Event Update: Shenzhen Creative Industries VIP Luncheon

2011-09-19 09:10

 Discover China’s Design Capital – Shenzhen

 Date: Thursday 22 September, 1230 – 1530

Venue: Rosebery Room, Mandarin Oriental, 66 Knightsbridge, London

Host: Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association (SIDA)

Format: networking reception followed by three course luncheon with speeches

RSVP: QIAN Yue, yue@newlandpr.com, 020 89432349

Ms. Liu Jin, Deputy Director General of the Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association (SIDA), requests the pleasure of your company at a luncheon to meet a delegation of some of China’s top creative talent from China’s design capital, Shenzhen. Over 20 designers are in London to exhibit at the 100% Design exhibition – the first time a Chinese delegation has taken part in the UK’s foremost creative event.

The luncheon will begin at 12:30 for 13:00 with networking and drinks followed by a three course luncheon with speeches and the beautiful Rosebery Room at the Mandarin Oriental. This will be an opportunity to meet some of China’s top design talent and explore business opportunities with SIDA members.

Shenzhen – China’s Design Capital

Thirty years ago Shenzhen was just a small fishing village across the water from Hong Kong. In 1980 China’s economic reform and opening up policy made Shenzhen China’s first Special Economic Zone (SEZ). This set in motion the astonishing development that has created today’s Shenzhen – China’s newest and youngest city with a population of over 10 million and an average age of 27.

Shenzhen is known as the birth place of China’s graphic design industry – which has attracted many of China’s top creative talent to the city who have set up their own independent practices and established graphic design as a discipline.

With a natural orientation to the international market Shenzhen’s designers have led the way in Chinese creativity making use of both international and domestic influences. In 2009 Shenzhen was recognized by UNESCO as one of the cities in the Creative Cities Network – given the title Shenzhen City of Design, with over 6000 design houses, 100,000 employees and a yearly output of over US$1.5 billion. UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network is a global platform launched in 2004 that currently connects 27 cities that share experiences, ideas and best practices to promote international cooperation for the sustainable development of cities. In 2010 Shenzhen hosted the Second Creative Cities Network Conference, with the theme ‘New Technology, New Media, and Creative City Synergy’ and was seen as a great step forward in bringing member cities closer together.

Shenzhen is not only a leader in graphic design in China, but also industrial design, interior design, packaging design, fashion and architecture. It also has a particular advantage in the design of light industrial products, including watches and clocks, medical instruments, telecommunication products, electronic products, toys and furniture.

Shenzhen Industrial Design Professional Association

This delegation of Shenzhen’s top designers is coming to London to exhibit at 100 % Design – the UK’s foremost design event. The delegation is led by Ms. Liu Lin who is the director general of the Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association (SIDA). With over 300 members including design companies and manufacturers, SIDA is a government supported, non-profit organisation. It provides its members with the support to engage in cooperation and business at home and abroad. The goal of SIDA is to encourage its members to upgrade from Made in China to Created in China through innovation, communication and cooperation.

Shenzhen Municipality

Shenzhen is known as China’s first and arguably most successful special economic zone (SEZ). The city has a vibrant economy made possible by rapid foreign investment since the “reform and opening” establishment of the Special Economic Zone in the late 1970s – before which Shenzhen was a small fishing village.

Since the late seventies, both Chinese and international investment in the city totalling more than US$30 billion has gone into both fully foreign owned and joint ventures, initially mainly in manufacturing but recently increasingly in service and creative industries.