Charles Humphrey Smith Receives "Magnolia Silver Award" from Shanghai
The Shanghai Municipal Government has selected Charles H. Smith, Managing Partner of Ten Events Asia, to receive the highly prestigious “Magnolia Silver Award”. On Thursday, Sept. 7, the award was given to Smith in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the social, cultural and economic development of Shanghai in the area of sports and entertainment.
Smith and his business partner, Michael Luévano (a Magnolia Award recipient in 2005), moved to Shanghai in 1998, bringing with them over 40 years of combined experience in sports management from four continents. Working in cooperation with New Sports and Entertainment Co. Ltd., the Ba-Shi Industrial Group and the Shanghai Sports Commission, they helped Shanghai to stage some of its most celebrated sporting and entertainment events. The list includes five award winning Heineken Opens, Elton John in concert, the Rolling Stones in concert, the Kiwi Open, the Polo Open and the coveted Tennis Masters Cup.
In the community, Smith has been a strong supporter of charitable causes. Smith helped to raise over 1,000,000 RMB for Special Olympics when they launched in China, and currently acts as a special advisor for the 2007 Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai. Besides helping to raise funds for Project Hope and the Smile Train through Heineken Open charity programs, Smith facilitated corporate support for the China Olympic Sailing team. Since 1999, Charles has served three terms as an elected member of the ATP Tournament Council. In this role, he represents China and the International Region to the ATP Board of Directors on issues related to men’s professional tennis.
Following a private celebration hosted by Ba-Shi Group and New Sports, Smith expressed his thoughts on receiving the award, “It is a great honor to be recognized by the Shanghai Municipal Government. I am proud to have contributed to the tremendous growth of tennis in Shanghai through my work with Ba-Shi Group and New Sports. In just nine years, tennis participation has experienced an average of over 20% annual growth in Shanghai; as well, there has been a 500% increase in television coverage of tennis in China. Shanghai has truly entered the international stage as a host city for world events like the Tennis Masters Cup, and I look forward to doing my part in promoting this city and building upon its achievements.”
Currently, Smith continues to work for Shanghai Ba-Shi Industrial Group as a director of the Tennis Masters Cup.
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