Budapest Design Week is the most comprehensive creative industry event series featuring the largest number of programmes and extending beyond the capital, serving as the annual showcase for the Hungarian design profession. This year, more than 20,000 people visited the nearly 130 design programmes held in Budapest, Pécs, and Sopron. The central event of the design week, the Red Dot Award-winning 360 Design Budapest exhibition, also enjoyed immense popularity. This year, the exhibition, presenting over 100 domestic and regional contemporary creators, broke a record in the number of visitors: the exhibition, displaying nearly 300 design objects and works of applied and fine arts, attracted 5,000 visitors.
During Budapest Design Week, in the capital, 109, in Pécs, 11, and Sopron, seven programmes welcomed those interested in design. The event series, held between the 10thand the 20th of October, allowed visitors to discover the novelties in the Hungarian creative industry at the exhibitions; besides, they could attend lectures, book launches, fairs and auctions while the more adventurous participants had the opportunity to create their own design products under the guidance of designers. In addition, workshop tours, gastronomic and musical programmes, and fashion shows also diversified the programme range.
“During Budapest Design Week, we celebrate design and the creative industry, along with the creators, manufacturers, product designers, and professionals who make it possible for us to take pride in the Hungarian design industry on the international level. We are delighted that over the course of the 10-day event series, tens of thousands of people showed interest in creative industry products and innovations. This year, the design week marked a milestone, as interest in the event continues to grow year by year, showcasing that Hungarian design is gaining increasing attention not only within Hungary but also regionally. Budapest Design Week and 360 Design Budapest were realised in the integrated organisation of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency, combining two key programmes that reinforce each other in elevating Hungarian design to an international level and highlight how much Hungarian product design has developed in recent years,” – said Zsófia Jakab, Ministerial Commissioner for Creative Industry Development and Sectoral Coordination and CEO of the HFDA.
While Budapest Design Week provided an opportunity specifically for Hungarian brands to debut, the central event of the Design Week, the 360 Design Budapest exhibition, presented works by Dutch, Ukrainian, Slovakian, Czech, Polish, and Austrian designers in addition to excellent domestic creators. The exhibited objects presented innovative design approaches, artisanal techniques, sustainable technologies, and the unique know-how of the creators, while in many cases also incorporating cutting-edge manufacturing methods.
Held for the fifth time, the event, which has received numerous domestic and international awards, was once again a public favourite this year, attracting nearly 5,000 visitors to view the exhibition featuring almost 300 pieces of furniture, home decor accessories, and works of applied and fine arts. Through exclusive guided tours, nearly 1,000 visitors became acquainted with the exhibition showcasing contemporary object culture, as presented through the personal stories of renowned industry professionals, artists, musicians, writers, and poets.
By organising the exhibition, the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency aimed to familiarise the public with the opportunities in the design and creative industries and showcase the diversity of contemporary and cultural values as widely as possible. Thus, in the last few years, in addition to being a determining venue of contemporary product design, 360 Design Budapest has become a tool for knowledge transfer and increasing industry competitiveness. To encourage collaboration among creative industry actors, students and educators from vocational training and higher education institutions were invited to the event. The interactive, experience-based guided tour was met with great interest from all over the country. A total of 230 pupils and university students from seven vocational and training institutions attended the event to gain insight into contemporary design trends and the work of its prominent figures through experience-based guided tours. As a result, these representatives of the next generation also learnt about the competitiveness of the sector and career opportunities. In addition, 360 Design Budapest provided an opportunity for designers and manufacturers to meet. The “Meet the Designer and Manufacturer” programme facilitated the creation of professional collaborations and discussions; at the same time, visitors were able to meet their favourite design brands in person at the exhibition.
The event also achieved great results in the digital space. Those who were not able to visit the exhibition in the prominent building of Nyugati Railway Station could view it online. The 360 Design Budapest exhibition reached over a million views on its social media platforms, further enhancing the international visibility of Hungarian design.
