Highlights of the Upcoming Business of Design Week (BODW) 2017

Every year, around 120,000 creative individuals and people with vested interests in design, branding, or regional trade flock to the Business of Design Week (BODW), the flagship event held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) – situated in the Wan Chai district, on the northern coast of Hong Kong Island.

The event was first initiated in 2002 by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), a non-profit commercial agency of the local government tasked with fostering design in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). As with previous iterations of BODW, this year’s event will be held in collaboration with other quasi-commercial and governmental agencies such as CreateHK (as the major sponsor) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC – as the co-organiser).

The upcoming iteration of BODW is themed “Italy Makes A Difference” – with Italy returning after a decade as the official partner nation providing influential figures in Italian architecture as speakers. “Following a successful and very well received partnership at BODW a decade ago, Hong Kong Design Centre is delighted to once again be partnering with Italy for Business of Design Week,” says Professor Eric C. Yim JP, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Centre. “Regarded as a worldwide powerhouse of style and design, Italy has led the way in the worlds of luxury, interior design, fashion, automobile design, and architecture, among others, and we look forward to once again providing a leading global platform in Asia for individuals and organisations from the business communities and creative industries across sector and profession to exchange knowledge and insights with some of the world’s leading industry experts across a diverse range of disciplines.”

The upcoming BODW’s theme was conceived by renowned Italian architect Dario Curatolo (of Rome-based design firm ‘Four in the Morning’), “I am truly honoured to have been selected to help showcase Italian designs to an international audience,” says Curatolo. “It is not just one Italian designer who has made a difference though – our rich cultural heritage and appreciation of beauty in all its forms speak to a vision and a methodology that runs through the Italian DNA. It’s this way of thinking which means that Italian design continues to make a true difference to people’s lives.”

A selection of the personalities expected to appear this year’s BODW include: Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas (of Studio Fuksas), Professor Jacques Herzog (of Herzog & de Meuron), Alberto Meda (of Alberto Meda Design), Mario Bellini (of Mario Bellini Architects), Sou Fujimoto (of Sou Fujimoto Architects Inc.), Marco Balich (of Balich Worldwide Shows), Ben van Berkel (of UNStudio), Dr Paul Thompson (of the Royal College of Art in London), artist Edoardo Tresoldi; Mitja Borkert (of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.); Oscar Farinetti (of Eataly), and Rocco Yim (of Rocco Design Architects Ltd).

Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas (of Studio Fuksas)

The BODW 2017 will feature a world-class line-up of international speakers and opportunities for trade in a broad scope of programmes covering themes relating to the themes of “Brands & Innovation”, “Communication & Design”, “Product & Design”, “Design for Asia”, “Space & Design”, “Heritage & Design”, and “Culture & The City”. Running concurrently with the BODW 2017 will be a number of related design forums and exhibitions, including the Leadership Forum on Design Education, the WORKTECH17 on workplace design, and Fashion Asia among others.

 

Image Credit: Hong Kong Design Centre

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.

The post Highlights of the Upcoming Business of Design Week (BODW) 2017 appeared first on Malaysia Interior Design, Home-living Magazine.