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Business of Design Week 2022 Drives Innovations Amid Uncertainty

The following post is brought to you by Business of Design Week. Our partners are hand-picked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design.

11.28.22 | By
Business of Design Week 2022 Drives Innovations Amid Uncertainty

Business of Design Week (BODW) 2022, Asia’s premier annual event covering design, innovation, and brands, returns this month as an in-person event for the first time since 2018! On the occasion of the summit’s 20th anniversary, November 28th through December 3rd will be a celebration marked by illuminating conversations with creative leaders under the theme ‘Design for Change.’ The 4-day summit will welcome international speakers Chi Wing Lo, Richard Hutten, Ross Lovegrove, Nikki Gonnissen, Rossana Hu, Bill Bensley, Sylvain Roca, and more, from the United Kingdom, France, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and the Netherlands, which is also the summit’s Strategic Partner this year.

exterior space in a high-rise building

Chi Wing Lo, DIMENSIONE CHI WING LO, Founder (Italy), Glass House

Since 2002, BODW has been gathering the brightest creative leaders and design-related initiatives together in Hong Kong, making it a much-anticipated event. By partnering with 13 countries over the past 20 years, it’s also strengthened collaborations across borders. The theme, ‘Design for Change,’ highlights the vision and leadership required for design to become a force for good while defining key movements and future trends. BODW 2022 will focus on five main pillars: Brand Transformation, Culture and the City, Metaverse and Metaliving, New Urban Models, and Social Design Innovation. Global business and design leaders representing some of the world’s most innovative brands will be on hand to share their thoughts on how upcoming trends can help businesses take on change with a design mindset. Such a conversion can empower more socially and environmentally responsible, resilient practices.

futuristic black and metal circular object with light-skinned woman wearing a long black coat

Dr. Paul Thompson, Royal College of Art, Vice-Chancellor (United Kingdom)

Speakers at BODW will be featured both in-person and virtually. In-person events will be held at M+ Grand Stair, with the most highly-anticipated panels also broadcast on ViuTVsix 8pm – 10pm every night of the event. The full program will be live streamed on bodw+, as well as on social media platforms, to provide full access for all of us who won’t be in Hong Kong for the experience.

rendering of an inverted triangular-shaped building in the water with a skyline behind it

Dr. Koen Olthuis, Waterstudio.NL, CEO Architect (The Netherlands), SEA TREE

In the same vein of accessibility, some of the summit’s speakers will be in-person, while others will be joining virtually from countries around the world. The speakers making the trip to Hong Kong are Bill Bensley, Founder & Creative Director, BENSLEY (Thailand), Tina Chao, Chief Marketing & Digital Customer Experience Officer, Marketing, McDonald’s Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Nikki Gonnissen, Co-founder & Director, Thonik (The Netherlands), Aaron Lau, Founder & CEO, Gusto Collective (Hong Kong), and Chi Wing Lo, Founder, DIMENSIONE CHI WING LO (Italy).

Also on hand will be Dr. Koen Olthuis, CEO Architect, Waterstudio.NL (The Netherlands), Adeline Ooi, Director Asia, Art Basel (Hong Kong), Paul Priestman, Chairman & Creative Director, Puli Innovations Shanghai (UK), and Sylvain Roca, Founder & Director, Atelier Sylvain Roca (France).

Rounding out the in-person speakers are Guy Salter OBE MVO, Chairman, London Craft Week (UK), Dr. Paul Thompson, Vice-chancellor, the Royal College of Art (UK), Yves Ubelmann, Co-founder & President, Iconem (France), Thomas Widdershoven, Co-founder & Director, Thonik (The Netherlands), and Michael Young, Founder, Michael Young Studio (Hong Kong).

futuristic silver and black space with light-skinned man wearing a silver puffer jacket and silver headphones

Ross Lovegrove, ROSS LOVEGROVE STUDIO, Founder (The United Kingdom)

Speakers taking part of the event virtually from around the world are Emma Chiu, Global Director, Wunderman Thompson Intelligence (UK), Deng Chao, Head of Product & Design, Xiaohongshu (Mainland China), Rossana Hu, Founding Partner, Neri&Hu Design and Research Office (Mainland China), and Richard Hutten, Designer & Founder, Richard Hutten Studio BV (The Netherlands). They’ll be joined by Chul Bae Lee, Head of Design, LG Electronics (Korea), Ross Lovegrove, Founder, Lovegrove Studio (UK), Marthijn Pool, Co-founder, Space&Matter (The Netherlands), and Tong Huiming, Professor, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (Mainland China).

three people in an art gallery viewing three pieces on the wall

Adeline Ooi, Art Basel, Director Asia (Hong Kong)

As the 2022 summit’s Strategic Partner, the Netherlands, celebrated for its iconic design movements and circular innovations, and CreativeNL, the country’s platform for creative pioneers, will be bringing some of its most celebrated design talents. Nikki Gonnissen (Co-founder, Thonik) and Dr Koen Olthuis (CEO, Waterstudio.NL) will make the trip with others to Hong Kong, where they’ll be participating in key conversations on designing climate-resilient communities, milestones in modern design, and more.

BODW is organized annually by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) with Create Hong Kong (CreateHK), of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government), as this year’s Lead Sponsor.

round piece of art with a rainbow of swirling colors on white background

Richard Hutten, Richard Hutten Studio BV, Designer & Founder (The Netherlands)

The summit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong SAR. BODW 2022 is co-organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, with support from Strategic Regional Partner, Guangzhou Design Week; Strategic Cultural Partner, M+; Strategic Business Partners, Brand Hong Kong, Dutch Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK). Strategic Program Partners are Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), PMQ, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design (PolyU Design).

river valley with a modern white building at the base

Chi Wing Lo, DIMENSIONE CHI WING LO, Founder (Italy), The Ark of World Poetry

As well as having some highlighted sessions broadcast on ViuTV, BODW will be live streamed for free on bodw+, the digital design platform envisioned to become Asia’s leading online design portal that features evergreen content on design trends.

To join BODW 2022, register for free to become a bodw+ Basic member, or upgrade to Plus or Corporate Membership for exclusive ticket discounts for physical events, as well as access to on-demand content and other exclusive offers.

building exterior in black and bright colored geometric lines with people passing by

Nikki Gonnissen, Thonik, Co-founder, Designer & Director (The Netherlands), Hyundai, City Outlet

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she's likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.