PI Apparel 2014

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Programme

Day 1 – 15th July 2014

08:00

Delegate Registration

09:00

Chairman’s Welcoming Address Room 1

09:15

PI Keynote - Taking a 360° Innovative Approach to Sustainability at Gucci Room 1 Session details

Regardless of industry and position, sustainability is probably on your agenda. The combination of tighter regulations and a more savvy consumer base has put pressure on brands to take a much more active approach to sustainability. Whilst numerous brands are running projects in this space, many are doing just enough to keep up appearances. But then there are brands like Gucci; a brand that takes corporate social responsibility and sustainability much more seriously, having truly recognised the relevance that a formulated strategy can offer. Gucci is the only luxury fashion brand that has a formal sustainability strategy embedded into the very DNA of the company and its business vision. It recognised that whilst the bulk of its sales came from the allure of the brand appeal, creativity and service there was a proportion of its consumer base that was looking for additional company value. Sustainability is key to satisfying this goal and is seen by the company as a fundamental part of a complete brand story. Responsibility is first and foremost a matter of respect. Gucci has recognised that a truly successful sustainability strategy requires a 3-pillar approach:

Respect towards people - to improve the conditions of the less fortunate. Gucci has committed over the years to a number of philanthropic initiatives. Just to mention the two most visible: the almost 10-year partnership with UNICEF, raising almost 18 million USD on projects mostly focussing on children health and education in Africa and Asia; and the Chime For Change global campaign, founded by Gucci itself, focusing on education, health and justice, with special attention to girls and women (more than 310 projects funded in 81 countries through 101 non-profit partners)
Respect towards the environment – Gucci is closely monitoring the environmental impacts of their activity and will be the first luxury brand to have an environmental P&L by 2016;
Respect towards culture - supporting many initiatives to support culture, including the opening of a Museum in Florence and with its proceed supporting the restoration of some beautiful pieces of art in Florence, our city; or restoring great masterpieces of the past in cinema and music, so that they can be enjoyed by future generations;

Developing a coherent and lasting strategy and then implementing this is about fine-tuning and how to push this in a consistent manner. Micaela le Divelec Lemmi, EVP & Chief Corporate Operations Officer at Gucci, joins PI Apparel to talk us through the why’s, what’s and how’s of their sustainability strategy and how they are using it to better define the best way to transfer value to the customer.

Micaela le Divelec Lemmi, EVP and Chief Corporate Operations Officer, GUCCI

10:00

Deploying PLM to Strengthen Development Timelines and Streamline the Product Development Process Room 1 Session details Aydınlı Group’s foundations were laid in 1965 with the establishment of “Kavurmacı Brothers Collective” and the launch of the first shop in Istanbul. The ’70s were years in which growth speeded up with the emergence of multi-storey stores, the wholesale of menswear and womenswear products, the establishment of the first workshop and 200 dealer shops. The ’90s were a turning point in the group’s history in terms of international agreements. Growth gained momentum through agreements signed with Pierre Cardin, Cacharel and U.S. Polo Assn.. The 2000s were years in which the Group carried its success from Turkey to the international arena. Now, Aydınlı Group is one of the largest ready-to-wear retailers in Europe with a turnover that reached €200million in 2013. Last year, to sustain this rate of growth, a PLM implementation project began and today the project is live online and still in progress for new module improvements. Exploring the inefficiencies of the company and why PLM was first considered Understanding the strategic and technical aspects of the VisualPLM.net deployment Integrating design & product development with Critical Path Management and Production ERP system (SAP) Benefits realised and challenges faced during & after deployment What are the next steps in ensuring the most is gained through PLM	Infrastructure, Architecture & Applications in Supporting a Real-time Global Business Environment Room 2 Session details 76% of all adidas Group products are sourced from Asia and the rest from Eastern Europe or South America. Because of this geographical cluster in the East, adidas Sourcing has a stronghold in Hong Kong. Within this epicentre, a mass upgrade of technology and architecture has just been completed to support the 700 factories in a real-time environment. Establishing the challenges of real-time regulation of the 700-factory network with previous systems Generating and deploying an upgrade programme of architecture and technology through supply chain management GT Nexus tools How was this accomplished on such a massive scale? Understanding the implications of this upgrade on cost savings and creating a more flexible supply chain in dealing with disruption, demand fluctuations and expansion Optimising supplier collaboration to support ongoing development and improvement

Hakan Duran, IT Director, Aydinli Group Goktug Under, Product Development Director, Aydinli Group	Glenn Goldstein, Domain Architect, Product Creation and Supply Chain, adidas Group

10:35

Morning Refreshment Break Exhibition Hall

10:50

Pre-arranged 1-to-1 meetings Exhibition Hall

11:50

Discovering How a $3billion Fashion Retailer Synchronised it's Global Teams to Improve Product Commercialisation in Partnership with DeSL Room 1 Session details Introducing new products and categories is a critical requirement to add consumer value and increase revenues, but can be the most challenging and costly experience. Ensuring that all your teams and processes are synchronised is the only way to deliver repeatable and predictable results range after range, season after season. DeSL’s PLM, SRM and Commercial Solutions have been implemented by many leading brands globally and is proving to be the most effective way of orchestrating the focus and control required to streamline and harmonise fashion business processes, to drive the product lifecycle from concept to consumer under one suite of business tools. Let's take a look at how Men’s Wearhouse, one of the world’s leading retailers with 1300 stores in North America and annual revenues in the region of $3billion, has updated and innovated its entire product development and supply chain processes to strengthen retail responsiveness and agility by deploying DeSL’s innovative solutions. Key aspects of the solution include: Creative integration with CAD tools such as Adobe Illustrator A total, on-line, real time environment where change is managed automatically and emails with attached documents are just a concept of the past. Workflow to ensure that processes are streamlined to clarify cross process and team management. Vendors interacting as if they are part of the team and not a 3rd party Visualisation tools throughout as ‘a picture paints a thousand words’! Mobile iPad apps to support the ‘on the go’ reality of today’s fashion industry Diving deep into the supply chain to be able to react to consumer demand. Product information that starts with development and flows right through to sales catalogues and web sites.	Work the Way you Live: PLM built for the User Room 2 Session details Software author Infor, and a producer of lingerie and underwear for some of the UK High Street’s biggest names, share the stage in this session to discuss the common challenges faced when adopting a PLM system in a fashion business, and provide an insight into the steps this business is taking to enrich their PLM strategy. Robert McKee, Fashion Industry Expert at Infor will explain how Infor takes a new approach to software design- producing applications that not only deliver all the expected business efficiencies, but importantly are built from a user perspective – ensuring user adoption is quick. The two will discuss how intuitive, user-friendly PLM enhances collaboration between creative designers, technical designers and commercial teams as well as with suppliers. Attend this session to hear how PLM for the Fashion industry can drive collaboration, speed and efficiency in an application that users love. Challenges of PLM adoption Potential for PLM in the Fashion industry; the PLM of the future Importance of usability to support product innovation and design Workplace collaboration – PLM to empower users

Marc Friedman, Vice President, DeSL	Robert McKee, Global Fashion Industry Strategy Director, Infor Bill Jarman, CIO, Courtaulds

12:25

Mastering the PLM Challenge Room 1 Session details PLM deployment across Tommy Hilfiger & Calvin Klein Europe Evaluating and selecting the right PLM partner for you and your business strategy - Centric 8 Utilizing Agile Deployment SM Implementation to enable faster and more effective integration Fostering end-user adoption and equipping business leaders with the ability to configure the system Enhancing design and development cycles through global cross-brand collaboration Gaining in-depth visibility of product development and lifecycles across brands, categories and lines	Managing Rapid Growth through Fast ERP Roll-out Room 2 Session details Bonobos is a rapidly growing company that did not have the systems in place to support this transformation. Karl Schroeder, Director of Finance and Operations, was hired to evaluate, select and roll-out the most appropriate platform to manage such growth through improved operational and cycle time efficiencies across it's multi-channel pipeline. Identifying the limitations of the then-existing systems Establishing what Bonobos wanted to gain from the installation of a new software platform Conducting an appropriate software review and ensuring a business requirement match Selecting Simparel's Unified Global ERP software to manage its concept-to-consumer business processes Phase I - deploying ERP in accounting and finance Phase II - integrating ERP with inventory systems Aiming for phase III - bringing PLM into the mix	Focus Group: PLM for 'Mind to Market' not 'Speed to Market' Room 3 Session details Every company has it's own perception of the headlining benefits of PLM: cost reductions, timeline management, transparency, collaboration and so on. Each believe that these then impact positively on the consumer in an indirect manner. Bhavesh Naik, Product Development & Sourcing Director at Napapijru (VF Corp), is a big supporter of PLM but doesn't believe that we think about it in the right way. This group will discuss PLM as a consumer engagement solution and will discuss the need to stop seeing it as a speed to market supporter but instead, as a mind to market promotor, expediting quick decision making to satisfy customer demand.

Marcel Oorthuis, Process Re-Engineering Director, Tommy Hilfiger	Karl Schroeder, Director, Finance and Operations, Bonobos	Bhavesh Naik, Product Development and Sourcing Director, VF International

13:00

Networking Luncheon Exhibition Hall

14:00

Maximising ROI from your PLM investment Room 1 Session details Companies that move beyond using PLM as a “product information database” to a process automation tool will get the most value out of their investment- it’s about organisation and process not just a systems implementation and change management needs to be at the centre of the design, development and implementation plan. That’s the premise of Sue Butler, who heads up the PLM implementation projects at Kurt Salmon, the global management consultancy that specialises in retail and consumer goods. She will explain the importance of driving PLM projects from a business, rather than an IT perspective, to deliver real value in terms of revenue, margin improvement and inventory efficiency. To unlock benefits, Sue will elaborate on these five drivers for success: Acknowledging that PLM is about changing processes and organisation Allocating investment to areas that will drive ROI Pilot value-driving functionality early in the implementation process Investing in functionality that supports evolving business processes Commiting to performance tracking metrics	Securing Cross Channel Solutions: Improving Customers' Shopping Journey and Reducing PCI Costs with P2PE Room 2 Session details Today’s shopper is not one dimensional, they browse on their tablets and mobile phones and make a purchase online or in store. This presentation will share how you can improve your customers’ multichannel journey and shopping experience. More important than convenience and consistency, this presentation will elaborate on security and compliance. Retailers with brick and mortar stores are keen to look into providing secure Point of Sale (PoS) devices. This presentation will explain P2P standard PoS devices that can reduce PCI compliances costs to a bare minimum and offer one standard PoS device with one standard reporting globally. Combined with tokenisation for mobile and ecommerce card payments you can identify in-store customers in order to improve cross-channel loyalty programs. We will show you how all of this works in traditional POS environments and how it improves the in-store customer experience with tablet and mobile POS solutions.

Sue Butler, Director, Kurt Salmon	Ralf Gladis, Co-Founder, Computop Wirtschaftsinformatik GmbH

14:35

Staying Ahead of the Curve through PLM Roadmap Reinvention Room 1 Session details How has the company benefited from PLM's deployment 2 years ago? How has global collaboration been strengthened by consolidating the needs of design, production and vendors into one dynamic platform? PLM, the technology that never sleeps - re-looking at your implementation and finding new areas of improvement Treating PLM like a live organism that needs constant attention, activity and tweaking to maximise development Changing company, people and views to support long term success	Consumer Engagement - Personalising Customers' Online e-Commerce Journey Room 2 Session details Total global online retail sales reached US$579.9 billion in 2012 with an estimated annual growth of 14.8%. The fashion industry has been one of the major attributers to this growth. Otto (GmbH & Co. KG) is the biggest fashion e-commerce retailer in Germany and, in trying to compete with stores and online competitors, are harnessing technology to better engage with the consumer. Utilising technology to understand the wants and needs of the consumer on an individual level and transforming their online experience to suit Delivering product recommendations to the consumer as they browse Watching and analysing consumer behaviours and product performance and automatically prompting changes in presentation and/or pricing Price lifecycle management - tracking individual consumer purchasing and rewarding them with discounted prices Collating purchasing performance data and trends and feeding that back into the design and development phase

Austin Mallis, VP Operations, Fashion Avenue Sweater Knits, LLC	Oliver Klinck, Senior Vice President Fashion+Sports, Otto GmbH

15:10

Afternoon Refreshment Break Exhibition Hall

15:25

Pre-arranged 1-to-1 meetings Exhibition Hall

16:25

How to Transform your Business to Ensure you Benefit from the Value PLM can Deliver Room 1 Session details Do we need PLM ? How have other industries contributed to current PLM practice? What are the processes that should be focused on? How do we engage the right people? Ascertaining what you require from your PLM platform Do we still need PLM ?	Utilizing the Universal Language of Photos in the Apparel Approval Process Room 2 Session details How FastFit360 has enhanced our development through e-sampling® Defining the current communicational challenges in the development process Understanding the impact of introducing a new working procedure – overview of the challenges and successes of our implementation process The immediate benefits we received by using FastFit360 as a part of our sampling system Exploring the flexibility of the system and determining which features work best for your needs How FastFit360 integrates with other systems such as PLM and 3D What is the future of e-sampling®?

Jos Voskuil, Consultant, TacIT	Samantha Pearlman, Director of Technical Design, Fishman Tobin / LFUSA

17:00

PI Keynote: ‘Seeing the Unseen’ – Combining Science and Design to Create A New World of Materials Room 1 Session details

Consumers are oblivious to the technology and material science that goes into the creation of the fashion/apparel garments and footwear they buy and wear. Whilst this technology is impressive, a London-based company called ‘T H E U N S E E N’ is working hard to take this to the next level by combining Chemistry with Materials.

T H E U N S E E N is a team of varied talent including anatomists, engineers, chemists and cutters that blend biological and chemical matter into the materials they use. Having worked with brands including Swarovski Gem Stones, Hendricks Gin, Airbus and more, their newest project has seen the creation of an environmental-reactive ink that, when used in clothing, changes colour through the RGB scale upon contact with the air around the wearer. Be it through air turbulence, air temperature or even brain-usage patterns and heat, what appears initially as a line of ornate high-end black couture pieces transform into vibrant, chameleon-like greens, blues and purples as the clothes, the human and their habitat begin to interact and react.

Lauren Bowker, T H E U N S E E N founder and Material Alchemist, will join us to show case her vision, collaborative work and potential applications before ending with a live demonstration of how these materials truly work.

Lauren Bowker, The Material Alchemist, T H E U N S E E N

17:45

Chairman's Closing Remarks Room 1

Day 2 – 16th July 2014

08:00

Think Tank - Enabling Mobile PLM in Fashion Industry Think Tank Room 1 Session details The Fashion industry is no stranger to fads. The ‘ever-obsolete-rendering’ Technology industry might just be about the only field that parallels the 'impossible-to-keep-up-with' world of fashion, both beating out other businesses in the game of “here today, gone tomorrow”. However, occasionally, some fads rise above the others, surpass trend status, and make it big - they stick. The Mobile PLM App is one such fad that is tending towards a trend status. PLM software vendors are rushing in to capitalise on this trend. A review of PLM Mobile Apps shows that mobile functionalities offered are just an extension of basic out-of-the-box PLM cases to mobile devices. These do not align with clients or their business needs. But is this what the business users and management are looking for? The question from Management is: What is the ROI - do we need to spend extra money on creating a use case when its results are already being achieved by using web based applications on portable devices? There has been a lot of innovation in the enterprise mobile space when it comes to app development. Enterprises today are extending their mobile platforms by connecting to other internal systems and defining business scenarios. From these, the user can build use cases to improve productivity, shorter time to market and also reduce cost. However there is a fine line between the use cases that increase users' productivity, efficiency, flexibility and agility leading to better ROI and reduced cost and that of a use case that you must force your users to use and which generally lead them to finding ways around the system. We will discuss how focusing on user need will help create the sort of use cases which everyone: the management, the employees, vendors and customers, will love to use. It’s all about user's needs and UX It’s all about the use cases It's all about the data	Think Tank - Merchandise Planning: “Weatherising” Plans to Optimise Sales and Protect Margins Think Tank Room 2 Session details The weather constantly influences consumer buying behaviour and, as a result, many apparel businesses will find that around 5% of their swing in overall annual turnover can be attributed to weather volatility with larger variances of 20% or more in their most weather-sensitive categories. The fact that weather rarely repeats itself year-after-year makes planning a challenge and this causes many companies to miss sales opportunities or incur higher costs (heavy inventories, steep markdowns, etc.). The weather will keep happening… what can be done to manage it? Measuring weather’s impact across geographies, channels, categories and time and using weather-driven demand insights to more effectively position the business. The value of removing the weather from last year’s sales and planning from a weather-neutral baseline. Using weather analytics to optimise in-season performance (aligning inventories with demand, marketing/advertising into favourable conditions, etc.)

Ravi Metrani, Managing Principal, Acnovate Corporation	Tim Morris, Managing Director, Europe, Planalytics

09:00

Chairman’s Welcoming Address Room 1

09:10

PI Keynote - Creating a BioDesigned Future for Fashion/Apparel Room 1 Session details

Every industry is facing the same conundrum: what is the next stage of innovation? The answer is to explore Nature's sustainable materials for the biodesign and manufacture of future consumer products. The introduction of this new material landscape allows for incredible potential in the bioinnovation space across fashion, sport and luxury brands.

For years, fashion/apparel companies have been limited to a strict palette of materials but BioCouture has teamed up with biomaterial innovators to expand this; from microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and algae, to cellulose, chitin and protein fibres, a new generation of biologically derived materials is emerging offering new qualities, forms and functionality.

Suzanne Lee, Founder of BioCouture, will open your eyes to the need to radically rethink what constitutes sustainable consumer products. Through her own investigations into 'grown' and 'compostable' apparel and footwear, to examples from work with partners, Suzanne will outline what a BioDesigned future might just look like.

Suzanne Lee, Founder & Director, BioCouture

09:55

Promoting Alignment between Technical IT and Higher-level Business Strategy Room 1 Session details Can we satisfy long-term senior management goals with shorter-term IT achievements? Is the organisational structure of IT equipped to handle the whole process beyond what product development and/or supply chain want? Allocating people architects to effectively lead the PLM effort Prioritising change management processes across all company categories Understanding business vision and how leaders want to look at product information Generating a business strategy with PLM at the centre of the architectural footprint Understanding Master Data Management Enhancing mobility throughout the PLM architecture	Developing and Implementing an Ethical Strategy as an Integral Business Advantage Room 2 Session details Sustainability is a buzz word that has been kicked around the supply chain space for years now; companies know it is important but it often falls down their list of priorities as it is tackled as a business strategy add-on as opposed to a core driver of competitive advantage. New Look are making sustainability a cornerstone of how they do business; they are working hard to manage their impacts on their workers and on the environment and are ensuring that their business relationships are ethical. Last year, 80% of their targets were realised but they continue to embed sustainable efforts and thinking into more and more of how they do business. Developing an ethical strategy and aligning this with business growth and profitability Doing the right thing for your workers – ensuring every person is proud of company products and how they are made Sharing resources, knowledge and tools to support supplier businesses Engaging and involving all partners of the strategy to truly realise progress and accomplishments Encouraging transparent and consistent dialogue with all major partners and business areas to support success Building factory management skills and systems into the sustainable strategy Sustaining realistic goals What is the next stage in New Look’s sustainability strategy?	Focus Group - PLM Platform Evaluation & Selection Room 3 Session details It is very difficult for companies to define and select the optimum PLM platform, as often selection is driven by vendors or implementers. In this session Jos Voskuil will share, discuss and answer questions from companies that are in a PLM selection or evaluation phase. Learn from the past, learn from each other.

Craig Crawford, IT Strategist, Crawford Create IT	Subathra Vaidhiyanathan, Ethical Trade and Environment Manager, New Look Retailers LTD	Jos Voskuil, Consultant, TacIT

10:30

Morning Refreshment Break Exhibition Hall

10:45

Pre-arranged 1-to-1 meetings Exhibition Hall

11:45

Consolidating Multiple Business Units into One Functional PLM Platform Room 1 Session details Understanding the existing IT landscape at Louis Vuitton Utilizing TXT solutions at LV - PLM and more Exploring the PLM implementation story over the years - challenges and successes Understanding the reasons behind PLM investment Deploying a convergence programme from one PLM solution per Business Unit to one unique PLM platform Overcoming the challenges of this strategy and understanding the expected benefits Redefining the borders between ERP and PLM before the SAP project	Efficiently Implementing 3D Printing into Your Specific Fashion/Apparel Project Room 2 Session details Defining the role 3D printing would play in your company's operations Understanding whether or not you really need 3D printing and as such, whether it's worth your investment Evaluating and selecting the right 3D printing partner Who does 3D printing sit with in the company? How to implement a 3-5 year plan for 3D printing	Focus Group: How can Technology Enable Supply Chain Connections, Knowledge Exchange and Galvanise Momentum towards Sustainability? Room 3 Session details In the last 10 years, innovation in technology has created real opportunities to overcome sustainability challenges in fashion industry supply chains. Many potentially transformative tools are now available. This session will offer a concise summary of the initiatives at the leading edge, how they can be used for maximum impact, and which major brands are using what. Understand the options and which might be the best fit for your business. Including: Sourcing tools such as Fair Factories Clearing House Communication tools such as Fair Trace Tool Benchmarking and Transparency tools such as the Higgs Index "Beyond Audit" tools such as Labor Link SOURCE: Global online information channel, sourcing tool and training platform.

Jérémie Pasquier, Supply Chain, CAD & PDM IS Domain Manager, Louis Vuitton	Natacha Alpert, Founder, Miras3D	Tamsin Lejeune, Founder & CEO, Ethical Fashion Forum

12:20

Networking Luncheon Exhibition Hall

13:20

Utilizing Virtualisation to Create and Sell Products in a Sustainable Manner Room 1 Session details In 2004, the adidas Group launched virtualisation as part of their strategic initiative. After having proactively explored the role of digital 3D technology in the automotive and aerospace industries, adidas began looking into how they could create photorealistic images of footwear and apparel as an integral part of their product and sales lifecycle. To date, this technology has led to savings of more than 1 million samples and has been integrated throughout the entire supply chain. What were the obvious benefits of virtualisation to product and sales in the apparel industries? What were the challenges of introducing digital 3D technology to apparel? Are the virtual products accurate enough to aid in decision making? Deploying a concrete and cross-functional process throughout core factories involving marketing, sales, sourcing, IT and suppliers How has virtualisation supported the 'virtual sell-in' to retailers? Understanding the environmental benefits of virtualisation Expanding the technology to design and retail	Panel Discussion: 3D Printing in Fashion/Apparel Room 2 Session details Is the 3D printing revolution in the future, or is it already here today? Does 3D printing fit into traditional business models? What will it take for additive manufacturing to become truly disruptive for traditional business models? How do we adjust the current infrastructure to incorporate this technology? How will the luxury market cope with exclusivity as distribution and manufacturing become increasingly more digital? How do we implement 3D printing in the next 10 years in the Fashion Industry? Connecting where the technology stands today to the future.

Renate Eder, Team Leader Creation Technologies Apparel, adidas Group	Bryan Oknyansky, Founder & Designer, Shoes by Bryan Natacha Alpert, Founder, Miras3D Francis Bitonti, President and Founding Director, Francis Bitonti Studio Inc.

13:55

Panel Discussion: PLM and the Product Applications Ecosystem Room 1 Session details

Developing and allowing software solutions a clean ability to transfer information between themselves
Is it best to let applications handle specific and focused tasks, rather than trying to run the gamut on a whole sweep of applications?

Does everyone understand the complexity of the project?
Is digital transformation just behavioural change?

The importance of monitoring/alerting to call out integration failures or errors
Which is better, a phased implementation or a "big bang" approach?
How many are actually able to collaborate internally today in a good way?
Streamlining processes from concept to consumer to cut time to consumer and increase agility, data flow and accuracy
The conundrum of batch interface vs peer-to-peer integration vs loosely coupled integration and what each means
Understanding the importance of User Experience in adoption of PLM both internally in your organization and externally by partners
Positioning your new PLM solution within the existing IT landscape before the actual purchase
What part does mobile play?

Andre Golab, Former PLM Programme Manager, Formerly of Burberry

Craig Crawford, Former, VP IT Business Relationship, Formerly of Burberry

Austin Mallis, VP Operations, Fashion Avenue Sweater Knits, LLC

Karl Schroeder, Director, Finance and Operations, Bonobos

Andrew Dalziel, Fashion Industry and Solution Strategy Director, Infor

14:40

PI Keynote - Merging Architecture & the Body in Transforming the Brooklyn Bridge into a Playable Harp Room 1 Session details

Have you ever noticed how suspension bridges look like giant harps? If the hum of the steel suspension cables, the chatter of visitors and the musical 'clonks' of their footsteps could be recorded, remixed and replayed through a collaborative digital interface, a wearable harness, connecting the 'musician' to the body of the bridge would create a human harp.

This was the inspiration behind the launch of the Human Harp project by artist Di Mainstone. She then realised the symbolic nature of a bridge: a structure that can cross obstacles and connect people. This led to the creation of an international collaborative research network that would allow for the transfer of data between digital hubs around the world, enriching the concept and bridging design and development knowledge.

The project is currently in it's early iterations but the global tour has well and truly begun. The lesson? In an age where innovation is critical, the answers might possibly be right in front of us. The most extreme ideas often lead to the most outstanding progressions but to come to fruition, need effective and efficient global collaboration.

Di will walk us through the project's evolution so far, what the next stages are and how such an impossible and obscure project has been made possible by a blue-sky approach and a global collaborative effort.

Di Mainstone, Artist , Human Harp

15:25

Chairman's Closing Remarks Room 1

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