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Auckland to host Swedish Style New Zealand

Published: Tue 5 Aug 2008 08:21 AM
Auckland to host Swedish Style New Zealand
Swedish Style New Zealand, an initiative of the Embassy of Sweden, will be held in a range of central Auckland locations from 18-25 October 2008.
Swedish Style initiated in Tokyo in 1999 and has been held annually since then. In 2005, the Swedish Embassy organised Swedish Style in Melbourne and Sydney and now it comes to Auckland for the first time. “I am very excited about this opportunity to present cutting edge Swedish design and to interact with the public in Auckland on issues of great importance to both countries, such as sustainability and entrepreneurship”, the Swedish Ambassador HE Karin Ehnbom-Palmquist says.
The vast programme will include a number of activities all over Auckland city, most of them free to the general public. Integral to the event will be the international design exhibition, “Quality of Life” showcasing the best of Swedish product design. “Sweden in Ten Perspectives” is an expression of Swedish culture through wearable art, shown for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere. There will also be a display from Swedish and local artists in paint, jewellery, textiles and glassware, whose works will be on sale to the public.
There is a range of half and full day symposia on Design, Sustainability and Entrepreneurship, organised in cooperation with Auckland University, University of Auckland Business School and UNITEC. These events are for business leaders and professionals but are also open to students and the general public. Keynote speakers at the symposia will be high ranking business leaders, leading designers and entrepreneurs from Sweden and New Zealand. During the week Hilton Hotel will offer modern Swedish cuisine, prepared by Swedish chefs for the occasion. Other elements are a Swedish film festival and music evening with prominent Swedish musicians and artists. “We’re putting a lot of resources into showcasing Sweden to New Zealand businesses, Government departments and the general public, and I hope that many valuable contacts and friendships will be formed during Swedish Style in Auckland in October”, says the Ambassador.
Chairman of the local Organising Committee Stig Ehnbom says, “We’re very excited to be hosting such a prestigious event in Auckland for the first time. We’re working hard with our partners to deliver a programme that will present the best of Swedish design and enterprise to a New Zealand audience, and I am sure there will be interesting events for all Kiwis”.
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Highlight of the week will be the black-tie gala dinner at the Hilton on Thursday evening, October 23, hosted by the Swedish Ambassador and with HRH Princess Birgitta of Sweden, sister of King Carl XVI Gustaf, as Guest of Honour. MC will be Alexandra Charles, well known in Europe and with an international profile in arts and entertainment. She is founder of the largest NGO in Sweden, the 1.6million Club, dedicated to promoting women’s health issues across Europe.
ends

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