A delegation from the World Design Weeks (WDW) Cities Network visited the State-owned Cultural Assets Supervision and Administration Office (SOCASAO) in Beijing on Feb 1.

Delegation from World Design Weeks Cities Network visits SOCASAO.[photo/bjwzb.gov.cn]

Zhao Lei, director of SOCASAO, briefly introduced Beijing's cultural and creative industry, the major functions of the city's capital office, and the preparation work for Beijing International Design Week.

The WDE chairman, the head of the delegation, expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by SOCASAO in promoting international cooperation in the field of design.

He affirmed the importance of Beijing International Design Week in the world design industry and said that it could grow to a higher level of international influence.

He added that the WDW will set up an advisory committee to promote cooperation between design weeks in different countries.

The chairman warmly invited SOCASAO to participate in the work. In addition, he invited SOCASAO to send a delegation to attend the 2018 World Design Weeks Cities Network Summit in Milan during the 2018 Milan Design Week.

The World Design Weeks Cities Network was jointly launched by Beijing International Design Week and nine other cities in 2016. The other cities in the WDW network include Seoul, Tokyo, Helsinki, Barcelona, and San Francisco; the Toronto Design Festival is also a member.

The WDW Network is the only organization in the world focusing on coordinated non-profit international development of design with attention on different cities during designated weeks.

By the end of 2017, the World Design Weeks Cities Network had grown to 32 members worldwide. As a founding member of the network, Beijing International Design Week holds the two positions of Chief Financial Officer and International Executive Committee member, and plays an important role in the operation of the network.

Beijing International Design Week dominates and participates in the following events: the WDW Asia Design Awards, the WDW Asia Design City Summit, the Design Commons Global Design Think Tank Forum, and WDW Night during Milan Design Week.