Seoul (South Korea) – The Icsid Executive Board convened for its third meeting of the term in June in Seoul (South Korea). Invited to the region by Icsid President Soon-in Lee on behalf of Seoul Design Center, the board members were welcomed by the Korean Institute for Industrial Design Promotion and other local member organisations, including Hyundai Motor CompanyKorean Association of Industrial DesignLG Electronics, as well as by members of the local industrial design community including Samsung Electronics and Samsung Institute of Art and Design, who gathered with the board to share information about  the innovative industrial design work being done in the region.

As membership and support from Asia strengthens, South Korea claims the highest number of Icsid Corporate, Members compared to any other country in the world. The local design community’s contribution to Icsid’s programmes has raised the profile of South Korean industrial designers worldwide and resulted this term in the first South Korean Icsid President – Professor Soon-in Lee, president of Seoul Design Center.

Over the course of the two-day meeting, the board deliberated on its strategies to maintain its relevancy in light of the current socio-economic environment and identified a path to continue to represent the interests of its membership while at the same time advocating for the international industrial design community through Icsid’s growing portfolio of programmes, projects and events. This term, the board has identified the need to gain a better understanding of the needs, aspirations and expectations of the membership as the key to ensuring the organisation remains member driven. To facilitate this learning process, several initiatives to improve member communications, increase participation and strengthen member relations will be explored and developed. The first of these initiatives include implementing a regular membership satisfaction survey to gather ideas, perceptions and feedback directly from the organisations Icsid represents.

For more information on the board’s discussions, members can now access the executive summary of the board meeting in the resources section of the members’ area of the Icsid Website. To log in to the members’ area visit http://wdo.org/members/log_in.htm; for technical assistance, contact web@icsid.org.

During the course of the meeting, the board also approved the following new membership applications:

Corporate

Promotional

The executive board meets four times per year and coordinates its schedule of meetings to include visits to member organisations, strategic meetings with government bodies and non-governmental organisations, and networking opportunities with local design communities. If your organisation would like to invite the executive board to visit your organisation or region, please do not hesitate to contact the secretariat at office@icsid.org for more information.