Asia’s premier annual event on design, innovation and brands, Business of Design Week (BODW) 2026, will be grandly held from 16 to 21 November this year. The organiser, Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), held a press conference today (17 September) to officially announce the key highlights of this year’s edition and the speaker line-up for its flagship programme, the BODW 2026 Summit. As in previous years, the event is supported by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as Lead Sponsor, and co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).
2026 also marks the 10th anniversary of the innovative strategic partnership between Chinese Mainland and Switzerland. BODW 2026 is proud to welcome Switzerland as its year-round Partner Country under the theme ‘Design in Dialogue: Connect + Transform’. Drawing upon Switzerland’s remarkable achievements in precision craftsmanship, sustainable architecture, brand transformation, and technology innovation, the event explores how Swiss design leverages its multilingual heritage and cross-cultural exchanges to spark new thinking, translating creative concepts into actionable force for business and societal change, and to exchange visionary dialogue across the globe. As a world-class platform rooted in Hong Kong with a global perspective, BODW further underscores Hong Kong’s positioning as an international creative capital, alongside its unique strength as a ‘super connector’ and ‘super value-adder’ uniting local and overseas resources to foster international collaboration.
As the flagship programme of the event, the BODW 2026 Summit will take place from 18 to 20 November at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Bringing together over 50 creative leaders and business decision-makers from Switzerland, Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, Czech Republic, Korea, the United States, and beyond, the Summit will dive into six key topic pillars: Reimagining Spaces, Regenerative Culture & Curation, Brand Transformation, The New Luxury & Artisanal Innovation, Designing for Longevity & Vitality, as well as Future-Ready Transmedia & Education. Discussion spectrum spans landscape architecture, urbanism, culture and brand storytelling, industrial and product design, craftsmanship and heritage, luxury retail and interior design, social and longevity innovation, communication design, future design education, and more.
Featured speakers of the BODW 2026 Summit include:
Architectural Giant Creating Public Value Through Dialogue
Wim Walschap, CEO & Senior Partner at Herzog & de Meuron, has led teams on iconic international projects including London’s Tate Modern, alongside Hong Kong landmarks M+ and Tai Kwun. At the Summit, he will share how the studio places ‘dialogue’ at the heart of its design philosophy, drawing on experience across sensitive adaptive reuse, commercial transformations, and key regional works such as the Grand Canal Museum Complex and The Hyundai Gwangju to explore how architecture responds to local context and creates lasting public value through community connection.
Landscape Master Integrating Nature into Architecture
Renowned Swiss landscape architect Enzo Enea excels at seamlessly blending outdoor landscapes with indoor architecture, with his latest project including Central Crossing, a new mixed-use development in Hong Kong, in collaboration with Foster + Partners. At the Summit, he will elaborate on using immersive design to reconnect human life with nature, while examining the role of landscape design in urban public space transformation and well-being enhancement.
Design Pioneer Redefining Public Spaces through Generosity
Emily Yan, Director, Studio Hong Kong (Asia Region) of Snøhetta, has contributed to numerous landmark projects, including AIRSIDE, a multi-purpose commercial space in Kai Tak, Hong Kong; the Shanghai Grand Opera House opening next month; Beijing Art Museum; and Solstice Culinary Space, a new multi-concept dining and cultural destination in Central, Hong Kong. At the Summit, she will share how her philosophy of ‘generosity’, which advocates for giving back to the public, the environment, and future generations more than taking, serves as a catalyst for regenerative design, enabling spaces to transcend single functionality and create lasting value for both society and the environment.
Boundaries Transcended: The Creative Soul Driving Performance and Innovation
As the core figure behind breakthrough technologies including the CloudTec cushioning system, Speedboard, and the LightSpray spray-on upper technology set to make a major impact at the LA28 Olympics, Thilo Brunner, Chief Design Officer of On, will unpack the brand’s forward-looking design philosophy. From product development and immersive tech-driven retail stores to progressive brand collaborations, he will reveal how On seamlessly integrates traditional craftsmanship with technological innovation to reshape the future of sportswear, experiential spaces, and global design culture.
Dialogue Between Brand Essence and Evolving Eras
Suyong Joh, Founder of Magazine B, and Janine Weiz-Bühler, Navigator / CEO of FREITAG lab. AG, will join a dialogue to deconstruct the evolution of brand identity, exploring how brands stay agile in a fast-changing world while safeguarding core values.
Culinary Culture Driver Reshaping Community Experience
Swiss master baker Chef Grégoire Michaud will share how he transformed Bakehouse, the bakery he founded in Hong Kong, into a modern cultural anchor. By combining traditional European baking craftsmanship with a contemporary visual identity, he uses design thinking and narrative design to bring new energy to the community’s dining culture.
Innovator in High-End Hospitality Experience and Education
Prof. Markus Venzin, CEO of EHL Group, will discuss the expansion from traditional hospitality into high-end services sector. Referencing EHL campuses in Lausanne and Singapore, he will reveal how spatial design, experiential learning, and digital innovation converge to meet changing consumer desires.
Cross-Disciplinary Designer and Material Philosopher
As co-founder of atelier oï, recipient of the Swiss Grand Award for Design 2026, Aurel Aebi will share their philosophy of ‘thinking with our hands’. He will explore material-driven narrative methods, fusing heritage craftsmanship with material innovation to craft evocative architectural, product, and spatial works.
The three-day Summit will offer full English subtitles alongside real-time AI-driven translation tools supporting 10 languages, including German, French, Italian, English, Cantonese, Putonghua, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Arabic. The full Summit programme will also be streamed live on bodw+ and social media platforms, enabling international audiences to watch along in real-time.
Beyond keynote speeches, panel discussions, and fireside chat on the main stage, the Summit features curated ‘Meet-the-Speaker’ sessions and the acclaimed bodw Future Lab returning from last year. Through interactive forward-looking dialogues, heavyweights will guide participants to examine future-focused issues such as The Future Design of Empathetic Spaces, Future Thinking: Navigating the Big Shifts Reshaping Our World, and ‘East-meets-West’ Approach to Longevity, turning dialogue into actionable initiatives and strategies.
In addition, the bodw Future Lab presents pre-summit sessions. The inaugural event was successfully held on 26 August at DX design hub with the session From Micro-trends to Future Blueprints: The Power of Foresight, the event explored how enterprises can spot market shifts early to convert uncertainties into growth opportunities. The upcoming two bodw Future Lab pre-summit sessions will be held on 29 September and 21 October, exploring Beyond Taste: Rethinking Food and The Semiotic Advantage: How Future-Ready Brands Speak to Culture respectively.
Mr Steve Leung, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Centre, stated in his speech, ‘Design is a human-centred practice that puts people first. It sustains a dialogue between form and function, culture and innovation, humanity and the environment. That dialogue reframes problems and unlocks new possibilities. This belief shapes our theme, “Design in Dialogue: Connect + Transform”, celebrating collaboration across cultural and professional boundaries. Swiss design is famous around the world for its precision, quality, and focus on sustainability. It is a design approach built on real dialogue, bringing together beauty and engineering, as well as human needs and the environment. In an increasingly complex world, this Swiss approach shows us how design can lead to thoughtful and lasting solutions.’
Mr Steve Leung, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Centre_香港設計中心董事會主席梁志天先生
Mr Daniel Freihofer, Consul General of Switzerland in Hong Kong_瑞士駐香港總領事范鴻飛先生
Mr Daniel Freihofer, Consul General of Switzerland in Hong Kong, remarked, ‘Switzerland is proud to be the Partner Country of Business of Design Week 2026, marking a new chapter in our partnership with Hong Kong. The theme, “Design in Dialogue: Connect + Transform”, strongly resonates with Switzerland’s approach to design, valuing collaboration across disciplines and cultures. Swiss design connects people and ideas, bringing perspectives together to respond to change. Strengthened through our close collaboration with Hong Kong Design Centre, an outstanding Swiss delegation will share expertise with global audiences, inspiring new thinking and fostering lasting opportunities for collaboration between Switzerland, Hong Kong, and the wider region.’
Ms Anna Cheung, Associate Executive Director of HKTDC, said: ‘Through our enhanced strategic partnership with HKDC, we are reinforcing Hong Kong’s role as a global hub for culture and creativity. This year’s DesignInspire, themed ‘Wander & Wonder’, will be held from November 18 to 21 at the HKCEC. Salone del Mobile. Milano will debut a special exhibition curated with exclusive elements unique to Hong Kong, while innovative designs from Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and other regions will also be showcased, fostering meaningful cultural exchange.’
Ms Anna Cheung, Associate Executive Director of HKTDC_香港貿易發展局副總裁張詩慧女士
Beyond the Summit, BODW 2026 will join forces with a range of concurrent design programmes across the city, including DESIGN@HKG (formerly BODW in the City), DFA Awards Presentation Ceremony, DX design hub Anniversary Event, Leadership Forum (organised by PolyU Design), DesignInspire and Business of IP Asia Forum (organised by HKTDC), and deTour 2026 (organised by PMQ). Together, these programmes create a city-wide celebration of design, reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s creative capital.
To help attendees secure their seats early and engage directly with our distinguished creative leaders, the organiser has introduced a limited-time early-bird offer. A three-day pass for Business of Design Week 2026 Summit is available at HKD840 (regular price HKD2,800). As capacity is strictly limited, reserve your place today.
For details regarding ticketing, programme, and speaker profiles of BODW 2026, please refer to the attachment or visit the official website: https://2026.bodw.com/en.
Follow official social media platforms for the latest BODW updates: Facebook (bodw+), Instagram (@bodwplus), X (@bodwplus), LinkedIn (bodw+) and YouTube (bodw+).
