One week to go: Business of Design Week 2017

Be inspired by the world's greatest creative thinkers on design, innovation and brands

Join a global creative community in Hong Kong at Asia's premier event of its kind
4-9 December, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
#BODW2017

HONG KONG, Nov. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's most inspiring designers and brand leaders will arrive in Hong Kong next week for Business of Design Week (BODW). Asia's most significant international event on design, innovation and brands will take place from 4-9 December, and once again serve as a world-renowned platform for meaningful dialogue between global design communities and internationally celebrated masters of design.

Business of Design Week 2016

BODW 2017, the 16^th edition of the international event, will bring to Hong Kong some of the most important names in the field of architecture, as well as prominent figures from a wide scope of creative disciplines ranging from violin making to automobile design. Thought-provoking programmes this year will include new sessions on Heritage & Design, examining family entrepreneurship and design traditions from a modern perspective, Cultivating a Future Mindset - Creative Leadership, which will champion the need for design thinking across disciplines, and a must-attend masterclass by iconic architect and designer Michele De Lucchi. These new programme highlights further BODW's mission of celebrating design thinking and fostering good design practices, adding to an existing list that covers themes relating to Brands & Innovation, Communication & Design, Product & Design, Design for Asia, Space & Design, and Culture & The City. The diverse range of speakers will share their own insights to embolden the global creative community and inspire the next generation of design talent.

International masters across design, architecture, culture and the city

Several of the greatest architectural masters of our generation will be in Hong Kong for BODW 2017. The captivating line-up includes Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas (Studio Fuksas), whose innovative, thought-provoking designs have transformed landscapes from Strasbourg to Shenzhen, and Professor Jacques Herzog (Herzog & de Meuron), a Pritzker Prize-winning architect whose designs can be seen the world over, including Beijing's famed 'Bird's Nest' stadium and Hong Kong's upcoming M+ and Tai Kwun (Central Police Station). BODW's impressive roster of speakers also includes innovative Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto (Sou Fujimoto Architects Inc.), who in 2013 became the youngest architect to design the annual summer pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery in London, Marco Balich (Balich Worldwide Shows), the world's most in-demand Executive Producer of Olympic ceremonies and other major events, and Oscar Farinetti (Eataly), Creator and Founder of the global chain dedicated to showcasing the best Italian products, and who has just opened FICO Eataly World in Bologna, the world's first food theme park.

Leading local design talent

Hong Kong creatives will feature prominently at BODW 2017, sharing homegrown insights with a global audience. Leading the local charge is internationally award-winning architect Rocco Yim (Rocco Design Architects), whose bold designs have helped transform the landscapes of Hong Kong and Mainland China. Other prominent figures at BODW 2017 include Duncan Pescod, GBS, JP (CEO, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority), whose impressive CV includes over three decades' service with the Hong Kong Government and is now overseeing the development of Asia's next great international arts and culture hub, and Vincent Lim & Elaine Lu (Lim & Lu), co-founders of the eponymous award-winning, interdisciplinary design practice.

New session: Heritage & Design

The fascinating relationship between design and family and cultural legacy will be explored in the Heritage & Design session, which makes its debut at BODW 2017. The session, which expands the event's critical examination of a broad spectrum of the creative and business industries, will be anchored by a string of leading creative minds whose works built on family or cultural legacy, including master luthier Lapo Vettori (Paolo Vettori Daughter & Sons), a third-generation luthier and the youngest member of the Commission of Professional Italian Violin Makers, and Giulio Vinaccia (Giulio Vinaccia & Associates), a prolific product designer and a globally recognised expert in social design, who works full-time for UNIDO and other UN agencies. Attendees will also hear from Jacopo Foggini (Galleria Jacopo Foggini), an artist who, while working for his family business, discovered the versatile nature of methacrylate and invented a machine to melt it and hand-mould it into luminous, large-scale artworks and, more recently, products. The session will also explore the creative legacy of China from iconic musician and independent producer Zhu Zheqin/Dadawa, an avant-garde musical pioneer and founder of social enterprise KANJIAN Creation, which promotes contemporary design inspired by the wisdom of traditional Chinese crafts. Speakers in this session will discuss the power of design to transform traditional business models, and seek to inspire Hong Kong, with a rich legacy of businesses that have been passed down through generations, to apply design thinking to revitalise and continue to grow their own enterprises.

The future of design

Forward-thinking creative innovators will inspire attendees of BODW 2017, with speakers including Daan Roosegaarde (Studio Roosegaarde, The Netherlands), an artist and innovator whose environmentally minded public work explores the relationship between people, technology and space using light projection, and emerging Italian artist Edoardo Tresoldi, who plays with the transparency of mesh and other industrial materials to create large-scale sculptures. A champion of sustainable design, Mario Cucinella (Mario Cucinella Architects), will also be speaking at BODW 2017, discussing his own designs which pay particular attention to sustainable development, the energy and environmental impact of buildings.

BODW is a multi-disciplinary event which serves as a valuable platform for professionals across industry and sector to network, exchange ideas and explore business collaborations, through programme highlights including the BODW summit, a gala dinner, networking events and concurrent events, as well as a fascinating roster of satellite events taking place throughout Hong Kong to ensure that the creative spirit is felt citywide.

A number of ticket packages are available now. More information about this year's programme and details for ticket purchase can be found at bodw.com.

 About Hong Kong Design Centre

Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2001 as a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government in establishing Hong Kong as a centre of design excellence in Asia. HKDC continues its public mission in using design and innovation to drive value creation of business development and improve the well-being of society, through the provision of diverse innovation-oriented knowledge sharing and exchange platforms, anchored by five major work directions: CONNECT, CELEBRATE, NURTURE, ADVANCE and ENGAGE.

HKDC's flagship programmes include Business of Design Week (since 2002) – Asia's leading annual conference and event on Design, Innovation and Brands; DFA Awards (since 2003) – the most recognised design awards from an Asia perspective; Design Incubation Programme (since 2012) and Fashion Incubation Programme (since 2016) – 2-year incubation programmes to nurture future design and fashion entrepreneurs; FASHION ASIA HONG KONG (since 2016) – a new initiative combining conversations, interactions and cultural exchanges to energise the city's image, and positioning it as an Asian hub for fashion trade and business development; Knowledge of Design Week (since 2006) – an annual thematic design knowledge sharing platform on how design can solve complex challenges of our society.

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20171129/2002267-1