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

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HONG
KONG, CHINA -�Media OutReach�-�16^th May 2019 - Knowledge of Design Week (KODW)
organised by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) with Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of
the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR
Government) as the Lead Sponsor will be held from 17^th to 21^st
June this year. In the KODW 2019 Media Preview hosted by HKDC today, "Designing
Digital Futures" was revealed as the theme of the annual event. During
the five-day curated programme comprising three thematic forums, seven
interactive workshops, an InnoDesign Leadership CEO Forum and a Roundtable on
Public Service Innovation, local and worldwide designers, decision makers,
entrepreneurs and field experts will explore the latest global design and
innovation trends, understand how human-centred
design serves as a bridge between "digital and technology" and "user
experience", and be inspired with new directions for future urban
design.

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

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

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

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Thematic Forums: Three Cornerstones of Future Urban Life

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

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"Liveable Smart
City" will explore new possibilities for the liveable cities of
tomorrow.� Speakers will share their
experiences in using design and creative thinking to solve problems and create
value in innovative urban systems. Di-Ann Eisnor, from The We Company (formerly
known as WeWork), who previously incubated new urban systems at Google's Area
120
will share how enterprises may use global-scale databases to find creative
urban solutions and respond to the government and citizens' need in the
fast-changing world.

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Other speakers
are
James Law, JP, Hong Kong architect and Chairman & CEO of James Law Cybertecture
famed for his OPod Tube House and design-led infrastructure development in the
United Arab Emirates; Ren Yee, creative team member from
UNStudio/UNSense, the architecture studio behind the planning and creation of
Brainport Smart District, the "smartest neighbourhood in the world" in the
Netherlands;�and Chris Ferguson, one of the senior executives of the UK's
Government Digital Service (GDS), who is responsible for coordinating the
strategies between GDS and the UK public sector, and who extensively uses design,
digital solutions and technology to enhance the quality of public services and
catalyse 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 speakers
are: Alexis Bonhomme, Vice President Greater China - Commercial,
Farfetch, a leading global fashion shopping platform with more than 2,000
designers and luxury brands; Anson Shum, Co-Founder and Creative
Director of OOKONN, a Hong Kong luggage brand that breaks the traditional
design concept with its circular shape; Chris Dobson, from the prominent
experience design studio Eight Inc. that designed the iconic Apple Store
experience; and Raymond Leung, Vice President (Sales & Client
Services) of Cherrypicks, a Hong Kong mobile technology and mobile business
developer with over 100 international and local awards for its products and
technologies.

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"Digital Health" will discover
new innovation opportunities and solutions for health and care in the digital
age. Low
Cheaw Hwei, Head of Design for Philips ASEAN Pacific, will share how design
thinking, digital and technology can improve the healthcare system and change
people's mindsets through design, so that various solutions to medical problems
can be developed from individual to institutional levels. Prof. Fung Hong,
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Chinese University of
Hong Kong (CUHK) Medical Centre and Professor of Practice in Health Services
Management of The Jockey Club School of Public Health & Primary Care, CUHK,
will share his experience in advocating and developing "Smart Hospitals" in
Hong Kong.

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Other speakers
are: Chris McCormack, Managing Director, Digital Care Planning, Helix
Centre, a design-led innovation lab in healthcare based at St. Mary's Hospital
in London, a collaboration between Royal College of Art and Imperial College
London; Liam McGuire, lead
designer of Opaque Media Group, a premier technology consultancy in Australia,
who has worked with the Australian Alzheimer Association using the latest
Virtual Reality (VR) technology to enable healthcare professionals to feel and
experience the life challenges of people with cognitive impairment; Vicki Tan, Lead Product Designer at Headspace, a mobile app
that 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.

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Interactive Workshops: Learning from Industry-Leading Figures

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

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In the workshop "Masterclass
by Javier Mariscal: Digital Drawing -- Move in Hong Kong", the famous
Spanish design master Javier
Mariscal will present his creative design thinking, not only
through lively brainstorming exercises, that try to define and analyse the core
values ??of Hong Kong, but also through an iPad digital drawing demonstration
to present his unique thinking and visual interpretation of Hong Kong.

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Clive Grinyer, one of the Creative Leaders 50 selected by Creative Review in
2018 will also come to Hong Kong for the first time to host the workshop "Designing
for Digital and Service Transformation" in which he will present
different case studies to showcase how service design is bringing changes to
private and public organisations, and how digital tools and knowledge such as
artificial intelligence, big data and Internet of Things (IoT) technology can
transform services through a human-centred design approach. Other workshops are
two sessions of the highly popular "The LEGO� SERIOUS PLAY� Method:
Envisioning Future Leadership for Change" hosted by Per
Kristiansen, Partner of Trivium; "Design Thinking in a Day:
Advanced Tools for Creativity and Leadership" (Tentative Title) hosted
by Rama Gheerawo; and "Sorting Wheat
from Chaff: A Robust Approach to Emerging Technology Adoption"
co-hosted by Liam McGuire and Chris Mackenzie.

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

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More details about "Knowledge of Design Week 2019":

KODW 2019 welcomes design practitioners, brand
leaders, business executives & professionals, government and policy makers,
academia and anyone who has an interest in innovation, from Hong Kong, the
Mainland, Southeast Asia and beyond as participants. For more details about the
programme and ticketing, please visit the official website (https://www.kodw.org/pr), WeChat account (??????HKDC) or Facebook page (KODW Knowledge of Design Week ???????).

About Knowledge of Design Week

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

Since
its launch in 2006, KODW has proven to be an invaluable knowledge sharing
platform connecting global field experts, policy makers, industry leaders and
forward-thinking minds. It engages us in a multi-level dialogue on how design
can solve complex challenges of our society. KODW website: www.kodw.org.

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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.

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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 Commerce
and Economic Development Bureau and dedicated to spearheading the development
of creative industries in Hong Kong. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent
and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as
Asia's creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the
community.� CreateHK sponsors HKDC to
organise KODW and other projects to promote Hong Kong design.�� CreateHK's website: www.createhk.gov.hk .

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This press release has been
dispatched by Dynamic Duo PR (DDPR) on behalf of Hong Kong Design Centre.