Chicago Takes Center Stage as First Partner City in the Americas for Business of Design Week in Hong Kong

Asia’s Leading Annual Event on Design, Innovation and Brands Will Showcase ChicagoMade Talent

World Business Chicago (WBC) today announced that Chicago has been chosen as the first partner city in the Americas for Business of Design Week (BODW) in Hong Kong. From November 28 – December 3, under the theme ChicagoMade: Great Ideas of Humanity, Chicago’s contributions to the design world will be on display.

“Chicago has always been a center of creativity and innovation,” said World Business Chicago President & CEO Jeff Malehorn. “From the invention of the steel plow, the assembly line and commodities trading to Chicago’s iconic architecture and contributions to jazz and blues music, Chicago’s place in design history is fundamental.”

Mr. Malehorn continued: “We are honored to be the first city in the Americas to partner with BODW. Chicago and Hong Kong both recognize the power of design and ideas as the highest form of currency. We look forward to contributing to a great line-up of speakers sharing their insights and design experience from around the world.”

BODW is Asia’s leading annual design conference and expo, which brings together pioneering designers and creative executives from across the world, and different disciplines to share their insights and stories, and to explore new ideas and trends in design, business, technology and branding. Last year the event attracted more than 120,000 attendees, including global business leadership.

ChicagoMade: Great Ideas of Humanity will celebrate the increasing globalization of the world and resulting cross-pollination of ideas, philosophies, societies and culture during the InnoTech Design Expo. The exhibition will honor and build on a project that the Founder of Chicago’s Container Corporation of America (CCA) Walter Paepcke began in the 1950 as an unprecedented advertising campaign called, “Great Ideas of Western Man.” For 25 years, he commissioned celebrated artists and designers to create artwork that responded to quotes by international scientists, philosophers, politicians, and academics. The campaign used design to bring greater meaning to the mundane. In this spirit, contemporary Chicago artists, designers and makers, with quotes from globally recognized intellectuals, will breathe new life into this historic campaign.

Creative and innovative talent from Chicago showcased throughout the conference and expo will include:

• Kickstarter co-founder Charles Adler;
• Carol Ross Barney, Design Principal of Ross Barney Architects, the head design firm for The Chicago Riverwalk;
• 2016 Architect of the Year by The Architectural Review Jeanne Gang, Founding Principal of Studio Gang;
• Founder of You Are Beautiful Matthew Hoffman;
• Mark Kelly, Commissioner of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, to discuss the making of Millennium Park;
• Kevin McElroy, Vice President, Group Creative Director of Razorfish;
• Raaja Nemani, Co-founder and CEO of Bucketfeet, the Chicago label specializing in artist-designed casual footwear;
• Katie Olson, Director of Program Design for UI Labs;
• Emmanuel Pratt, Co-founder & Executive Director of the Sweet Water Foundation;
• Zoë Ryan, John H. Bryan Chair & Curator of Architecture and Design of The Art Institute of Chicago;
• Cards Against Humanity co-founder Max Temkin;
• Howard Tullman, CEO of 1871; and
• Scott Wilson, Founder & Chief Creative Officer of MINIMAL.

ChicagoMade is a collaboration between WBC and Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events to highlight the city as an innovation center, global business destination, cultural hub, and a place where diverse and unique creative entrepreneurs thrive. For more information on ChicagoMade visit: www.ChicagoMade.us.

For further information on BODW, please visit www.bodw.com.