International Speakers to Explore Global Design and Digital Innovation Trends and Reveal the Possibilities for Hong Kong’s Smart City Development

HONGKONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 16^th May 2019 - Knowledge of Design Week (KODW)organised by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) with Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) ofthe Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSARGovernment) as the Lead Sponsor will be held from 17^th to 21^stJune this year. In the KODW 2019 Media Preview hosted by HKDC today, "DesigningDigital Futures" was revealed as the theme of the annual event. Duringthe five-day curated programme comprising three thematic forums, seveninteractive workshops, an InnoDesign Leadership CEO Forum and a Roundtable onPublic Service Innovation, local and worldwide designers, decision makers,entrepreneurs and field experts will explore the latest global design andinnovation trends, understand how human-centreddesign serves as a bridge between "digital and technology" and "userexperience", and be inspired with new directions for future urbandesign.

(From left to right) Mr. Michael Chan,Deputy Academic Director (Design) of Hong Kong Design Institute; Mr. ChrisDobson, Principal of Eight Inc.; Prof. Eric Yim, Chairman of Hong Kong DesignCentre; and Dr. Edmund Lee, Executive Director of Hong Kong Design Centreattended the Media Preview of KODW 2019 today.

Taking a human-centred design approach,KODW 2019 will have speakers and workshop leaders to discuss how design, digital and technology cantransform the challenges the world is facing into opportunities, enhanceour quality of life, and make Hong Kong a more dynamic, inclusive, innovative,sustainable and liveable city. The event promises to fire the imagination andoutline new possibilities for future design-led innovation for the city. Theseare all in line with the HKSAR Government's efforts to promote good design andthe creative industries and to transform Hong Kong into a world-class smartcity.

Prof.Eric Yim, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Centre said in theMedia Preview today, "Building on the theme 'Design for Liveability' last yearwhich captured the attention of the industry and the general public, KODW 2019will continue to inspire new ideas and discussion related to this topic, bylooking into how human-centred design serves as a bridge between 'digital andtechnology' and 'user experience' as we explore design-led innovation for thecity, economy, culture and our living. The aim is to enhance local urbanplanning, advance the strategic use of design and creative thinking to drivethe new economy, business, education, social well-being etc., and to invitepeople from all walks of life to explore new directions."

Thematic Forums: Three Cornerstones of Future Urban Life

During the five-day event, internationally-renowned industry expertsand business leaders from around 10 cities across America, Europe and Asia willgather together in the three thematic forums to be held in Hong Kong on 19^thand 20^th June 2019 to explore the three cornerstones of future urbanlife: "Liveable Smart City", "Future Retail &Lifestyle" and "Digital Health". 

"Liveable SmartCity" will explore new possibilities for the liveable cities oftomorrow.  Speakers will share theirexperiences in using design and creative thinking to solve problems and createvalue in innovative urban systems. Di-Ann Eisnor, from The We Company (formerlyknown as WeWork), who previously incubated new urban systems at Google's Area120will share how enterprises may use global-scale databases to find creativeurban solutions and respond to the government and citizens' need in thefast-changing world.

Other speakersareJames Law, JP, Hong Kong architect and Chairman & CEO of James Law Cybertecturefamed for his OPod Tube House and design-led infrastructure development in theUnited Arab Emirates; Ren Yee, creative team member fromUNStudio/UNSense, the architecture studio behind the planning and creation ofBrainport Smart District, the "smartest neighbourhood in the world" in theNetherlands; and Chris Ferguson, one of the senior executives of the UK'sGovernment Digital Service (GDS), who is responsible for coordinating thestrategies between GDS and the UK public sector, and who extensively uses design,digital solutions and technology to enhance the quality of public services andcatalyse innovation across government.

"Future Retail & Lifestyle" will dive into trends, disruptions and new frontiers in the post-omnichannel retail landscape. Speakers will look at how brands are reinventing business to create personalised, intuitive and connected experiences for digitally-empowered customers. Tommy Campbell, digital designer with SPACE10, IKEA's research & design lab that explores new possibilities and solutions for future life, will deconstruct how digital and technology can improve the quality of our daily lives, make structural changes in the industry ecosystem, and create opportunities in the face of changing consumption patterns.

Other speakersare: Alexis Bonhomme, Vice President Greater China - Commercial,Farfetch, a leading global fashion shopping platform with more than 2,000designers and luxury brands; Anson Shum, Co-Founder and CreativeDirector of OOKONN, a Hong Kong luggage brand that breaks the traditionaldesign concept with its circular shape; Chris Dobson, from the prominentexperience design studio Eight Inc. that designed the iconic Apple Storeexperience; and Raymond Leung, Vice President (Sales & ClientServices) of Cherrypicks, a Hong Kong mobile technology and mobile businessdeveloper with over 100 international and local awards for its products andtechnologies.

"Digital Health" will discovernew innovation opportunities and solutions for health and care in the digitalage. LowCheaw Hwei, Head of Design for Philips ASEAN Pacific, will share how designthinking, digital and technology can improve the healthcare system and changepeople's mindsets through design, so that various solutions to medical problemscan be developed from individual to institutional levels. Prof. Fung Hong,Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Chinese University ofHong Kong (CUHK) Medical Centre and Professor of Practice in Health ServicesManagement of The Jockey Club School of Public Health & Primary Care, CUHK,will share his experience in advocating and developing "Smart Hospitals" inHong Kong.

Other speakersare: Chris McCormack, Managing Director, Digital Care Planning, HelixCentre, a design-led innovation lab in healthcare based at St. Mary's Hospitalin London, a collaboration between Royal College of Art and Imperial CollegeLondon; Liam McGuire, leaddesigner of Opaque Media Group, a premier technology consultancy in Australia,who has worked with the Australian Alzheimer Association using the latestVirtual Reality (VR) technology to enable healthcare professionals to feel andexperience the life challenges of people with cognitive impairment; Vicki Tan, Lead Product Designer at Headspace, a mobile appthat creates a health meditation experience for its users; and Rama Gheerawo,Director of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art, who is a world leading champion for inclusive design.

Interactive Workshops: Learning from Industry-Leading Figures

Apart from the three thematicforums, KODW 2019 also boasts seven interactive workshops to be held on 17^th,18^th and 21^st June 2019 respectively. With the sharing ofexperiences and ideas during the workshops, participants will learn more aboutthe global trends in design along three major directions, namely, "DesignThinking & Future Mindset", "Collaborate & Co-Design"and "Unleashing Creativity". One of the workshops is: "BreakingSpace and Media Boundaries: Co-creating Augmented Experiences" hostedby Tin&Ed, a playful and highly versatile design studio.In this workshop that emphasises digital media experiments, participants willlearn about mixed media through the experience of virtual and realinteractions.

In the workshop "Masterclassby Javier Mariscal: Digital Drawing -- Move in Hong Kong", the famousSpanish design master JavierMariscal will present his creative design thinking, not onlythrough lively brainstorming exercises, that try to define and analyse the corevalues ​​of Hong Kong, but also through an iPad digital drawing demonstrationto present his unique thinking and visual interpretation of Hong Kong.

Clive Grinyer, one of the Creative Leaders 50 selected by Creative Review in2018 will also come to Hong Kong for the first time to host the workshop "Designingfor Digital and Service Transformation" in which he will presentdifferent case studies to showcase how service design is bringing changes toprivate and public organisations, and how digital tools and knowledge such asartificial intelligence, big data and Internet of Things (IoT) technology cantransform services through a human-centred design approach. Other workshops aretwo sessions of the highly popular "The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method:Envisioning Future Leadership for Change" hosted by PerKristiansen, Partner of Trivium; "Design Thinking in a Day:Advanced Tools for Creativity and Leadership" (Tentative Title) hostedby Rama Gheerawo; and "Sorting Wheatfrom Chaff: A Robust Approach to Emerging Technology Adoption"co-hosted by Liam McGuire and Chris Mackenzie.

In addition, KODW has an InnoDesignLeadership CEO Forum and a Roundtable on Public Service Innovation whereexperts will discuss the latest developments in innovative design.

More details about "Knowledge of Design Week 2019":

KODW 2019 welcomes design practitioners, brandleaders, business executives & professionals, government and policy makers,academia and anyone who has an interest in innovation, from Hong Kong, theMainland, Southeast Asia and beyond as participants. For more details about theprogramme and ticketing, please visit the official website (https://www.kodw.org/pr), WeChat account (香港设计中心HKDC) or Facebook page (KODW Knowledge of Design Week 設計「智」識周).

About Knowledge of Design Week

Knowledgeof Design Week (KODW) is an annual thematic programme that gathers the globaldesign community to explore the use of design in tackling the big issues of today.The five-day event fosters cross-disciplinary learning and exchange throughforums, roundtables, case studies and workshops, and also offers participantsunique business networking opportunities.

Sinceits launch in 2006, KODW has proven to be an invaluable knowledge sharingplatform connecting global field experts, policy makers, industry leaders andforward-thinking minds. It engages us in a multi-level dialogue on how designcan solve complex challenges of our society. KODW website: www.kodw.org.

About Hong Kong Design Centre

Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) was founded in 2001 as a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government in establishing Hong Kong as centre of design excellence in Asia. HKDC continues its public mission to promote wider and strategic use of design and design thinking to create business value and improve societal well-being. Our initiatives are 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) -- a widely recognised design award scheme that celebrates outstanding designs with Asian perspectives; Design Incubation Programme (since 2012) and Fashion Incubation Programme (since 2016) -- 2-year incubation programmes to nurture future design and fashion entrepreneurs; FASHION ASIA HONGKONG (since 2016) -- a fashion initiative combining conversations, interactions and cultural exchanges to energise the city's image, and position it as an Asian hub for fashion trade and business development; Knowledge of Design Week (since 2006) -- an annual thematic design knowledge sharing platform that explores how design can solve complex challenges of our society. HKDC website:www.hkdesigncentre.org.

About Create Hong Kong

Create Hong Kong(CreateHK) is a dedicated agency set up by the HKSAR Government in June 2009.It is under the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerceand Economic Development Bureau and dedicated to spearheading the developmentof creative industries in Hong Kong. Its strategic foci are nurturing talentand facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong asAsia's creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in thecommunity.  CreateHK sponsors HKDC toorganise KODW and other projects to promote Hong Kong design.   CreateHK's website: www.createhk.gov.hk .