Here’s why Orgatec and other trade events matter – more so now than ever before.
October 30th, 2016
Every year some young journalist fresh out of university with no industry experience will pen some wildly inaccurate article, proudly proclaiming “I’m so anti-trade events, man”. And it’s nonsense. Design events are the lifeblood of our industry. They are literally the ONLY place to come together as an industry to really challenge and question what it is we’re doing and where we’re headed.
Salone, Stockholm, Maison, Singapore Indesign, ICFF, LDF, Clerkenwell; these events push our industry FORWARD. They give us momentum. And without them, we wouldn’t have a format in which to disrupt and experiment with our collective practice of design – and that is a dangerous prospect.
This year’s Orgatec is a stellar example of why the entire global design industry needs to get together regularly and present their R&D for the year ahead. This isn’t just products, it’s critical and revolutionary ways of thinking, making, designing that are shared here by veterans and emerging designers alike.
Orgatec 2016 for example focuses on New Visions of Work, with the specific driver of #CreativityWorking. Our understanding of work is changing – whereas a few decades ago nothing happened without a fixed desk and set hours, work is now increasingly mobile and networked. How is this change going to evolve further? What will the office of the future look like – will it even exist?How will we live and work tomorrow?
These and other questions are being creatively dissected by the next generation of architects, designers and creative thinkers at the Orgatec 2016 #CreativeWorking space. The results speak for themselves, really: these students were given the opportunity to disrupt the establishment with their ideas for where this industry should go next – ideas that otherwise would not have been shared or voiced. Some students are determined on “making the office great again”. Others graffitied ordinary grey workstations that ripped apart industry cliche’s like “Make Things Happen” to “Shit Happens!”, “Start Making Sense” to “Stop Making Bullshit!” and our personal favourite “No Pain, No Gain” to “No Money, No Fame!”.
Trade events like Orgatec are a chance for our industry to change, to disagree, to try something new. Without them, design as we know it would arguably not have progressed as far or as rapidly as it has.
Orgatec
orgatec.com
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
In this brand new exhibition, GH Commercial’s custom carpet solutions help local artists create joyful installations that each tell a unique story.
Everyone’s talking about movement in the workplace. Is that the only thing we need to worry about?
Orgatec reminds us that design plays a decisive role in leadership and performance. But what can we learn from leadership, today?
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
On the 22nd of February, the local design scene brimmed with excitement as Unison marked its 10th anniversary by becoming the first MillerKnoll dealer in the Australia and New Zealand region.
The multidisciplinary design practice recently announced a nine-day fortnight working policy. We find out more in this Q&A.
Explore the future of cancer treatment at the Australian Bragg Centre, where a revolutionary design by Woods Bagot integrates cutting-edge proton therapy with patient-centric features, including natural light and adaptive Verosol blinds, creating a space that merges innovation and empathy for a holistic healing journey.