30 May 2019
This week Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) launches its campaign to promote involvement and participation in the Hong Kong Business of Design Week to be held in December 2019.
This follows a visit to Leeds City Region from representatives of the Hong Kong Design Centre, the Hong Kong Design Institute and the British Consulate-General Hong Kong to meet with universities, design-led business and Yorkshire Sculpture Park to explore opportunities for collaboration with Hong Kong and China and develop commercial opportunities.
A delegation from Leeds City Region visited Hong Kong in September 2018 to showcase the region as an innovative and creative place to do business and a supplier of high quality goods and services worldwide. During this visit, Business of Design Week was identified as a key opportunity for Leeds City Region businesses looking at Hong Kong and wider Asia Pacific markets.
Edmund Lee, Executive Director, Hong Kong Design Centre said:
“I’m delighted to be in Leeds City Region today to promote the Hong Kong Business of Design Week to foster creative partnerships and collaboration between businesses in South East Asia and the UK, it’s a two-way process that we place great value on. There are major opportunities in Asia at the moment and we want to build international partnerships. We’ve met with universities, local artists and innovative businesses here and I’ve been very impressed.”
Frances Moffet-Kouadio, Director of Trade and Investment at the British Consulate General Hong Kong said:
“It’s great to be in Leeds and Wakefield today to see the scale of the design capability and the breadth of its application. I’m looking for exceptional UK designers to be part of the Hong Kong Business of Design Week in December 2019 to increase trade opportunities.”
Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the NP11 said:
“As a LEP we are keen to create export opportunities from our connections in China and Hong Kong. International trade is worth £9.75billion to our economy annually and we’re building on that. We have a wealth of design led businesses across all sectors in our region that we’re encouraging to take part in the delegation to Hong Kong. Get in touch with the LEP Growth Service to find out more.”
Nicola Greenan, External Relations Director at East Street Arts:
“I attended the Leeds City Region delegation to China in 2018. I saw how our region has untapped potential to export our design capability to Hong Kong and China. That’s why it’s been great to host the Hong Kong Design Centre at East Street Arts today to showcase our designers, artists and businesses and the innovative and exciting work they are doing and build new partnerships.”
The visit included presentations at Nexus at the University of Leeds, East Street Arts and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
In further China news, a delegation from Hangzhou participated in the Leeds Digital Festival to learn more about the region’s digital sector which is worth £6.5 billion and employs 102,000 people. Attendees included representatives from the Hangzhou Geely Automobile, Zhejiang Xizi Aircraft Components and senior government who learnt about investment and collaboration opportunities between the two regions.