Roadshow debuts programme for SMEs

If you’ve taken the bus lately, you’ll notice a man talking about recycling paper diapers in Fukuoka, Japan. While the shots with bundles of white nappies are careful not to show any displeasing scenes, they still raise an eyebrow as it’s different from the lifestyle-oriented programmes we’re used to on Roadshow.This is the new annual flagship programme, Go Beyond Hong Kong, which debut this Monday.Targeted toward SMEs, the series of eight will focus on the commercial side of cities of opportunity for small businesses in Hong Kong through interviews with local officials.These countries include Indonesia, Japan, Kashgar, Korea, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam. The programme will also analyse economic trends, trade policies, various economic potentials, cultural elements as well as expansion blueprints on macro and micro levels.Though a spokesperson from Roadshow says its scope of advertisers didn't change as a result of the show's new target audience,  the programme indicates its sponsors in a horizontal banner up top.“In the 70s, the Hong Kong economy developed rapidly. Hong Kong people’s hardworking and resilient characteristics had driven Hong Kong to become one of the Four Little Dragons in Asia,” said Alex Mo, Managing Director of RoadShow.“Entering the 21st century, how can we improve ourselves? RoadShow hopes to inspire Hong Kong citizens and SMEs with the programme series ‘Go Beyond Hong Kong’.”The documentary on paper diapers, for example, reveals Japan’s take on finding green from an aging population, which is also a problem Hong Kong suffers. The next episode will feature food stalls and the eating cultures in FukuokaComprising 128 episodes, the production took over 12 months and cost several million dollars, according to RoadShow. The show can also be viewed online.RoadShow’s annual flagship programme for 2012 was Road to BRICS.