starting with filing the application. The next step will be 20-minute online interviews taking place on 15th and 16th November, followed by the presentation of the project in front of a panel of judges on 2nd and 3rd December. Final decisions will be made in January to welcome the new start-ups in the new year.
MonacoTech offers comprehensive support for the winning applicants, giving them a programme focused on the application of best practices and personalised follow-up, workshops and events led by experts, and chances to connect with key players of the ecosystem such as entrepreneurs, partner incubators and investors. Additionally, the start-ups will have access to each other for idea-sharing and support as well as to the MonacoTech ‘Fab Lab’, which can be used for prototyping and experiments.
Projects are evaluated on several criteria. The potential and innovative character, how far along the project has been developed as only those with a first prototype will be considered, and a coherence between the project and Monaco’s values and goals will all be considered before making final choices.
Monaco, says MonacoTech, provides a perfect backdrop for these kinds of endeavours as it is international, open to innovation and experimentation and already wired for 5G.
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