KUALA LUMPUR, 25 July 2018 – The Smart Living and Innovation Caucus 2018 (SLIC 2018) will see local and global speakers sharing their insights on environmental stability, sustainability, design and architecture, ideas and inventions; and livability and mobility. The two-day conference hosted by Astro AWANI will be held at Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur from 7 to 8 August 2018. YB Yeo Bee Yin, The Minister of Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment will officiate the conference and her keynote address will touch on how innovation can drive sustainable solutions for the nation. Featuring 14 renowned speakers from Malaysia and overseas, SLIC is targeted for the city planners, urban designers, architects, engineers, planners, entrepreneurs, academicians and policy makers, as well as media practitioners in Southeast Asia. Issues to be addressed comprise sustainable development, urban regeneration, management of water resources, vertical farming and circular economy. “We take pride in ensuring end-to-end content production, as well as repurposing of the conferences we host, and that’s where Astro AWANI’s strength lies,” said Suhaimi Sulaiman, Chief Executive Officer and Group Editor-In-Chief of Astro AWANI. “We offer a diverse lineup of speakers, local and abroad, with a wide array of expertise in SLIC. This is to ensure our participants will experience a comprehensive discourse on a multitude of issues under the smart living ambit. Our ultimate goal is that every lesson learnt will be used to make a deep impact in how we approach policies surrounding city living and innovation,” added Suhaimi. International speakers include world renowned landscape architect Eric-Jan Pleijster who will speak on the Dutch’s strategy in living side-by-side with the North Sea; United Nations disability rights envoy Risnawati Utami who will share her experience in championing inclusive development in Yogyakarta with universal design; Brooklyn-based vertical farmer Ben Flanner who will talk about his day’s journey to supply fresh produce for New York City’s best restaurant from his rooftop farm; and social entrepreneur Louis Faure who will cover on innovative farming solutions in enabling the communities. In the local front, Genovasi Malaysia CEO Dato’ Lee Yew Meng will speak on the importance of design thinking in Kuala Lumpur’s future development, whilst Wetlands Malaysia Director General Dato’ Paduka Ir. Keizrul Abdullah will elaborate on strategies to manage water shortage and mitigate floods in Kuala Lumpur.
