Abel Zhao is in the middle of a meeting involving screens, timelines and the quiet intensity of people who traffic in once-in-a-lifetime moments for a living. When the experience innovator extraordinaire is ready to begin our photo shoot, his team is in all-out fan mode for their main man. They cheer him on for particular poses. They demand smiles. Someone suggests a power stance that would make a Formula One podium look shy. Zhao chuckles, equal parts embarrassed and amused that his entire support system is witnessing him try to look like a magazine star while still thinking about logistics.

His corporate office in Kowloon Tong tells its own story. Awards from the usual suspects line the shelves. Mini airplanes stand ready for take-off on centre tables. Rooms are named after major cities of the world. It is the physical version of what Zhao, CEO and Executive Director of media, entertainment, sports and travel technology group CSTS Enterprises, does for a living: take the complicated, the global and the high-stakes, and make it feel like home.

CSTS and its subsidiary Connexus Travel – which has deep historical roots as Swire Travel, Hong Kong’s first registered travel agent – scored big this summer as the sole sales agent in Greater China for the FIFA World Cup 2026’s official hospitality programme. It delivered the same feat at the inaugural Madrid Grand Prix in September and will manage hospitality in the China region, Singapore and South Korea for UEFA’s Euro 2028 championship.

End-to-End Stuff

Last month saw further expansion of the newly integrated group’s international sports platform through a joint campaign with Borussia Dortmund during the New York stop of the BVB World Street Series. From CSTS’s New York office, the high-flying, high-energy CEO helped oversee Times Square’s transformation into an international hub of street football.

Whether in New York City or Festival Walk, marketing, travel and data meet in the same room at CSTS to deliver seamless end-to-end audience experiences. Booking trends, attendance patterns and post-event engagement feed decisions about inventory, activations and partnerships with tourism authorities.

Working with international IPs like FIFA and F1 requires a clear framework, and Zhao’s is elegant – protecting the global brand’s integrity, localising for the market and executing without drama. Close coordination between rights holders, local partners and operational teams keeps the experience both authentic and culturally resonant.

Hospitality Warden

Luxury sports travel, in his view, is not about the ticket. It is about never having to ask where the car is. He expounds: “Beyond premium seating [at the event], our customers value a seamless, highly personalised experience backed by flexibility. They expect the ability to secure exclusive local experiences, arrange reservations at sought-after restaurants and navigate high-profile events with privacy and ease.”

During the World Cup, itineraries were designed around strategic hub cities, allowing guests and their families to establish a comfortable base while travelling to host cities for matches. Cultural experiences, lifestyle add-ons and seamless transitions were built in. Dedicated CSTS teams were on the ground, absorbing last-minute chaos so customers never have to.

For every event, the aim of their service is for guests to remember the goals, not the transfers. “We utilise centralised client-profile systems that capture micro-preferences over every touchpoint – from dietary nuances and preferred seating angles at stadiums, to specific vehicle models and ideal room temperatures,” he explains. “By pairing structured data with human intelligence from dedicated account managers, every trip can automatically incorporate clients’ preferences before they ever have to ask.”

Well Matched

Zhao’s educational background spans undergraduate studies in hospitality administration and management in Switzerland and an MBA at Columbia University in New York City. Growing up in Canada gave him early schooling in how sports and travel cross borders. Football was his passion, and as a teenager, he would save every dollar to watch international matches in person. The experience was unforgettable and became the seed of his present business. In a digital world, the moments that cannot be streamed still matter most.

His career path began in Toronto, where he worked as a Corporate Analyst at Air Canada, before landing in Hong Kong in 2012. He co-founded FreeD Group, a global digital and smart merchandising technology company, in 2016, and joined Connexus as CEO in 2023.

Nowadays, on a weekend with no meetings, he is outdoors with his dogs, chasing quiet rather than the next flight. Corporate high-achievers expect constant motion, but what recharges Zhao is the opposite: fresh air, family and the simple reliability of a dog who does not care about World Cup hospitality packages.

Memories Over Merchandise

When the conversation turns to modern luxury, Zhao leans forward with the calm of someone who has watched the definition shift in real time. “We are seeing a clear shift in what affluent Chinese travellers value,” he asserts. “They are increasingly seeking unique experiences that create lasting memories and meaningful connections, rather than simply acquiring material goods. Luxury today is less about what you buy and more about what you experience.”

In other words, the new status symbol is not another limited-edition anything. It is the story you can tell that no one else can copy. And CSTS Enterprises has made itself the official translator between ‘I want to be there’ and ‘You will not lift a finger’.

“Today’s luxury is about frictionless execution, personalisation and emotional value,” he opines. “For high-net-worth travellers, time is often their most valuable asset. Luxury means not having to worry about logistics, gaining seamless access to exclusive experiences, and being fully present in the moments that matter most.”

Then he adds the detail that separates the professionals from the pretenders: Chinese travellers want the visas handled, the private transfers timed to the minute, the restaurant that is impossible to book somehow available, and a concierge who already knows the preferred seating angle at the stadium. While the event is the headline, the support system is the entire article.

Team Players

Mid-interview, while the crew sets up microphones and lights, Zhao and his staff drift into the most important conversation of the day: lunch. What are we eating when this wraps? The discussion is easy, familiar and completely free of hierarchy. It is the same energy that fills the shoot – support that does not need a title to function. One simple, long-held value shaping his leadership is that no one succeeds alone. He learns daily from the veterans on his team and from partners around the world.

Abel Zhao has built a group that knows how to have your back in the most high-stakes environments on earth. The awards, the city-named rooms, the mini airplanes, the seamless journeys across continents – they all rest on the same foundation: a support system that shows up, stays present, and somehow still finds time to argue about lunch. In the end, the inevitable strength of that team is what transforms complex global operations into moments that feel effortless and deeply personal. That, it turns out, is the real luxury.

Interview, Text & Art Direction: Joseff Musa   Photographer: Jack Law   Videographer: Iris Ventura