Speech by CE at Opening Ceremony of Business of Design Week 2021 (English only) (with photo/video)

     Following is the video speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Opening Ceremony of Business of Design Week (BODW) 2021 today (December 1):
 
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good evening. It is my pleasure to welcome you all back to the Business of Design Week 2021.
      
     Building on last year's successful experience, this year's BODW is brought to you again in hybrid mode. Other than staging the programmes in a physical format, events, such as the Summit, will also be simulcast live on local television, online and on social media and at partner locations to reach our target audience worldwide amidst the pandemic.
      
     Riding on the theme "Global Design Reset", over 80 creative leaders from global top-notch enterprises are joining us to speak on eight main topics, namely Brand Rejuvenation, Connected Health & Wellbeing, Creative Mindset and Innovation Leadership, Culture & The City, Designing an Intelligent Future, Hospitality with Purpose, New Urban Models, and Phygital Reality. These topics are the key to our future development even before COVID-19, and more so as we enter the new normal.
      
     We are all looking forward to the keynote session right after this opening ceremony, and we will be learning from our distinguished speakers on how designing for nature is synonymous to designing for success. There is also another exciting keynote session tomorrow on rewilding urban spaces. A series of concurrent events including Fashion Asia Hong Kong, BODW CityProg, deTour and DesignInspire will continue to be presented, enriching the BODW with more public engagement and territory-wide happenings throughout the year.
      
     The Hong Kong SAR Government is honoured to be the lead sponsor of BODW again through the CreateSmart Initiative, our dedicated funding scheme for the creative sectors. The current-term Government is highly committed to developing the creative industries as our new economic drivers. With a new $1 billion injection into the CreateSmart Initiative earlier this year, we will continue with our efforts to assist the trade in talent nurturing, capacity building and skill upgrading, with a view to enhancing the long-term competitiveness of our trade under the new normal. Where the situation permits, we will resume external promotion of Hong Kong to explore markets and establish partnerships, and leveraging the immense opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development.
      
     My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Hong Kong Design Centre, organiser of BODW, as well as the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, co-organiser, the organisers of the concurrent events, and the United Kingdom, the strategic partner again this year, for working with us with joined hands to promote design and creative excellence through the world-class flagship design event.
      
     I wish you all another inspirational and rewarding design journey with BODW this year. Thank you.