BODW is an initiative of the Hong Kong Design Centre and since 2002 it has played an active role in focusing Asia’s attention on design and innovation, bringing exhibitions, forums and conferences on global design to the streets of Hong Kong. Its aim is to vitalize the interplay between design and business in the region, to exchange ideas and to address a wide array of 21st century challenges. After the Netherlands last year, France is the partner country of BODW 2009. It brings with it the contributions of designers such as Jean-Marie Massaud, Mathieu Lehanneur, Matali Crasset, Patrick Blanc and Pierre-Alexis Dumas, who along with other international speakers, including Toyo Ito, will explore topics ranging from Product Design & Technology, Fashion & Apparel, Design & Communications, and Space & Landscape, through to Intellectual Property and the West Kowloon Cultural District Project.