Kick-Off Ceremony of International Festival 2018/19 and High Table Dinner

On 9 November 2018, over 70 local, non-local and exchange students, gathered with VTC senior management at the new training restaurant of the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), in Chai Wan.

Festival kick-off. Guests enjoyed a cocktail reception, before the official welcome from the VTC Chairman and a dinner talk by the Consul General of the Russian Federation in Hong Kong, Mr Alexander V. KOZLOV. VTC senior management joined their guests on stage to officially open the International Festival (IF), now in its fifth year.

Student leaders. During the evening, 33 new VTC ISAs were appointed, and one enthusiastic new student from Indonesia even undertook his first ISA duty that night, hosting as emcee with another international student from Italy. Guests heard more about the ISA Scheme’s opportunities directly from three senior ISAs who related their experiences, including what they had learned at a recent leadership camp in Melbourne, Australia, as part of the WFCP World Congress.

Russian developments. Before dinner Mr KOZLOV gave an informative speech about Russian history, current affairs, and the education system and vision for the future. Guests were impressed by the generous three-year maternity leave, efficient one-stop-shop for all government services, guaranteed university places for secondary graduates with the necessary grades and the availability of a free hectare of land for development in Russia’s Far East to all citizens, including foreign nationals who have become naturalised.

Over the course of the evening, guests of different nationalities and backgrounds at each table got to know one another, and everyone was in good spirits, mingling and taking photos, as the evening came to a close.