From Back of House to Designing for the Front — EAST Hong Kong’s Michael Lee
Area Back of House / Event Production Manager Michael Lee is coming up on 16 years with EAST Hong Kong. Besides overseeing EAST Hong Kong’s day-to-day operations including OS&E (Operating Supplies and Equipment), Michael has come into his own designing decorations for the front of house.
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From Back of House to Designing for the Front — EAST Hong Kong’s Michael Lee
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Once you run out of solutions, you start to think ‘alright, maybe I should give up.’ But then you realise ‘wait, I could try doing it this way.’ Then you’ll want to keep going.
Michael Lee
It began when the General Manager of The Upper House — and current Managing Director of Swire Hotels — Dean Winter found a way to create a full-size Christmas tree from cardboard boxes sourced from the hotel. The tree was a resounding success, which inspired Michael to use recuperated materials and upcycle them into sustainable decorations at EAST Hong Kong, an unexpected opportunity to both create something special and revisit a lifelong passion.
“I really like design. I’m even doing the interior design at home. But starting this was something that happened all of a sudden,” he explains. “In my generation, there weren’t enough resources for you to go off and do your own thing. It’s different now. Your parents might not have supported you in the past, but they do now. And now, I can do the things I really wanted to.”
Michael then jumped at the opportunity and went on to create both a Christmas Village and an eight-foot-tall bear using wood, cloth, and other materials sourced from different suppliers. Besides gathering materials year-round for sustainable designs and working with other departments such as Housekeeping to sew clothes for the bear, Michael would also help create decorations for other events including a staff party for People & Culture Team.
Yet despite practical challenges with each new design, Michael continued to forge ahead and find solutions, even continuing to sharpen his skills even after work.
“Once you encounter a lot of difficulties, you start to think ‘wow, my skills aren’t there yet,’ so you have to go back to school,” he says. “So I went and signed up at APA (Hong Kong’s Academy of Performing Arts). And that programme was intense, so much that it was part time, but with five classes a week from 7-10pm, it was basically full time!”
Over two years at APA, his stagecraft program would provide him with hands-on experience and the practical skills needed to elevate his decorations and refine them. And together with the added trust and freedom afforded to him with each masterpiece, he’s set to create something even more astounding next year.