The association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID) in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) held the Idea Congress (iCON) at the iCON tent at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig last April 5 and 6. The iCON was created to serve as a platform for an exchange of ideas between respected Filipino thought leaders, and become a venue for leaps in design and innovation that will allow the country to become even more competitive in the globalized market of today. AVID, known for its yearly Thought Leadership Forums, which fosters open dialogue and the sharing of ideas between well-known automotive manufacturers, government leaders, private business and the academe, was the perfect partner for the iCON.
“AVID member companies take pride in the innovation philosophies of the top world brands that we represent. Innovation has driven us to become formidable players in the automotive industry. This is why we laud and commit to support the National Innovation Strategy of the DOST,” affirmed AVID President Ms. Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo. “We have a shared vision and commitment to foster and intensify a mindset for innovation … that will bring this country further up global competitiveness indexes, and so be recognized … as a worthy player in the global business arena. This MOA signing is just the start of a continuing partnership between AVID and DOST to jointly work towards keeping great innovative projects alive and ensure that their full value is realized.”
The event also played host to some of the latest vehicles from a number of automotive industry leaders, including Chervrolet, Volvo Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Jeepand Hyundai.
At this year’s AVID iCON was head of Hyundai’s design team, Casey Hyun, the visionary design head of the team that developed, refined and implemented the Fluidic Sculpture design philosophy– the concept that has given the brand an identity that sets it apart at a glance. Mr Hyun gave a talk that centered around smart mobility in smart cities at the forum proper on the 5th, and an “Innovation Speak” where he interacted with design students on the 6th, where he shared insights on design, in particular, the Hyundai design innovation, as well as his own journey as a designer.
Casey Hyun, giving a design talk at the iSpeak event during the iCON
“Manila is the place where I started my love for cars, ” Says Mr. Hyun, who spent part of his childhood in the Philippines in the 1980s. As early as then, he remembers sitting and sketching cars he would see on the road, not realizing there was such a profession as “automotive designer.” Born in South Korea, he grew up and studied Industrial Design at the University of Technology in Sydney Australia, and moved to Japan to work as a wireless communication product designer. He eventually found his way into the automotive design industry by taking a post-graduate course in Automotive Design at the University of Coventry in the UK, then moving on to work for several automotive firms, before moving to Hyundai in 2005.