Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

SHIRLEY FENG, executive vice president and secretary general of Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association (SIDA), said UNLEASH endows Shenzhen with the positive innovation energy of a global perspective, while Shenzhen’s innovation ecosystem, featuring a complete supply chain and industrial chain, empowers UNLEASH in an equally significant manner.

“Shenzhen and UNLEASH share very similar DNA, as both value speed and quality. UNLEASH has brought the world’s top talents to Shenzhen, and their forward-looking ideas and solutions are very likely to materialize in Shenzhen through the city’s ecosystem,” Feng told the Shenzhen Daily.

According to Feng, the fact that UNLEASH 2019 is being held in Shenzhen is not only a milestone for the city, but also a milestone for UNLEASH, which she was told by Flemming Besenbacher, chairman of UNLEASH.

“As Shenzhen is tasked with a new mission to build a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we may want to seek a carrier to give voice to the mission and the practice, and UNLEASH is a very good platform for that,” said Feng.

As the organizer of UNLEASH 2019, SIDA has done massive preparatory work to make sure that the event dazzles in Shenzhen and becomes a great success, according to Feng.

“We have learned the history of the event, carefully studied the 17 sustainable development goals and eventually decided on eight themes, which are exactly in line with Shenzhen’s advantageous industries,” Feng said.

Apart from doing research, Feng said they have also set a goal, which is to make UNLEASH 2019 an incomparable and epoch-making event. In Feng’s opinion, such a large-scale event should not just be a weeklong one buzzing with excitement.

“I hope that the event can become a particularly valuable experience for the talents in their lives and that they become ambassadors of Shenzhen,” she said.

To make that happen, being fully prepared and meticulous are key, according to Feng. “We have trained the volunteers in a comprehensive way so that each of them knows every link of the activity. We have put a lot of thought into how to make the event more impressive, for instance, the opening ceremony.

“We are like a connector, which links all the government departments and relevant departments through the details of our work. Everyone has a role to play at the same time and in the same place, and SIDA is like a super director,” Feng said.

Feng thinks that it is a heavy responsibility and a glorious mission to be the organizer of UNLEASH 2019. “Shenzhen is a UNESCO City of Design and a capital of innovation. I believe that UNLEASH is a propeller that can polish up the city’s two calling cards, and I eagerly anticipate seeing some innovative projects growing and thriving here.”

Feng added that having presented two international events that carry weight in Shenzhen in November alone, including the Shenzhen International Industrial Design Fair and UNLEASH 2019, SIDA is now imbued with full confidence that it will push itself to the next level not only as a promoter of industrial design, but also as a facilitator to introduce innovations from overseas.