Design Korea Festival 2020 finishes successfully
February 15, 2021
- On/offline hybrid event held to an audience of 350,000
- Business results of 160 billion won (USD 140 million) generated through buyer matching/consultations
The Design Korea Festival, Korea’s representative design exhibition, which was held at the Korea Design Center, hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and organized by the Korea Institute of Design Promotion from November 19 to December 18, has officially come to an end.
The 18th edition of the event, under the theme of “Design Beyond Data”, presented various programs and exhibitions showing how data, which is increasingly important for the industry, can be used as a more useful and meaningful tool through design. This is in line with the Digital New Deal policy announced by the South Korean government this year, adding to the timeliness of the event.
This year’s Design Korea Festival (conducted as a hybrid event combining online and offline methods in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19) was very well received, with about 350,000 online visitors in total - about six times more than usual.
In the online program, a thematic exhibition, a KIDP business performance exhibition, a design award exhibition, and a promising designer showcase, among others, were held to allow viewing of approx. 880 products as if they were on-site, and information for the products was also provided.
Images: Design Korea Festival exhibitions
58 companies took part as employers in the DK Job Fair, which supports hiring designers, and 1300 job seekers - 220% more than the previous year - also participated.
In DK Biz, which matches domestic and international buyers with outstanding design products, 269 consultations were made with 182 buyers, and these resulted in over 160 billion won (USD 140 million) worth of expected sales, a 110% increase compared to last year.
Furthermore, various international events were held at the same time with overseas design communities.
The DESIGN KOREA International Conference 2020 was attended by 1800 participants from 62 countries around the world. Talks on the role of designers in the era of the data economy were shared by such speakers as Paul PRIESTMAN, Designer & Chairman of British design consulting company PriestmanGoode; David BIHANIC, French data designer and founder of FXDESIGN Studio; and JANG Sunghwan, CEO of Korea’s 203 Infographics Lab.
Images: DESIGN KOREA International Conference 2020
Additionally, further events including the 10th Asia Design Sharing Council Meeting, the India-Korea Design Conference, and the 1st ASEAN-Korea Excellent Design Exhibition Awards Ceremony were held to share insights related to the future of design with the global design community.
The Design Korea Festival, Korea’s leading global design event, plans to further support online content in the future to keep up with the needs of the times, and plans to expand design business not only domestically, but also internationally.
Various videos including exhibitions, seminars, and forums can be viewed again on KIDP’s YouTube channel as well as the Design Korea Festival website.
KIDP YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2BSNlufWpJLdka9BfpuQkQ
Design Korea Website: https://dkf.kidp.or.kr/html/en/main.php
