LAZERIAN in Belgium
We have been invited by Interieur to exhibit The mensa collection at the Design At Work Exhibition in Belgium. The exhibition takes place 8 – 10th December, Kortrijk XPO, Belgium
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Creation and design are strong trump cards for this country (see ‘Why Belgium
will be the next hotspot for design’ in FastCompany Magazine USA, August
2009): innovation and product development are an everyday activity here. The
Design at Work trade show is an economic catalyst for a network of
manufacturers and service providers who actively use innovation and product
development processes in order to maintain and strengthen their market share
and commercial success.
This involves market research, materials, industrial design, engineering and
prototyping, intellectual property, production and branding… all elements that
are necessary to launch a new product. Design at Work therefore approached
companies as diverse as Enthoven Associates, Materialise, Materio, Kemo, Indie
Group, Samsonite, Dyson, …
The design biennale Design at Work is an initiative of the Interieur Foundation.
Design at Work is a relevant response to the present economic climate: it
encourages, displays and promotes good design, innovation and product
development across all sectors of industry.
Design at Work’s five strong trump cards:
1. Design at Work can rely on the Interieur Foundation’s forty years of
experience
2. Design at Work is part and parcel of all federal and regional economic
projects and subsidy arrangements to encourage innovation and design
3. Design at Work is a perfect fit within the ‘European Year for Creativity
and Innovation’: http://create2009.europa.eu
4. Design at Work follows the integration of Design in the Innovation Policy
of the European Commission (see ‘Design as a driver of user-centred
innovation’).
5. Design at Work takes place alongside the Industry Networking Days in
the renovated Kortrijk Xpo venue
WHY DESIGN at WORK?
An initial pre-show event was organised in 2008 during the 21st Interieur
Biennale (Kortrijk Xpo). More than 95,000 visitors experienced Design at Work
08 as the foremost satellite event of INTERIEUR 08. From 2009, it will become
a professional biennial trade event.
Design at Work will take place in an original and unique architectural and layout
context. Alongside the stands, a dozen different satellite events feature on the
programme. They include the presence of Ji Lee, creative director of Google.com,
an exhibition about the renowned television show De Bedenkers (‘The
Creators’), forum lectures and workshops in a specially built agora podium, the
product show ‘Things to Come’ with new products, a selection of the best design
products, and Urban Office, a creative and flexible 12m high office tower.
VISION
DESIGN represents the complete process within companies and organisations
which underpins differentiation, integration or transformation (re. ‘The Four
Powers of Design’, Prof. B. Borja de Mozota). Good design ensures a performing
business and is the key to innovation.
WORK is the dynamic factor which is required for innovation, product
development and creative design, which generate added value and enhance sales
and exports.
DESIGN AT WORK intends to recognise all design and innovation efforts and
make them visible, but also to clearly explain and promote the various steps
towards innovation and/or design, for a professional as well as a public
audience.
THE DESIGN at WORK LOGO : DO
The vision and activities of DESIGN at WORK require a fitting logo. It has been
kept sober and simple: a blue square with rounded corners. This contains our
registered brand: DESIGN at WORK.
The D of Design features first: it is our and our parent company the Interieur
Foundation’s core business. We have also taken the vowel O of Work. Together,
the two letters make the word DO, a verb which becomes the leitmotiv of Design
at Work. The logo itself offers many opportunities for signage, posters, layouts…
ARCHITECTURE AND LAYOUT
Design at Work 09 will occupy Hall 4 in the new Kortrijk Xpo venue with an
exceptionally creative and completely new trade fair concept.
It promises to be an original display within a journey of festive discovery created
by IEA (Import Export Architecten) from Antwerp.
“For Design at Work 09, we have not relied on the traditional straightforward
trade fair concepts or other geometric layouts usually encountered in the
average exhibition,” explains IEA. “We explored a concept which is not only
new and innovative, but it also obeys the laws of open innovation. A number of
dynamic curving baselines connect a beginning and an endpoint around which
develops a maze, a network of walkways. Searching and discovering are the
driving elements in the circuit along the stands and satellite events. People who
innovate tend to work with cross-pollination, which is why the gangways are
not straight but move like waves throughout the hall. These waves cross and
crash, the same way that innovative brains work, the essence of the process of
product development.”
In practice, the space in Hall 4 of Kortrijk Xpo will acquire a multifunctional
aspect, with the various elements (stands, forum, product show, satellite events,
bar…) all finding their place in the layout.
SEEING / DISCOVERING: THE PROGRAMME
1. Trade show
Companies with a variety of different activities within the innovation sector, such
as market research, industrial design, intellectual property, prototyping,
engineering, packaging and branding, will present their products and services
during Design at Work 09. Especially new product sectors such as
communications, mobility, leisure, work and the care sector will feature
prominently.
For instance: Solvin will present an overview of the potential of their plastics.
Cosentino will launch their latest material. Materio will show an overview of a
wide variety of useful materials. Companies such as Materialise and Kemo use
specialist materials for the production of prototypes, while Voxdale specialise in
what they call digital prototyping.
Various design offices will also display their craft. Specialists such as KOB and
Kirkpatrick will give advice about intellectual property. Technological
companies such as Traficon will show how they use alliances with partners to
make the correct choices for their latest products and present their SafeWalk en
première. Samsonite will illustrate the potential of cross-pollination between
different functions. Wallonie Design and SPI (l’Agence de Développement
Économique pour la Province de Liège) will present the best design companies
in Wallonia. Last but not least, Apple will unveil how they make magic with
design and innovation.
2. Conferences, presentations and workshops
In order to engender debate and allow for information about realisations and
visions, Design at Work will provide a made-to-measure infrastructure within
the event. All conferences, presentations and workshops will be open access, in
the same spirit of open innovation. Workshops will be recorded and broadcast,
the Forum will take the form of an arena-shaped construction for 100-120
guests, and the Fuzion corner will offer capacity for 300 visitors.
• Ji Lee, creative director at Google (USA) will be our guest on 8 and 9
December, in collaboration with Flanders DC (www.flandersdc.be) and
IBBT (www.ibbt.be). They will organize a workshop for Flemish
companies with Ji Lee on 8 December.
• Keynote speech of Ji Lee: ” I will share my experience of how
personal and professional projects can complement and help each other.
And how platform, openness and collaboration are empowering”, will
take place on 9 December in the morning.
• Practical brainstorming and design with Oxylane Design Team is an
option for a limited group of maximum 30 people, registration required.
• Fedustria will organise an international symposium.
• FlandersInShape will talk about “The power of industrial design”.
• Apple will unveil how the unibody of the Mac Books came to be.
• the topic of intellectual property will definitely be hot!
The full programme and registration form will be online from mid-September:
www.designatwork.be
3. “Things to come”: Product Show
A product launch… easier said than done. How does a company reach a new
audience with an innovative product? How does a company attract media
attention? How does it measure itself against other companies?
This does not necessarily mean competing with a direct competitor. It is often
more instructive to study the reaction of potential clients, dealers and
consumers. Or to associate and involve with similar and equivalent products or
brands with the same vision.
With the product show ‘Things to Come’, Design at Work will show a selection of
some 100-150 objects which will allow visitors to discover, amongst others:
- a male/female concept bicycle by Curana, made for fashion followers and
cosmopolitan commuters.
- the Scooter Luggage by Samsonite with an integrated solution of a
backpack and trolley for the scooter. An exclusive preview: this product
will only be introduced on the market in March 2010.
- the DC26 Dyson City, a vacuum cleaner the size of an A4 sheet with
optimal performance, which will find its way to design lovers and
premium spaces.
- nothing happened for a long time with the aesthetics of leads for
electrical and other appliances. The French company Omerin developed a
technology which makes decorative applications on leads a possibility.
Innovation is often a fight against time, but a planned presentation opportunity
such as Design at Work is a special incentive. Registrations for the product show
remain open during the next few weeks.
4. Honoured Company
A company with a pronounced vision about product development, design,
innovation and marketing: these are the basic criteria for the selection of
Honoured Company, a company that inspires and shows how investment in
design and innovation is an economic winner in the long term.
Oxylane Design is the design team of Decathlon (FR). It consists of a team of
more than 130 people with a passion for sport and product innovation. The team
listens on a daily basis to clients in order to amass inspiration and market
knowledge, with the aim of designing quality products with good design at a
reasonable price. The team develops some 5,000 ideas every year.
During Design at Work, Oxylane Design will show how products happen, from
the initial idea to the choice of materials and the end product. Visitors will be
able to take part in an exclusive ‘experience design’ workshop by and with the
Oxylane Design team. Any resulting innovations will only see the light of day in
2010!
5. “Good Design is Good Business”
A slogan which speaks for itself. The original quote comes from IBM’s Thomas
Watson during the fifties, but it contains more truth than ever today. The added
value involved in design means that aesthetics can be quantified. The German
Red Dot Institute specialises in these matters and can produce trusted data,
thanks to its long experience and renown with the red dot awards.
In 2009, 12.076 entries were received from 60 countries for the red dot awards,
considered one of the most demanding and prestigious Awards in the design
world (product design, communication design, design concept). The red dot
selection echoes the qualities of innovation, functionality and form which also
govern Design at Work. This year has seen a remarkable number of Belgian
designers and Belgian companies (almost all exhibitors at Interieur or Design at
Work) receiving red dot awards and nominations.
All is well with Belgian product development and design. This is why Design at
Work will highlight the Belgian winners and nominees during the event. The
participating companies and designers are:
the Tupperware design team, Alinea, Basalte, Brems, Dark, Delta Light, Feek,
Jaga, Luc Donckerwolcke for Seat (ES) Ibiza, Niko, Sylvain Willenz for Freecom
(NL), Enthoven Associates for Gloster (UK), Wever & Ducré.
6. The creators and beyond
’The creators and beyond’ is based on the successful television show (“De
Bedenkers”) on the één channel (VRT). A 400 m² presentation will ask the
questions which will confront future creators (“bedenkers”). What is a creator?
What is creativity? How good is my idea? How does one take an idea to market?
What are the most successful stories, such as the speculoospasta (ginger biscuit
spread). Who is mentioned on the international wall of fame?
The exhibition ‘The creators and beyond’ is brought to you by Design at Work in
cooperation with Flanders DC and the Winkelhaak, and is supported by partners
including the één channel.
The book ‘How do I become a creator?’ will be exclusively launched at Design at
Work.
On December 6th, Santa Claus will perform the festive opening of the Bedenkers
expo for children and grown-ups alike.
7. Running track
The central running track is part of the presentation of the Honoured Company.
CEOs can test their running capacities on the running track, where also a
number of products are being tested, including the brand-new scooter luggage
by Samsonite,
8. Urban office
IEA not only designed the layout of Design at Work, but also present a
magnificent and tower-high eye-catcher with Urban Office This asks how we use
resting spaces, open spaces etc., and how horizontal working is changing into
vertical working, how views and balance can inspire.
Urban Office is a prototype for a new kind of ‘urban furniture’, which can quickly
be erected in many places. It is a mobile construction, with a special structure
inspired by a climbing tree with multiple small spaces. Each space features its
own experience in terms of view, height and light, has its own domain without
being isolated. The ’slow ladder’ connects four levels which are arranged like a
bouquet and feature a green environment (climbing plants, container plants…).
The platforms aim for an ideal workspace where the relationship between social
contact (with colleagues, professionals, passers-by) and isolation for
concentration responds to contemporary expectations for a pleasant, exciting
and productive workspace. In this context, Urban Office offers a new perspective
on the dusty old concept of the landscape office.
The construction is also an example of innovative structural engineering. IEA
cooperated with the Ghent-based engineer Guy Mouton with whom they have
already constructed the successful Fragile Lab project in Antwerp.
9. Connect
A central press room with bar and lounge will provide food and drink for creative
and innovative brains.
10. Website
And last but not least: our re-designed website www.designatwork.be features all
additional information, details about exhibiting, free visitor registration, and the
programme of satellite events.
ABOUT THE INTERIEUR FOUNDATION and DESIGN at WORK
During sixteen international Biennales, between 1968 and 1998, the Interieur
Biennale focused on the display and promotion of design for the interior. Every
other year saw an increase in the attendance and the number of exhibitors. The
Kortrijk venue grew together with the expansion of Interieur.
From 2000 onwards, a change occurred in the exhibitor profile. An increasing
number of companies wanted to take part in the Biennale with office furniture,
public furnishings, sport and leisure goods, luggage, design services, new
materials… All this connected with the theme of the International Biennale for
interior design creativity, but a shortage of space played a role. This meant that
only very few of these companies were allowed to participate in the exhibition.
During the past few years, the Interieur Foundation has widened it scope of
activities, for instance through the partnership with Designregio Kortrijk and
through the change in its statutes in 2006 (extension of its activities into the
whole field of product development and design). The cooperation with other
actors in the design sector, such as the Design museum Ghent, Grand Hornu
Images, the Flemish Institute for Architecture and Designed in Brussels, as well
as the initiative of ‘Designer of the Year’, are all part of a wider promotional
effort for ‘good design’.
Now there is also Design at Work to make innovation visible and to promote
good design throughout all sectors of industry. Design at Work addresses
companies and designers who produce well-designed products and materials or
services.
DESIGN at WORK PRACTICAL
Between 9 and 10 December, visitors will be able to enjoy a wide range of
activities in the context of innovation and design.
Hall 4, Kortrijk Xpo, Doorniksesteenweg 216, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
Companies and service providers who believe innovation and design is amongst
their key strengths, are invited to participate in Design at Work 09. Signing up
remains possible until October 15th.
Visiting
- Entrance fee 10 euro
- Visiting Design at Work is free with pre-registration. Visitors can
register online from mid-September onwards at www.designatwork.be.
Opening hours
Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 December from 1.00 pm until 8.00 pm. On these
days, representatives of the exhibiting companies will be present on their stand.
On 9 and 10 December, visitors to the Industry Networking Days will have free
access to Design at Work.
International opening day
Tuesday 8 December is international opening day, featuring the workshop by Ji
Lee (USA), Creative Director Google in the afternoon and the seminar ‘The
Power of Industrial Design’ by FlandersInShape
THE ORGANISATION
DESIGN at WORK is an initiative of the INTERIEUR Foundation vzw
Design at Work
Groeningestraat 37
B-8500 Kortrijk
Tel. + 32 56 22 95 22
Fax +32 56 21 60 77
info@designatwork.be
www.designatwork.be
Commissioner
Moniek E. Bucquoye
Project manager
Joost Vanhecke
Project assistance
Laurence Vanackere
ADDENDA:
0 – Introduction – President Interieur Foundation
1 – Design at Work Identity
2 – Stage design Design at Work – IEA
3 – Forum
4 – Product Show Things to Come
5 – Honoured Company Oxylane Design
6 – Good Design is Good Business
7 – Urban Office
8 – Red Dot Awards Expo
9 – Annexes
- Bio Ji Lee
- Bio IEA
- Document European Commission – Design as a driver of usercentred
innovation
- Communication FlandersInShape
- Why Belgium will be the next hotspot for design’ in
