Helsinki (Finland) – World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 has confirmed five new corporate partners. The project is becoming one of the largest corporate partnership projects in Finnish history.
The new main corporate partners of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 are KONE and Sanoma Magazines Finland. Corporate partnership agreements were signed with Hasan&Partners, Iittala and Lapin Kulta. World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 (WDC Helsinki 2012) now has 14 corporate partners.
The importance of design in corporate competitiveness is growing worldwide and in all corporate sectors. Compared to traditional corporate partnerships, the current partnerships are exceptional in that the content of WDC Helsinki 2012 and the nature of the partners’ business are tightly linked and compatible.
Through partnership, the WDC Helsinki 2012 corporate partners will enhance their design know-how, execute project content, and collaborate with each other. The corporations will utilize their partnership and design enabled by it in their product development, personnel training, development of service chains, and establishing themselves in new market areas.
“The role of corporations in the project is noteworthy because their skills in the utilization of design is important proof that we are a significant design city by international comparison,” says Pekka Timonen, Executive Director of WDC Helsinki 2012. “Design is a key success factor, and its power is understood more and more widely in all sectors. Our partners share views of the opportunities offered by design.”
The combined value of all announced corporate partnerships of WDC Helsinki 2012 is roughly 3.5 million euros. Partnership negotiations have proceeded swiftly. The first corporate partners were announced in late November 2010. Negotiations will continue through the winter and spring, and new announcements will be made in the upcoming weeks.
The full list of announced World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 corporate partners is as follows: main corporate partners comprise Blue1, Finavia – Helsinki Airport, Fortum, HOK-Elanto, KONE, Martela, MTV MEDIA, Sanoma Magazines Finland and Viking Line; other corporate partners comprise Clear Channel, Hasan&Partners, Iittala, Lapin Kulta and STOCKMANN.
Read more about World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 sponsors: Blue1, Finavia – Helsinki Airport, Fortum, HOK-Elanto, KONE, Martela, MTV MEDIA, Sanoma Magazines Finland, Viking Line, Clear Channel, hasan & partners, Iittala, Lapin Kulta and STOCKMANN.
About World Design Capital
The World Design Capital® (WDC) project is a biennial international designation created to identify and recognise cities that have effectively used design to revive the city and improve its quality of life. Applications for the WDC 2014 designation are currently being accepted until 31 March 2011.
Under the direction of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), the WDC will promote the importance of good design strengthening and empowering cities to use design to position their competitive advantages from a social, cultural and economic point of view.
www.worlddesigncapital.com