1. Meeting in Mong Kok

On August 27, 2024, from 9am to 5pm, HONG KONG · 2024: International Forum on Design Services and Social Innovation was successfully held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.The chairman of the forum is Dean Jui-che Tu of the School of Design at Yunlin University of Science and Technology in Taiwan. Dean Du presided over the online and offline speeches and exchange activities of the main forum. The afternoon sub forum was chaired by two vice chairs of the forum: Professor Wan-Li Wei from Ming Chuan University in Taiwan and Professor Henry B.L. Duh from Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

This is an international academic feast: 15 experts and 20 young scholars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, gathered together. The atmosphere at the forum event was lively, and everyone actively participated. Through research, sharing, and communication, the expected goal of expanding academic horizons was achieved.

The forum is the first non-profit academic event organized by MSPL with the theme of design and innovation since its establishment in Hong Kong in January 2023. In addition to the four keynote speakers at the main forum in the morning, based on the scheduled time allocation, the final 20 authors were selected for the sub forum. Among them, there are 14 oral presentations and 6 poster displays. Due to considerations of fire safety and other factors, we have limited the number of participants in the forum.

2. This Is Not Utopia

Faced with the rapid changes of the times and the need for communication and mutual understanding among different cultural groups, this forum is a new attempt and the beginning of connection and mutual understanding.

Our original intention is to seek professionals who are committed to promoting the common development of diverse cultures through design, by crossing the "artificial" factors of social identity, status, and influence, and facing the international community. The innovation and services we advocate are not only based on commercial considerations, but also include using design as a means to achieve social fairness and justice.The ultimate goal is to transcend individual limited knowledge and cultural biases, in order to reflect on and question existing design issues. We recognize that the "wicked problem" that affect innovation activities is not methods and procedures, nor design thinking and collaborative abilities, but rather arrogance, discrimination, and bias. Therefore, in organizing this forum, we did not make assumptions or judgments, but attempted to provide opportunities for diverse research and discoveries to be presented.

3. Publication

After the forum ends, the follow-up work will be improved, and the certificates and registration fee receipts for participating in the forum will be sent in electronic form to the email. The author of the paper needs to actively revise the suggestions put forward by experts. After the final quality review (academic quality and language polishing), the paper will be officially published in two academic journals, JDSSI and JAUD. Oral and Poster are two parallel channels for participation, and there is no difference in the formal publication process.