Business of Design Week (BODW) 2014, the annual flagship programme on design, innovation and brands in Asia presented by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) drew to a successful close after a week-long series of thought-provoking sessions, exhibition, award ceremonies and concurrent programmes that featured living designs in Sweden and Hong Kong.

Asia’s Design Roadmap

This year a strong lineup of over 100 global business leaders and fine creative minds from partner country Sweden and its famous home brands such as Absolut Vodka, H&M, IKEA and Volvo, along with other multinational corporations such as Banyan Trees, Nissan, OMA and Van Cleef & Arpels, showcased a world of design inspirations and insights into their industry success in BODW2014.

HKDC Chairman Victor Lo said, “BODW has grown to become a major design-exchange platform in Asia, bringing together some of the world’s most outstanding design masters and influential business figures, providing a valuable platform to network, exchange ideas and explore business cooperation, and putting Hong Kong in the heart of design in the region.”

Celebrating Design Excellence

For its 12th year, BODW encouraged businesses to unleash the power of design by focusing on the vital relationship and complex interplay between design and business. To that, BODW2014 bolstered an unrivalled occasion for designers, architects, fashion personalities, creative visionaries, business leaders, educators, SMEs and the general public to exchange ideas and insights.

The BODW2014 also marked a reunion with Sweden after 10 years, bringing in the greatest minds and talents of Swedish design to share their thoughts, ideas and expert views to the week-long discussions. With a reputation for their emphasis on functionality, sustainability and beauty, Sweden offered our annual conference a distinctive Scandinavian touch under the theme “Living Design: Live It, Work It, Wear It, Do It”.

Winners of DFA Lifetime Achievement Award (DFALAA) Mr Kohei SUGIURA, Design Leadership Award (DLA) Mr HO Kwon Ping, and World’s Outstanding Chinese Designer (WOCD) Mr Arnold CHAN, were conferred at the BODW Gala Dinner on 5 December. Along with the recipients of Design for Asia Awards and Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award (HKYDTA), their winning projects were showcased at the DFA Awards Exhibition, part of the Inno Design Tech Expo, held from 4 to 6 December.

Rounding up the design week were other concurrent programmes that included D-Student X-Change Programme, DesignEd Asia Conference, Business of IP Asia Forum and the Global Design Network.

Barcelona, Partner City 2015

Going forward, BODW is proud to present next year’s Partner City, Barcelona, one of the world capitals of creativity, design and innovation. In expressing his gratitude for the invitation, Mayor of Barcelona Xavier Trias says the BODW2015 “will allow us to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Barcelona and Hong Kong, and to explore new opportunities for economic activity for both Catalan and Asian companies.”

BODW2015 will continue to offer not only an exchange of inspirational ideas among industry leaders, designers and the public, but also a regional view on how design and business can work together for economic growth and the betterment of a truly global economy.

Programme Websites

BODW2014: http://www.bodw.com

DFA Awards 2014: http://www.dfaaward.com/2014/page/en/index/

DETOUR2014: http://www.detour.hk/2014/

Photo download: http://bit.ly/bodw2014closing

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About Hong Kong Design Centre

Design for Society is the major undertaking of Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC). HKDC is a non-profit organisation and a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government in developing Hong Kong as an international design hub in Asia. Since 2002, HKDC has been on a public mission to (i) champion strategic and wider use of design for creating business value and community benefits; (ii) promote and celebrate design excellence; and (iii) educate the professions and the community to be resourceful champions for sustained developments through design and innovation.

About Business of Design Week

The Hong Kong Design Centre has been the organiser of Business of Design Week (BODW) since 2002. It is an annual international event aimed at promoting design and strengthening ties between the design and business communities. Each year, BODW attracts design and business elites from around the world to Hong Kong. The world's attention is drawn to current design issues through various exhibitions, international forums and outreach activities tailored to provide designers, business leaders, educators, SMEs and the public with communication opportunities to build strong business and commercial development. It is a world-class platform for the exchange of ideas, and an internationally renowned annual design event.

This press release is issued by Mazarine Asia Pacific on behalf of Hong Kong Design Centre.