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Design experts to address world's most pressing challenges at Hong Kong's Business of Design Week

Promotion: designers Richard Hutten and Ross Lovegrove will be among the speakers discussing how design can be a force for good at this year's Business of Design Week in Hong Kong.

The 20th edition of the annual event, which will take place from 28 November until 3 December 2022, gathers more than 90 designers, both in-person and virtually, from the UK, France, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands.

Circular art pice of abstract flowers by Richard Hutten
This year is the 20th anniversary of the annual event. Image by Richard Hutten. Above image: floating Community in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Photo provided by Koen Olthuis

Taking place at Hong Kong's M+ Grand Stair Museum the programme includes forums, exhibitions and lectures curated around the theme: Design for Change.

The theme is broken down into five main pillars, including Brand Transformation, Culture and the City, Metaverse and Metaliving, New Urban Models and Social Design Innovation.

A photograph of a colourful mural in Hong Kong
The event will discuss how design can be a force for good. Image by Nikki Gonnissen

"After the pandemic, enterprises, large and small, and diverse ecosystem actors are driven by a new sense of purpose and urgency to address the rapid changes and enormous challenges of our time," said the Business of Design Week's organisers.

"Design empowers a shift to practices that are more socially and environmentally responsible and more resilient amid global challenges."

Designer will installation
The theme includes five themes. Image by Koen Olthuis

Speakers will share their insights on upcoming trends to help businesses brave these new changes with a design mindset.

Architect and professor Rossana Hu of Neri&Hu will be joined by Dr Paul Thompson, vice-chancellor of the Royal College of Art, to discuss the future of design education.

Chairman of London Craft Week, Guy Salter OBE MVO and Marissa Wu, co-founder lead curator and executive director of Design Trust, will address creative placemaking, while Michael Young and Norman Copenhagen designer Simon Legald will talk about environmentally responsible production practices.

Installation of a rug
The event takes place at Hong Kong's M+ Grand Stair Museum. Art work of Dutch designer Richard Hutten. Photo provided by Richard Hutten

Ross Lovegrove will sit down with Tina Chao, chief marketing and digital customer experience officer at McDonald's Hong Kong and Chul Bae Lee, senior vice president and executive head of LG Electronics' Life Design Innovation Center, to discuss consumer experience and brand innovation.

Meanwhile designer Richard Hutten will reflect on design legacies with Professor Daan van Eijk, chair professor of Industrial Design at Delft University of Technology.

A photograph of building besides mountains
The programme includes forums, exhibitions and lectures curated around the theme: Design for Change. Picture shows the work The Ark of World Poetry created by Chi-Wing Lo in 2017. Photo provided by Chi-Wing Lo

The Netherlands, celebrated for its iconic design movements and circular innovation, is the strategic partner country for Business of Design Week this year, along with its platform for creative pioneers, CreativeNL.

A host of leading figures from the Dutch design industry are set to speak at the event including design talents Nikki Gonnissen, co-founder of Thonik, and Dr Koen Olthuis, CEO of Waterstudio.NL.

Photograph of sculptural design
A number of designs will be on show. Image by Ross Lovegrove

They will participate in important conversations on designing climate-resilient communities, milestones in modern design and more.

To provide full access to an international audience, panels will be broadcast on ViuTVsix at 8 pm – 10 pm from 30 November to 2 December, with the full programme live-streamed on the digital design knowledge platform bodw+ and on social media platforms.

BODW is organised by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), a non-governmental organisation formed as a partner of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) in 2001.

Tickets for BODW 2022 are available to buy online. For more information, visit the event website.

Business of Design Week 2022 takes place from 30 November to 3 December 2022 online and at Grand Stair, M+ Museum, 38 Museum Drive, West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Business of Design Week as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.