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2012 not only marks the 15th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) but has been designated "Hong Kong Design Year" to propel the development of Hong Kong as Asia's design hub and creative capital.
On the occasion of the DMY International Design Festival Berlin 2012 (DMY), the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Berlin (HKETO, Berlin) and InvestHK organised two signature events. DMY highlights new design approaches and aims to open up spaces for exploration, discussion and exchange. Located at former city airport Tempelhof, it features over 500 international designers.
Supported by the International Design Centre Berlin, the HKETO, Berlin hosted a reception together with the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design, to showcase the design talents from Hong Kong. The Ambassadors led a young design delegation to represent the best and the brightest of Hong Kong design – all to be found in an interactive Hong Kong photo studio in one of the airport hangars. In his welcoming remarks, Director of the HKETO, Berlin, Mr Ivan Lee, underlined the importance of the design sector for Hong Kong's future, "The design industry is an important economic driver for Hong Kong. As a regional design centre, our range of design disciplines covers a wide and colourful spectrum from product to interior and graphics design." The reception was attended by government officials, leading design professionals and the media.
InvestHK, the Hong Kong government's foreign direct investment department with the mandate of supporting the expansion of foreign companies in Hong Kong and access market opportunities in China and Asia, organised an open talk on the same day together with German entrepreneurs from the creative industry in Hong Kong. During the lively discussion, InvestHK's Acting Head of the Investment Promotion, Berlin, Ms Miruna Turbatu, gave a bright outlook for the design industry in Hong Kong, "Branding and creative agencies are developing rapidly in Hong Kong. International design councils have also seen the value of having a presence in Hong Kong in order to promote design and creative talents from their countries."
Later this year, European designers will return visit to participate in Asia's signature design event, the Business of Design Week, to be held from December 3 to 8 in Hong Kong.
Ends/Saturday, June 9, 2012
Issued at HKT 06:37
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