BASEL Forum 2002: “The future of Design: Designing the Future”

What winning strategies will luxury brands adopt to keep them in sync with changing times? - The $66 billion luxury goods industry is facing a number of challenges. Consumers, while embracing trusted brands, are more demanding in the way they build relationships with them. Technology is advancing at a rapid pace, inspiring change and creativity - will luxury brands be able to keep pace with the changing times and go beyond uncertainty?

Global economic slowdown and the effects of September 11 have in many ways changed the way we think about luxury. Technology is changing the way we think about a luxury item's functionality. The world of luxury is in flux.

The BASEL Forum 2002, the BASEL World Watch and Jewellery Show's knowledge transfer platform, brings together three eminent speakers for the first time to explore some of the drivers of innovation in the global luxury goods industry.

Opening the annual debate on the issues at the heart of the luxury goods industry will be Tyler BrûlÉ (Creator and Editor of Wallpaper and Creative Director of Wink Media), John Naisbitt (Award winning, best selling author of Megatrends) and Professor Michael Hawley from MIT's Media Lab.

Major players from all sectors of the industry will be attending the Forum to identify future opportunities, challenges and threats to the global luxury industry and to deliberate current and future issues facing the world of luxury goods.

This year's BASEL Forum will address such questions as:

 Will the watch of the future be able to turn up the heating in your house or take your temperature and will the consumer of tomorrow expect such features?

 `How will the No Logo generation define luxury?'

 `What defines the new consumers of luxury?'

These and other issues will be aired at this international Forum for the luxury goods industry.

The keynote presentations will be followed by an open floor debate.

BASEL Forum 2002: Tuesday, 9 April, 11:00 - 13:30
Convention Centre MCH Messe Basel, Basel Switzerland

Source: Basel show press release
March 2002