Design Summit – 12 May 2025

#designconnects

Welcome to the mcbw design summit 2025

On May 12, 2025, the Munich Urban Colab will be transformed into an inspiring place for exchange and brainstorming. Under the annual theme "How to design a vibrant community", we invite you to join international experts such as Tim Brown (IDEO), Ana Relvão (Relvãokellermann) and many others to discuss how design can contribute to making society and democracy tangible. Find out more about the program, our highlight speakers and secure your ticket here.

Be part of it

A day full of design and inspiration

Experience exciting keynotes and panels presenting innovative approaches to empower communities and bring about positive social change. The day's program starts with a panel of experts from three European design centers, followed by a call for papers session with selected cases. In the dialog sessions, we will delve deeper into the focus topics "Shaping togetherness", "Inspiring empathy" and "Opening minds". Round off the day at the mcbw get-together! Over drinks and snacks, you will have the opportunity to network and exchange ideas with speakers, the mcbw team and other participants. The event will be held in English, with simultaneous translation English-German and German-English.

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Inspiring voices from the Design Summit

Highlight Speakers

This year, we have decided not to select a single mcbw creative explorer. Instead, we're bringing together an impressive panel of six creative minds to explore the topic from different perspectives and inspire thought and discussion. You can look forward to Tim Brown, Kim Dabbs, Alona Kharchenko, Ezio Manzini, Ana Relvão and Carsten Waldeck - true greats of the design world!

In order to give the "vibrant community" even more voices at the mcbw design summit, we have launched a nationwide call for papers. The overwhelming response shows: The interest is huge! We have now selected six more exciting speakers from around 80 submissions from Germany and abroad. Look forward to a day full of inspiration and exchange!

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Kreative Köpfe, die begeistern

Ezio Manzini

Ezio Manzini has been working in the field of design for sustainability for more than three decades. More recently, he has focused on social innovation for just and ecological change. In this context, he founded DESIS 15 years ago: an international network of design schools working for social innovation and sustainability through design. In 2024, he was honored by the Design Research Society with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

He is currently President of the DESIS network and Honorary Professor at the Politecnico di Milano. He has been a visiting professor at several design schools worldwide. His most important publications include: "Design, When Everybody Designs", MIT Press 2015; "Politics of the Everyday." Bloomsbury, 2019; "Livable Proximity" Egea, 2021.

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Creative minds that inspire

Carsten Waldeck

Carsten Waldeck is a designer, philosopher and inventor from Hesse. He is the founder and visionary behind the SHIFTPHONE and other groundbreaking inventions and sustainable technologies. Carsten Waldeck received his diploma in communication design from Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (hda) in 1999 with his thesis "iWorld", which paved the way for smartphones, social networks and the mobile internet as we know it today.

He also studied computer science and philosophy in Marburg and conducted research at the Fraunhofer Institute in Darmstadt in the field of "Mobile Information Visualization". His pioneering research has led to scientific publications on liquid browsing and other innovations in human-computer interaction. Carsten Waldeck loves people, good design, music, sustainability and social justice from the bottom of his heart.

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Creative minds that inspire

Kim Dabbs

Kim Dabbs is a world-leading expert on belonging and purpose. Her unique life story has shaped her passionate advocacy for inclusion and understanding. Kim Dabbs was born in Korea and adopted by American parents. Her life journey from feeling constantly out of place in different cultures has made her an influential voice in creating spaces where everyone can feel like they belong.

As Global Vice President of ESG and SocialInnovation at Steelcase, she leverages her extensive experience in social innovation, including as Executive Director of the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology and during a residency at Stanford's d.school, to foster more inclusive and equitable environments. A sought-after speaker, Kim has delivered keynote addresses for organizations and institutions such as Google, Microsoft, MIT, The Drucker Forum, and The Guggenheim. Her first publication, "You Belong Here: The Power of Being Seen, Heard and Valued on Your Own Terms" reflects her transformation from a cultural chameleon trying to fit in to a thought leader championing the idea of belonging to herself.

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Creative minds that inspire

Alona Kharchenko

Alona Kharchenko is the co-founder and CTO of Devanthro, a Munich-based deep-tech startup specializing in humanoid robotics. With nearly a decade of experience in the field, her work spans bio-inspired actuation, physical human-robot interaction and immersive telepresence - all with the ultimate goal of building robots that people love.

In recognition of her contributions, she was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2023 and recognized as a Women TechEU winner by the European Union in 2024. She continues to develop Devanthro to bring useful humanoids into people's homes while preserving what matters most: real human relationships.

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Creative minds that inspire

Ana Relvão

Ana Relvão studied industrial design at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon. Together with Gerhardt Kellermann, she founded the Relvãokellermann studio in 2014. Ana Relvão also won the INOV-ART scholarship from the Portuguese Ministry of Culture. In 2016 and 2020 she was nominated for the Design Award of the City of Munich.

In 2018, Ana Relvão held a guest professorship at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart. She has also taught as a guest lecturer at the universities of Leiria, Bolzano and Lisbon. She is frequently invited as a juror for international design competitions and has been a juror for the iF Design Award and the Braun DesignPrize 2024, among others.

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Creative minds that inspire

Tim Brown

Tim Brown is Chairman of the global design and innovation agency IDEO and Vice Chairman of the kyu Collective. His bestselling book "Change By Design" has popularized design thinking among executives worldwide. Tim Brown has written for Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Rotman Magazine and his TED Talks Serious Play and Designers Think Big have reached millions of people.

His work focuses on creative leadership and the strategic application of design in areas such as healthcare, education, technology, mobility and global development.

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Design Summit Tickets

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Design Summit 2025

Timetable

09:30 Uhr Open Doors
10:00 Uhr Welcome

Tobias Gotthardt, State Secretary in the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy (video greeting)
Dr. Christian Scharpf, Head of Department for Labour and Economic Affairs, City of Munich
Nadine Vicentini, Managing Director bayern design

10:30 Uhr Introduction: How to design a vibrant community

10:40 Uhr European Perspectives Panel: Vertreter:innen der Europäischen Design Zentren. Moderation: Christina Melander, Director Digital Transition, Danish Design Center; BEDA President

Panelists
Furkan Demirci, Türkiye Design Council
Kike Correcher, Spanish Network of Designers Associations READ
Halla Helgadóttir, Iceland Design Centre

11:30 Uhr Call for Papers Session

Panelists

Chu-Yi Vuong and Oliver Ristau, IBM
Regina Hanke, Macromedia University
Igor Brncic, Oliv Architekten
Thorsten Habermann, prettygoodideas
Thomas Mandl, One World Flag
Nila Rezaei and Christopher Krainer, RK Collective

12:30 Uhr Lunch

13:30 Uhr Dialogue Sessions

Shaping Togetherness: design makes people cooperate

Keynotes and Dialogue

Ezio Manzini, President of DESIS Network
Carsten Waldeck, Co-Founder Shift
Moderation Anna Wörner

14:30 Uhr Inspiring Empathy: design points out the human factor

Keynotes and Dialogue

Kim Dabbs, Global Vice President of ESG and Social Innovation Steelcase
Alona Kharchenko, Co-Founder, CTO Devanthro
Moderation Francesca Terzi

15:30 – 16:00 Uhr Coffee break

16:00 Uhr Opening Minds: design awakens curiosity

Keynotes and Dialogue

Ana Relvão, Co-Founder of RelvãoKellermann
Tim Brown, Chair of IDEO
Moderation Leonhard Nima

17:00 – 17:30 Uhr Summary

18:00 Uhr Get-Together

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What you can expect

An inspiring experience full of creative impulses and valuable insights awaits you at the mcbw design summit. You will have the opportunity to learn from renowned experts and visionaries in the design world who will share their unique perspectives and experiences. In addition, you can take part in exciting discussions that stimulate thought and promote new ideas. The interactive atmosphere allows you to exchange ideas with like-minded people, network and gain fresh inspiration for your own projects and deepen your knowledge. You will become part of a vibrant community that celebrates creativity and drives innovation. Be ready for a day full of aha moments and new perspectives! We also invite you to join us for drinks and snacks from 6 p.m. to round off the day.

Who you will meet at the Design Summit

At the mcbw design summit, you will meet leading minds from the design industry as well as decision-makers from marketing, communication and advertising. You will have the opportunity to meet politicians and representatives of ministries and authorities who work at the interface of design and public policy. You can also expect product developers, researchers and scientists to contribute their expertise and present innovative approaches. This diversity of experts offers you the chance to gain valuable insights, engage in exciting discussions and significantly expand your network in the design community. Be ready for inspiring encounters and exchanges with the best in the industry!

Design Summit Tickets

Tickets available now while stocks last! Get your ticket now!

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