Following is the speech by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, at the Disney ImagiNations Hong Kong 2016 Award Ceremony today (December 19):

Sam (Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Mr Samuel Lau), Kelly (Director, Creative Development and Show Quality, Walt Disney Imagineering, Mr Kelly Willis), finalist teams, ladies and gentlemen,

     It is my great pleasure to join all of you at this annual award ceremony for the Disney ImagiNations Design Competition. Indeed it is my fifth consecutive year joining this important occasion, and I am very proud and pleased to witness the brilliant imaginations of our youth. And I have every reason to believe that we will have a very promising future for the creative industries.

     I would like to congratulate all the finalist teams on your excellent work of innovation and creativity. Having stood out from 100 design teams joining this competition, all of you must have paid a lot of effort to "dreaming" and "imagining". All of you should be really proud of yourselves, and I must express my appreciation on all the brilliant ideas and all your efforts.

     Mr Walt Disney once said, "You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world … but it requires people to make the dream a reality." By looking at your masterpieces, I am really impressed by how innovative all of you can be in designing a Disney-style get-away at your campus and how you can bring your dreams into reality. No matter which team is champion in the end, I hope that all of you will never stop dreaming and making your dream a reality.

     In fact, thanks to Disney's "imagineers", many dreams have come to fruition at Hong Kong Disneyland. Earlier this year, Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers of "Star Wars" took over our Tomorrowland, bringing guests an experience of galactic proportions. In less than a month, those of you who are fond of the Marvel Super Heroes will get to fight together with Iron Man against Hydra to save Hong Kong in the new ride-through attraction. Next year, you can also experience different continents at the new resort-style hotel "Disney Explorers Lodge".

     Imagination is the most powerful source of creative inspiration and is the foundation of our creative industries. The Government has been very committed in rendering full support to the healthy growth of creative industries, and it will be up to all of you here to use your imagination and creativity to fuel this thriving sector. I encourage all of you here to keep up the good work and continue making the most of your imagination.

     I know that the winning team will have the opportunity to visit the headquarters of Walt Disney Imagineering in the United States and have internship experiences at Hong Kong Disneyland. I hope that the winning team will have fruitful and inspiring experiences.

     I wish you all the best in your future endeavours. Have a magical day in Hong Kong Disneyland and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you very much.

Ends/Monday, December 19, 2016
Issued at HKT 11:28

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