Hong Kong's TEDx Returns After 7 Years With Fresh Vision

When Daniella Lopez acquired the license to revive TEDxHongKong in late 2025, she had a simple question: How can we get Hong Kong's brilliant minds talking to people outside their usual circles?

The city's last broad TEDxHongKong event happened in 2017. While niche TEDx gatherings continued, Lopez saw a gap for a platform where Hong Kong's local expertise could address global problems.

Lopez, an American who moved to Hong Kong in 2016, noticed how even worldly professionals get stuck in echo chambers. Medical experts talk to medical experts, tech people talk to tech people, and breakthrough ideas never reach the people who need them most.

This year's theme is "Adjust Focus: Look Again." Speakers include filmmaker Lawrence Kan, who directed the acclaimed In Broad Daylight about nursing home scandals, and Dr. Choi Pui-wah, founder of WomenX Biotech, a women's health technology startup.

John Terenzini will share findings from the Hong Kong Jellyfish Project, studying local jellyfish populations through citizen science. Karen Chu from social enterprise bakery The Good Cake rounds out a lineup spanning film, fashion, economics, and biotechnology.

Executive producer Sonia Wong joined the effort to challenge Western-dominated global conversations. She believes Hong Kong's innovations deserve center stage, not footnotes in regional reports.

The Ripple Effect

The event nearly didn't happen. Lopez spent weeks struggling to secure corporate sponsorship with just six months between getting the license and launch day.

Then something unexpected occurred. Local groups and individuals started offering help without being asked, loaning equipment, sharing knowledge, and providing space.

"This is only happening because of all the people who have jumped in to help," Lopez told the South China Morning Post. A community platform ended up being sponsored by the community itself.

Lopez, who previously worked in luxury marketing, shifted her career toward impact work after co-founding TEDxTinHauWomen in 2017. She wanted to be part of "something bigger" than selling handbags.

Wong says the goal isn't just recycling buzzwords. The team wants real relevance to issues like waste, ecology, aging populations, and wealth gaps.

For those wanting a different experience, "Taste of TEDx" offers a curated dinner as an alternative to the talks. Both events happen June 20.

Hong Kong's grassroots support turned what could have been a canceled dream into a thriving reality.