Business of Design Week (BODW), Asia’s leading annual event of design, innovation and brands, returns to Hong Kong from 4-9 December. An initiative of the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) with CreateHK as major sponsor and Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) as the co-organiser, BODW 2017 sees Italy return as official partner country, with leading Italian and international designers across a number of fields actively participating in the week-long event. Guided by the curatorial theme “Italy Makes A Difference”, BODW 2017 will unlock new business opportunities at an international level through a broad scope of programmes covering themes such as Brands & Innovation, Communication & Design, Product & Design, Design for Asia, Space & Design, Culture & The City, and Heritage & Design, which makes its debut at this year’s edition.
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.”
Edoardo Tresoldi, Artist. Italy © Blind Eye Factory
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.”
Jacopo Foggini, Artist, Galleria Jacopo Foggini, Italy © Andrés Otero
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.
BODW is an accredited event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. A number of ticket packages are available, with early bird prices until 6 November. For more information about this year’s programme and ticket purchase, please see bodw.com.
