Keynotes for Fog City
Chongqing is a mountain city on the Yangtze and one of China’s four direct-controlled municipalities. Paris brings The Grit Code to its manufacturers and leaders.
A municipality built on hills
Chongqing became a municipality on 14 March 1997, and its GDP reached about US$433 billion in 2022.
Changan Automobile is headquartered here, and the Liangjiang New Area, set up in 2010, was only China’s third state-level new area.
The city is called Fog City for its 100-plus foggy days a year, and its steep hills and rivers lead down to the Three Gorges.
Who Paris speaks to in Chongqing
Changan and suppliers
Keynotes for engineers and plant teams.
Electronics and industry
Talks on endurance for operations leaders.
Municipal bodies
Resilience for frontline services.
Chongqing University
Sessions for students and faculty.
Event venues
Chongqing’s company events and dinners use the hotels in Jiefangbei and the Liangjiang New Area, with bigger shows at the Grand Theatre.
- Chongqing Grand Theatre – a 64-metre building over the Yangtze, completed in 2009, with two concert halls
- Hongyadong – an 11-storey stilt-house complex in Jiefangbei on the Jialing River
- Liangjiang New Area – the business district and its company campuses
Ways to book Paris in Chongqing
The Grit Code keynote (45–60 min) · Grit Deconstruction workshop (90 min to half day) · virtual keynote (30–45 min) · event host and MC. Compare formats →
Why audiences believe him
5 days, 21 hours, 51 minutes
The time it took Paris to run 7 marathons on 7 continents: Antarctica, Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Fortaleza and Miami.
More than £150,000 raised
For marine conservation, by rowing 4,800 km across the Pacific in 2023.
See the Chengdu and Wuhan pages, or watch the Pacific row film. Keynote speaker Chengdu · Keynote speaker Wuhan · 39 days at sea: the Pacific row film
Booking for Chongqing
Available for in-person events in Chongqing, or virtually in your local time zone.
Organisers typically book speakers about three months ahead, so an early enquiry gives the best chance of your preferred date.
Talks are delivered in English; an interpreter can be arranged by the organiser where helpful.
See also keynote speaker in China, or browse all keynote speaker locations.
Chongqing’s economy and who the talk is for
Chongqing has a population of about 32,054,159 (2020 figure, Wikidata), which makes it a substantial market for conferences, leadership events and company gatherings.
Companies headquartered in Chongqing include Lifan Group (automotive industry), Seres Group (automotive industry) and Loncin Holdings, Ltd (automotive industry).
Automotive (Lifan Group, Seres Group and Loncin Holdings, Ltd). Automotive teams balance engineering precision with commercial pressure. Paris was a brand ambassador for Land Rover Middle East, and the keynote shows how grit turns long development cycles and tough sales targets into steady progress.
Students, graduates and faculty
Higher education is part of Chongqing’s talent pipeline, with institutions such as Chongqing University, Southwest University and Southwest University of Political Science and Law. Paris’s talks for students and graduates focus on grit as a skill that can be learned, using his own expeditions as evidence.
Typical formats include welcome weeks, graduation events, entrepreneurship programmes and alumni dinners. University keynote speaker →
How a Grit Code session works
- Paris starts with a short briefing call to understand the room, the sector and the challenge in front of it.
- The keynote uses film from his expeditions and TV work to make each idea concrete.
- Many organisers pair it with a Grit Deconstruction workshop or ask Paris to host the full day.
The content is shaped around Chongqing organisations and their goals, so the room hears examples that match its own challenges. Paris presents as an adventurer and CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, not as a theorist.
Where the talk fits in Chongqing
Organisers in Chongqing usually book Paris for one of these occasions:
- Annual company conferences and town halls.
- Change and transformation programmes, including AI adoption.
- Safety, wellbeing and performance days for operations teams.
- Charity dinners and community events, which Paris knows well as an ambassador for Gulf for Good.
Credentials at a glance
- In 2023 he rowed 4,800 km across the Pacific with three teammates, raising more than £150,000 for marine conservation.
- His TV shows have been distributed in 123 countries, and Guy in Dubai has 22 million views.
- He is the CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, an AI video production company.
- He ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes.
Questions from Chongqing organisers
Can I book Paris Norriss as a keynote speaker in Chongqing?
Yes. Organisers in Chongqing can book him in person or for a virtual session.
Does Paris speak at automotive industry events?
Yes. He tailors The Grit Code to engineering and manufacturing audiences.
Can Paris speak at a riverside dinner or gala?
Yes. He gives after-dinner talks and can host an awards evening.
Which Chongqing industries is The Grit Code suited to?
The keynote is tailored to each sector. In Chongqing it suits automotive audiences in particular, along with leadership teams, sales kick-offs and all-hands meetings in any industry.
Does Paris speak at universities in Chongqing?
Yes. He speaks to students, graduates and staff, for example at institutions such as Chongqing University and Southwest University, on grit as a learnable skill.
Is there a workshop option for teams in Chongqing?
Yes. The Grit Deconstruction workshop runs from 90 minutes to half a day and turns the keynote’s ideas into team habits and actions.
Can the keynote be delivered online for teams in Chongqing?
Yes. A 30–45 minute virtual version is available for remote or hybrid audiences, delivered in your local time zone.
Who has Paris spoken for?
Past clients include Nokia, DHL, Kraft Heinz, IHG, Dubai Airports, Expo 2020, COP28 and the UN Tourism General Assembly.
Check a date for Chongqing
Send the basics and Paris’s team will reply, or book a call.