The London Design Festival and The Financial Times partnership brings together the worlds of design and business for a range of activity during the Festival period, including editorial content in the Financial Times, alongside the Business of Design Talks at the Royal Festival Hall 15-19 September.
The talks, covering issues such as IP rights, teaching creativity and sustainability are held over breakfast, supplied by Caffé Vergnano from 7.30am. See the full list below. Tickets for the talks can be bought via the Southbank Centre website.
All the breakfast talks begin at 8am on the level-five function room at the Royal Festival Hall.
£12 including breakfast for all events.
Creative Cities
Monday, 15 September
Increasingly international cities are measuring themselves by their creative output as the creative economy grows. Everyone wants to be a magnet to talent and a centre of ideas. This in turn attracts investment and builds profile. But not everyone will win. Some cities are already far ahead and others and others are investing heavily to try and catch up.
Speakers include former mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, China expert Phillip Dodd and Saskia Sassen from the London School of Economics.
Moderator: Tyler Brûlé – columnist, FT weekend.
Info and booking
Intellectual Property Rights
Tuesday,16 September
If the future is about ideas then IPR is probably THE issue of our times. But it is very misunderstood and firmly in the realm of lawyers. Hearing from a politician, a creative business dealing with infringement and of course a lawyer we can open up the debate.
Speakers include European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandleson and John Enser, partner of IP and media specialists Olswang, Peter Wheeler, Chairman of IP value and ex-partner Goldman Sachs and Fergal Sharkey – CEO, Music Rights Society.
Moderator: Micheal Peel – legal correspondent, FT.
Info and booking
Can you teach it?
Wednesday, 17 September
Creative thinking has become a management tool that few can do without. Business schools, management consultancies, and inspirational speakers all now advocate in different ways, creativity. It is the tool of the 21st century. But in art & design schools they worry about the business skills of their graduates. Can you teach ideas or teach people to think?
Speakers include artist Michael Craig Martin and Paul Bennett of IDEO, Ilse Crawford – designer, professor at Design Academy, Eindhoven and Nick Leon – Director, Design London.
Moderator: Peter Aspden – arts columnist, FT.
Info and booking
Creative Brands
Thursday, 18 September
Some of the world’s most respected and successful brands have design as THE key part of their DNA and strictly limit what they do and lend their name too. Meanwhile, some of the world’s most respected creative figures are branching out and endorsing other products. We are used to fashion designers and interiors or home products but architects and perfume or film directors and food? Is it about enabling growth but diluting the creative ethos of the brand or can creative brands go global and retain the creative edge?
Speakers include Martin Raymond, Co-director - Future Laboratory, Marek Reichman - Head of Design, Aston Martin and BJ Cunningham founder and director, Georgina Goodman.
Moderator: Tyler Brûlé – columnist, FT weekend.
Info and booking
Sustainability
Friday, 19 September
The emergence of climate change as a mainstream issue and the rise of the social entrepreneur have forced green innovation onto the agenda. How do you design a building, city or product in a way that does not cause long-term damage to the environment or to the community? And what role does design play in creating a world that is increasingly concerned with sustainability?The speakers are Max Fordham, Nick Shattock and Bill Dunster. Max is an engineer and founding partner of Max Fordham Consulting Engineers, Nick is deputy chief executive of Quintain, the property developer, and Bill is an eco-architect and founder of The ZEDfactory, which specialises in zero-carbon design.
Moderator: Edwin Heathcote – architecture critic, FT.
Info and booking