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The conference panel: Antony Grade - Renault, Harald Leschke - DaimlerChrysler, Ken Okuyama - Art Center College of Design, Paul Deutschman - Deutschman Design, Jose Diaz de la Vega - Volvo & Gert Hildebrand - Mini.
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Ken Okuyama - Art Center College of Design
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Jorge Luis Ferreyra - Opel
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Walter De Silva - Audi, Michael Robinson - Fiat, and Gert Hildebrand - Mini
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Chris Bird - Ford, speaking with delegates and the Government of Catalunya
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Artworks by Guillaume Lo-A-Njoe
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Reception at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion
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SEAT Salsa concept
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April 25, 2003 - European Networking Group (E.N.G.), a leader in senior executive pan-European events held their first Automotive Design Summit March 26-27 in the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain. The event took place in the Grand Marina Hotel, situated in the World Trade Centre, and was the first of its kind, featuring business case studies from the world’s leading automotive manufacturers and suppliers.
Speakers included some of the world’s most renowned and inspirational automotive designers such as Walter De Silva (Audi), Chris Bird (Ford), Ken Okuyama (Art Center College of Design), Michael Robinson (Fiat), Harald Leschke (DaimlerChrysler), Gert Hildebrand (Mini) and Jose Diaz de la Vega (Volvo).
E.N.G. welcomed over 100 attendees from the diverse fields of design, engineering and product development to the Design Summit. The two-day event looked at maximising business value through strategic and collaborative design while refining processes, reducing costs, accelerating time-to-market and achieving economies of scale.
Speakers tackled such issues as design heritage, harmony across the brand, design, technology and culture, bringing historical elements into the future, controlling creativity, engineering and product development matters, craftsmanship, the linkage and conflict between marketing, brand values and design, and designing for the next generation.
On the first night of the summit the Government of Catalonia hosted a Gala Dinner in the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Montjuïc, Barcelona. The magnificent architecture was designed by the famous German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the Barcelona International Exposition in 1929. Built from marble, travertine and glass, the pavilion was conceived as the setting in which the German authorities would receive King Alphonso XIII.
Señor Ferran Adrià, owner and creative mind behind 3-Michelin star restaurant ‘El Bulli’ in Girona, Spain, prepared delightful culinary surprises for the guests. At the dinner three cars were on show from Seat, Renault and Volvo, companies that all have design studios in Barcelona.
Throughout the two-day event there were many networking opportunities and time to catch up with old colleagues and friends as well as new associates and business partners. E.N.G.’s Automotive Design Summit proved to be a very successful event, which sets the tone for next year’s annual design summit.
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