A Year of Conversations: Ideas To Wake Up To 2022

Inspiring ideas. Engaging conversations. These are at the core of our speaker series, Ideas To Wake Up To. Launched in 2021, the talks bring together leaders in business and creative industries to co-create and spark new ideas across our EAST hotels in Beijing, Hong Kong and Miami. Throughout their second year, these networking events continued to connect and inspire changemakers in their fields.

In an era of great global change, sustainable development became the focus of our 2022 sessions as we looked for new ideas and solutions that support our planet and people. We held three talks – with two in Miami and one in Hong Kong – learning and connecting with our communities through the year.

In June, Anniqa Law from The Nature Conservancy and Mark Percy from EAST Hong Kong joined Angela Wong of Lever Foundation in a wide-ranging conversation that touched on the many facets of sustainability. In addition to discussions on animal welfare and oyster reef restoration, Mark highlighted the oft-overlooked human element critical to building a more just and sustainable world: “ Sustainability is also about managing people’s wellness and that’s where Diversity and Inclusion comes in.”

Later in the summer, we dove headfirst into issues of marine conservation with filmmaker/marine scientist Dr. Shireen Rahimi and swimming champion Merle Liivand with a lively event at EAST Miami. The two environmental advocates spoke to their shared passion: the beauty and fragility of marine ecosystems and the impact of humans on them. “My mission is freedom for oceans,” shared Merle with the audience as she underscored the urgency in saving our seas. “Oceans haven’t been free; we have taken over them, trashed them, polluted them. We need fight for ocean freedom now.”

Finally rounding out the year, Ideas To Wake Up To returned to the people element of sustainability through a session championing Diversity and Inclusion. Special Olympics Florida triathlete Chris Nikic captivated the Miami audience with his journey to becoming the first person with Down syndrome to complete an IRONMAN® competition. “1% Better means we keep growing and we stay active to keep fit,” said Chris as he shared his philosophy for success, ”both physically and mentally."

It was a year full of fresh ideas and inspirational insights. We finished 2022 energised for more conversations as we look forward to continuing to connect over real issues with our communities and for the next evolution of Ideas To Wake Up To in 2023.

For more details on both past and future sessions of Ideas To Wake Up To, visit https://www.easthotels.com/en/ideas-to-wake-up-to/