What Crostars Presented at the Boao Forum’s Inaugural Tech Conference
Macau hosted the inaugural ISTIF from November 9 to 11, 2020. The event’s full name: the Boao Forum for Asia International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum. Crostars founder Rocky Shi was among the speakers.
A High-Profile Gathering in an Unusual Year
The conference was co-organized by the Boao Forum for Asia and the Macau SAR Government. He Houhua, Vice Chairman of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC, served as conference chairman. More than 800 delegates attended from over 10 countries. They came from China, the US, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and beyond.
Notable attendees included Academician Zhong Nanshan and Nobel Physics laureate Konstantin Novoselov. Speakers at the opening included Forum Board Chair Ban Ki-moon and Vice Board Chair Zhou Xiaochuan. Secretary-General Li Baodong also addressed the conference. So did Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and former WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.
President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the conference. He emphasized that science and technology should benefit all humanity. He called for deeper international cooperation in science and technology. The aim, he said, was to contribute to global economic recovery and protect people’s health.
The forum ran under the theme “Innovation Empowers Sustainable Development.” Three keywords framed the agenda: Innovation Drive, Innovation Life, and Innovation Cooperation.
Rocky Shi’s Speech: Drones and the “Sky Era” of Tourism
Rocky Shi delivered a speech titled “Technology Innovates Life: Drone Vertical Applications Open a New Era for Cultural Tourism.” He argued that drone technology has matured to a point where cultural tourism is entering a new phase. He called it the “Sky Era.”
He outlined three areas where drones will reshape how people move, see, and experience destinations. First: autonomous passenger aircraft changing how people travel. Second: drone airspace shows lighting up cities and scenic areas at night. Third: shared drone tourism creating new ways to experience destinations from the sky.
“Hundred Cities, Thousand Scenes” — Crostars’ Four-Pillar Strategy
Shi also presented Crostars’ strategic target: “百城千景、共享流量” — Hundred Cities, Thousand Scenes, Shared Flow. The strategy rests on four pillars.
The first pairs drone formations with urban landmarks. The goal is a “city above the city” — a technology-driven layer of urban identity built from the sky down.
The second adds drone shows to scenic tourist destinations. The aim is to enrich nighttime activity and create a “scenery above the scenery.” The third combines drones with VR headsets. This gives visitors a bird’s-eye view of performances — a “vision above the vision.”
The fourth uses aerial QR codes to connect brands with audiences from the sky. Shi described it as opening a “business gateway between earth and sky.”
Innovation as the Answer to a Difficult Year
ISTIF Secretary-General Li Baodong addressed the broader context at the closing press conference. He noted that the pandemic had spread globally and the world economy had fallen into recession. His conclusion: the key to resolving global challenges lies in technological innovation.
The invitation to present at ISTIF placed Crostars at a significant table. It reflected the company’s standing at the leading edge of drone applications in China. Learn more about the team’s background on the About Us page.
The drone coordination technology behind Crostars’ performances is built on the C5 System. If you’re planning an event or destination launch that calls for something memorable, contact us to start the conversation.