Albert Einstein once said that “creativity is intelligence having fun”. It’s a concept we like very much at Bangkok 101, which is why we have become involved in two inaugural events taking place in the city this month, seminal gatherings that promote creative thinking and creative design.
The first, Creative Bangkok, is a collaboration between the Institute for Knowledge and Innovation (IKI-SEA) at Bangkok University and its Canadian strategic partner Mosaic – HEC Montreal. Hosted for the first time in Asia-Pacific, this is a world-class creative management workshop that will take place at different sites across town during 12-17 October.
It presents a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, academics, graduate students, change makers, decision makers and anyone interested in finding new ways to overcome their challenges to learn more about how to think outside the box and how to manage creativity.
The concept is to immerse and expose participants to different aspects of creativity that benefit from the various methods and techniques that stimulate the
mind and generate collective innovation opportunities. From day one and throughout the week, participants attend seminars, workshops, site visits, presentations, experimentations, team challenges and so on to explore how they are related to various forms and aspect of creativity and innovation. These techniques are backed up by the wisdom and examples of 50 international speakers from well-known creative organisations such as Disney, Cirque du Soleil, NASA, Google and Ubisoft, who will share their approaches to nurturing creativity.
Speaking in advance of the event, one of the organisers, Dr. Vincent Ribière of IKI-SEA, explained that, “Each day will be an opportunity to take a closer look at one of the several domains where contemporary creativity applies; creativity in services, arts and design, science and technology, heritage and tourism, media and entertainment, and the mind and social innovation.
This is a wonderful opportunity for businesses to learn. All organizations expect their employees to be creative, but do they really provide the right environment, culture, processes, trainings and time to do so? The answer, unfortunately, is “rarely”. We now have access to powerful tools, technologies, and information that can be the source of extensive creativity, and yet creative outputs are very limited. Most employees are so busy and so overloaded with their daily tasks that they don’t have the freedom to stop and reflect on what they do and how they could do it differently. At a macro level, in the complex world in which we live organizations need to be able to find ways to react rapidly to market changes, to new technologies, to globalization threats, etc. Creative Bangkok provides the keys to understanding how best to react to such challenges.”
The second innovative event with which Bangkok 101 is pleased to be associated is the inaugural Hospitality Objects Thailand (H.O.T) Exhibition. Taking
place at BITEC this month as part of the 38th Bangkok International Gift Fair 2014 & Bangkok International Housewares Fair 2014, the H.O.T expo showcases design creativity from leading Thai brands catering to the global hospitality industry.
Organised by the Design & Objects Association (D&O) with the support of the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), the aim of the initiative is to set a new design direction for Thailand by providing a venue for Thai designers and multinational businesses with an interest in the global hospitality industry to meet, view new evolutions and trends in Thai design, exchange ideas, and identifying common interests that can be pursued in the private and government sectors in Thailand and across Asia and the wider world.
The H.O.T FantAsia & Futuristic Hotel Space Design exhibition zone will incorporate the Innovation Plus Design Café, a chic hospitality area where the work of young ASEAN designers will be on display; the I-Saarn Objects exhibit where art and craft products inspired by the culture of north-eastern Thailand, but designed with a modern twist, will be showcased; a Thai Interior Designers’ Association (TIDA) Design Showcase highlighting unique solutions by Thai designers for hotel lounge, bathroom, bar, spa and pool areas; and the Bistro Fantasia where some of Bangkok’s leading chefs will demonstrate their culinary creativity using one-of a-kind kitchenware and specially-designed cooking utensils.
This is the first occasion on which there has been a serious focus on integration between the hospitality industry and innovative Thai design, prompting ML
Kathathong Thongyai, Director of the Thailand Institute of Design and Innovation Promotion (under the Ministry of Commerce’s DITP) to say, “We have such a wonderful talent pool in terms of design in Thailand and it is our mission to help international businesses understand and recognise the DNA of Thai design. We no longer imitate, we innovate!
Our traditions and culture have helped to forge unique products that are distinct from their Western counterparts. We have a long way to go but events like H.O.T are definitely putting the exciting world of Thai design at centre stage. The hotel industry has massive growth potential and this event is all about the form and function of design and how innovative objects will fit into the conceptualization of the hotels of the future.”
Creative Bangkok takes place at multiple sites around town from October 12-17. To find out more or to register please visit creativebangkok.org or
call 08 9652 5905.
The Hospitality Objects Thailand (H.O.T)
Exhibition takes place at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC), from October 19-23 (Trade: October 19-21, Public: October 22-
23). Call 08 1813 6883 for more information.
