If you want to have company in Hong Kong, you might want to know a bit more about the local working culture.
Industry always entails group meetings and negotiations. If you would like to arrange a business meeting in Hong Kong, it is usually a good idea to make appointments ahead of time. Generally it's going to take place in your office or your company contact’s workplace. If both parties have a good partnership, they would like eating a conference in a causal way, such as having a lunch meeting in a restaurant or a coffee shop. In Hong Kong, aside from all the international holidays, they likewise have actually some crucial local public holidays such as Lunar New Year and Buddha Festival. Try to avoid scheduling appointments around these holidays because these are the time for individuals collecting with their family, like Christmas in western tradition. Remember this advice when you're planning a meeting with some company heads like Mary Huen of Standard Chartered Bank.
Are you not a native in Hong Kong? If you want to come and start a business in Hong Kong, you may want to understand more work etiquette in the city. Starting from dress code, businesspeople dress relatively formal there, likely in black suits, shirts and ties. Wearing dark and muted tones are generally safe and the ideal selection for your clothes. Unless you're an artist, only prevent wearing suits with fancy patterns which might show an unprofessional image to others. Talking about colour, there are some situations when you are recommended to wear vivid tones like red, which is viewed a fortunate colour. You might want to wear a red tie during traditional festivals such as Lunar New Year. Next time, if you are going to meet some CEOs like Peter Wong of HSBC, you can wear some accessories in red to give your meeting good fortune.
Hong Kong is a worldwide busy city. Although it is an Asian city, the work culture in Hong Kong is closer to the western business world. Here are a couple of things for you to understand more about the local working culture like common behaviour, dress code and etiquette. Let’s begin with greetings. You might believe that every Asian will bow to each other when greeting. It is partially true for several Asian communities. In Hong Kong, you can only greet your business friends with a solid handshake. This is possibly the limit of physical contact for most of business meeting there as they do not truly see hugging a common business greeting gesture. Also, here is yet another tip for greeting. Whenever you greet in Hong Kong, always greet the most senior person first. This is the most usual courtesy in Asian work environments particularly in Hong Kong. So, bear in mind if you would likely meet some famous business leaders like David Li of BEA, ensure you greet him first.