From November 30 till December 3, the largest industrial design exhibition in the world—“2013 1st China (Shenzhen) International Industrial Design Exhibition” took place in Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. More than 5000 pieces of designs from nearly 20 countries all over the world took appearances in the venue with an area of 15,000 square meters to challenge for championship, among which the international part accounted for over 60 percent. This exhibition was sponsored by Shenzhen Municipal Government under the auspice of Ministry of Industry and Information of PRC, undertaken by Shenzhen Industrial Design Society, jointly assisted by International Council of Society of Industrial Design (ICSID), China Society of Industrial Design and Industrial Design Branch of China Engineering Society.
This exhibition is the very first exhibition in China with introduction of pure London jury system as well as the largest industrial design exhibition globally. Among the luxurious lineup of nomination team, Ralph Wiegmann, executive president of IF international design forum acted as president of jury, and the rest were Lee Chunyin, president of ICSID and president of Seoul Design Center, Liu Xiaokang, vice president of board of Hong Kong Design Center and secretary general of Hong Kong Design Assembly, Lorraine Heatherwick, president of Academy of Photography and Science of Rochester Institute of Technology, He Renke, president of Design Art College of Hunan University, Thomas Alexander Heatherwick, initiator of Heatherwick studio, Giovannoni, initiator of his own design company, Tapani Hyv?nen, initiator of Ed-design studio and Zhang Guangmin, chief advisor of Taiwan Creative Design Center.
In order to ensure efficient exchange and cooperation during the exhibition, the guiding service was specially included, which was quite rare in the domestic similar events. The organizer not only set up a display platform for participant enterprises but also provided a communication platform for other enterprises of various types. An incomplete statistic show that in the connection plan of 3 to 5 local enterprises for each of the 107 overseas participants there were 456 communications between enterprises both at home and abroad from November 28 till December 1. Initial consensus was reached on 133 occasions, preliminary cooperation was reached on 37 projects and the total of audiences amounted to 150000.
Under the theme of “Reformer: Get-together of Global Design”, this exhibition was devoted to forging a wind vane for global design, disclosing the frontier development of international industrial design in a way of exhibition and experts’ discussion, outlining the tendency of innovation and change in the process, encouraging novel ideas, displaying avant-garde concept and application with green technology, lower carbon emission and environmental protection, and ultimately promoting perfect match of design with new technology, new materials and new technique. Thus, audiences were able to appreciate such advanced product of top design and technology as the 1st 3D Printed Car in the world—Urbee2 as well as the globally top 50 international leading masters of design. The Big Four Shots, namely design master of American industrial design circles, Karim Rashid, German Design Freak Luigi Colani, Italian genius Stefano Giovannoni and the charger of Urbee 2, Jim Kor, gathered on this summit of creativity and reforms on global industrial designs. In the course of this event, the organizing committee arranged 3 key reports meeting, 5 Top Design dialogues, 12 workshop on design and nearly 200 industrial communications. Over 100 enterprises, design institutes, colleges and alliances from Germany, France, Italy, USA, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Korea will be present as well.
As a frontier of reform and opening up of China, Shenzhen has been the center of manufacture in China. Currently, with the change in economic situation, Shenzhen is obliged to deal with the upgrade of industrial structure in an active way. Under such pressure, the industrial design of Shenzhen has been maintaining the leading level, and the industrial design full of innovation helps open a new market for traditional manufacturers. Supported by high-end manufacture in Triangle of Pearl River, the industrial design of Shenzhen has been imbued with new energy with scientific innovation, technology, market occupancy and brand advantages. A rough estimate states that making up for over 60 percent of whole China, Shenzhen is the first city conferred with Capital of Design by UNESCO. Currently, as an international metropolis, Shenzhen will take this exhibition as an opportunity to showcase its ideal and great vision to lead the fashion of world design.
