Press
Munich, February 25, 2026
Save the Date
May 4, 2026 | mcbw | at Munich Urban Colab
A new energy is shaping design: playful, sensual, and relevant – especially in times of uncertainty. The unknown opens up spaces to reimagine the future. Between confidence and doubt, a creative mode emerges that allows for breaks and has the courage to do things differently.
For 2026, mcbw’s annual theme is “Playground of Possibilities”– a deliberately changing theme that opens up new perspectives, provides inspiration, and re-energizes the diversity of the design landscape each year. The mcbw invites you to step onto this very playground: a place for experimentation and new beginnings, for stumbling and moving forward – where ideas emerge, concepts take shape, and visions for a future we can shape grow.
With the Design Summit 2026, mcbw once again kicks off with its most significant highlight: On Monday, May 4, 2026, international designers, creators, and leaders will gather at the Munich Urban Colab to shed light on current developments, societal challenges, and interdisciplinary design perspectives.
A day full of inspiration, exchange, and new perspectives
The Design Summit is more than just a stage for speakers – it’s a space that visitors actively help shape. The full-day conference features keynotes, talks, and panels that are meant not just to be listened to, but to be thought through and discussed. Participants will experience a program that imparts knowledge, fosters exchange, and creates space for new ideas and perspectives.
The dynamic atmosphere encourages questions, active participation, and spontaneous dialogue. To wrap up the day, mcbw invites you to a relaxed get-together with drinks and snacks starting at 6 p.m. – for informal conversations and inspiring encounters.
Design. Dialogue. Future: Setting the Course Together
At the mcbw design summit, visitors can expect an immersive experience brimming with creative inspiration, in-depth expertise, and direct interaction. Renowned experts and visionaries from the design world will share their personal perspectives, experiences, and visions for the future.
The summit brings together a diverse community: designers, product developers, researchers, and decision-makers from politics, government agencies, marketing, and communications. This diversity opens up unique opportunities to network, meet potential partners, and gain valuable inspiration for your own projects.
Exchanges that take shape – ideas that endure
At the heart of the summit are the conversations: open, in-depth, and often surprising dialogues where diverse experiences and ways of thinking come together. Visitors engage with leading voices in the design industry and experts from a wide range of disciplines – discussing social issues, new approaches, or concrete design solutions.
This collaboration fosters connections that extend far beyond the event itself, as well as insights that inspire a rethinking of design at the intersections of business, research, and politics.
Highlight Speakers at the Design Summit 2026
Alice Rawsthorn
Alice Rawsthorn is an award-winning design critic and author based in London. Her books include Design as an Attitude and, most recently, Design Emergency: Building a Better Future, which she co-authored with Paola Antonelli, senior design curator at MoMA in New York. Her books have been published in more than a dozen languages, and her weekly design column for The New York Times has been distributed worldwide for over a decade.
In her work, Alice Rawsthorn consistently advocates for design as a social, political, and environmental tool. Together with Paola Antonelli, she is also the co-founder of the podcast Design Emergency, which explores how design can drive positive change.
Alice on Playground of Possibilities: “Design’s fundamental role is as an agent of change that can help us address changes of any kind – social, political, economic, cultural, technological, environmental, or whatever – to ensure that they affect us positively, not negatively. We urgently need design to fulfill this role at a time of seemingly endless possibilities, for better or for worse.”
Roberto Verganti
Roberto Verganti is the Josefsson Family Chair in Art and Innovation at the House of Innovation at the Stockholm School of Economics. He is also a visiting lecturer at Harvard Business School, where he teaches Design Theory and Practice, and co-founder of the Leadin’ Lab for Leadership, Design, and Innovation at the Politecnico di Milano.
He is an ambassador for the European Commission’s European Innovation Council and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Vaasa.
Roberto Verganti is the author of the books Overcrowded: Designing Meaningful Products in a World Awash with Ideas (MIT Press) and Design-Driven Innovation (Harvard Business Press), which was nominated by the Academy of Management for the George R. Terry Book Award. His research has been honored with the Compasso d’Oro award. In addition, he advises international companies on innovation and design.
Roberto on Playground of Possibilities: “Design has traditionally been seen as creative problem solving. Since AI is now an exceptional problem solver, often better than the average human, we need to focus on the most human of capabilities: the creation of meaning. We need to transform design from problem solving to creative meaning making.”
Marije Vogelzang
Marije Vogelzang is a visionary designer, speaker, and author who has been a pioneer in food design since 1999. Her work has been presented worldwide – ranging from exhibitions and installations to performances, dinners, and workshops in which she explores food from a design perspective. She teaches at art colleges, culinary schools, in companies, and through her online program.
For eight years, she headed the “Food Non Food” department at the Design Academy Eindhoven. In 2024, she was appointed project professor at the Kassel Art Academy for one year, and in 2025 she founded the Food Design Playground in Dordrecht (NL), an international venue and experimental space for food design. In her latest book, Lick It: Challenge the Way We Experience Food, she fundamentally questions our understanding of the nature and experience of food.
Marije on Playground of Possibilities: “Playground of possibilities might sound like a lighthearted theme, but in fact I believe that playing and allowing for play are essential for creative research and for us to stay humble and humane. I started my own Food Design Playground last year, so I guess that shows how seriously I take play. It is a fundamental part of practice.”
Friedrich von Borries
Prof. Dr. Friedrich von Borries teaches design theory at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts (HFBK) and works at the sociopolitical intersections of architecture, design, and art. Together with Alexander Doudkin, he founded getminds.ai, a platform that uses AI to open up new and diverse perspectives.
At the heart of his work lies the relationship between design and social development. As a researcher, he seeks to understand the world; as a designer, to change it. Accordingly, he uses both research and design to engage with the technologies, structures, and practices that shape our lives today. In his projects, he creates spaces where people can discover, experiment with, and sensually experience new possibilities for themselves, their daily lives, social interactions, and the world around them.
Friedrich on Playground of Possibilities: “Many people are afraid of AI. But it definitely opens up new possibilities for creativity –and for a multiperspectivity that could overcome the dangerous polarization currently dominating the discourse in digital spaces.”
Emmi Salonen
Emmi Salonen is a designer and educator who founded the London-based studio Emmi in 2025. Her work centers on Positive Creativity – the idea that design can connect people, enhance well-being, and foster sustainable decisions. She is the author and designer of The Creative Wellbeing Handbook (BIS Publishers) and the developer of the Creative Ecosystem Model, which helps reduce stress and burnout.
Her insights combine years of practical experience with a solid scientific background, including the course The Science of Well-Being at Yale University. Emmi is a Happiness Facilitator, an RSA Fellow, and has contributed to the AI for Human Flourishing think tank at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University.
Emmi on Playground of Possibilities: “I feel our creative spark shines brightest when we’re doing something we don’t have to do: having fun, experimenting, trying something new. The trick is to weave those micro-passions into your everyday life to re-energize yourself.”
Hideaki Ogawa
Hideaki Ogawa was born in Tokyo, Japan, and has lived and worked in Linz, Austria, since 2007. He has worked as an artist, curator, and researcher at Ars Electronica. Today, he is the Artistic Director of Ars Electronica, Director of the Sapporo International Art Festival 2024, and Creative Director of Civic Creative Base Tokyo.
In his work, he is involved in numerous international and interdisciplinary projects, including initiatives that use art as a catalyst for exploring future scenarios, as well as projects aimed at fostering participatory communities and developing and implementing next-generation cultural and pedagogical programs.
Hideaki on Playground of Possibilities: “Possibility, by itself, means nothing. The question is: possibility for what – and for whom? Art gives new possibilities meaning, creating a playground for future visions.”
Filippo Pagliani
Filippo Pagliani is a partner and co-founder of Park studio. Graduated in Architecture at Politecnico di Milano, Filippo constantly deals with the process and quality of projects in close contact with work teams. Besides his professional activity, Filippo is involved since 1996 as a teacher at Politecnico Milano, School of Construction Engineering/Architecture and from 2013 as visiting professor of the Architectural Design international course. Filippo is engaged on a regular basis as a lecturer on issues related to architecture, urban design environment.
Filippo on Playground of Possibilities: “Working at the intersection of tradition and innovation, of rigour and audacity, architecture is immersing ourselves in the deep richness of each opportunity we design to. From the plurality of perspectives of analysis and implementation, we bring a new vision to life, purposefully unique and coherent in all its parts. Embracing the great challenges of our times, we give form to new futures with deep roots and ripe with possibility.”
Jessie Storey
Jessie Storey leads product development for Steelcase in EMEA and designs products and experiences for the evolving world of work. Together with her teams, she explores the intersection of technology, behavior, and space to develop insight-driven design solutions.
A particular focus of her work is embedding circular economy principles at the core of product conception, development, and launch.
Jessie on Playground of Possibilities: “The powerful method of playing is what helps us learn, test unknowns, and explore bold ideas without constraints or judgment. It’s okay to make mistakes when we’re ‘just playing.’ Having that freedom to go off-script and to try new things out loud is what uncovers unexpected paths forward.”
Moderator of the mcbw design summit 2026
Leonhard Nima
Leonhard Nima brings over 15 years of experience in social innovation and has worked in more than 20 countries. He is the founder of Studio Nima, co-founder of N2XTCODER, and regularly moderates international conferences. As an educational advisor, he supports the Yunus Sports Hub.
Max Fraser
Max Fraser is Editorial Director at Dezeen. Over the past two decades, he has worked as a design commentator across digital media, books, events, exhibitions, magazines, and video formats, always with the aim of broadening the discourse on contemporary design and architecture. He is the author of several design books, including Design UK and Designers On Design, which he co-authored with Sir Terence Conran. His recent publications include the London Design Guide series, as well as monographs on designers Piet Hein Eek, Luca Nichetto, and Benjamin Hubert.
As a journalist, Max Fraser served as design correspondent for CNN Style and wrote for publications such as the Financial Times, Wallpaper, Icon, Surface, the London Evening Standard, and Newsweek International. He has also worked globally as a content consultant for companies and organizations and served as deputy director of the London Design Festival from 2012 to 2015.
Tickets & Registration
Seating is limited; early registration is recommended to secure your spot at the talks, panels, lunch, and the evening networking event.
Location & Accessibility
The Design Summit will take place at Munich Urban Colab, which is fully accessible. We recommend traveling by bike or public transportation (stops: Leonrodplatz, Hochschule München).
Munich, September 24, 2025
From May 4th to May 10th, 2026, munich creative business week (mcbw) will open its doors for the 15th time and under the annual motto “Playground of Possibilities” invites you to rediscover the world of design. Like on a playing field, a space full of curiosity, exchange, and experimentation emerges – a space where the big questions of our time also find their place. Guided by four principles – Empowering the Creative Self, Exploring the Creative Field, Turning Ideas into Action, and Creating Visions that Enrich – a journey unfolds that stretches from the first spark to realizing the great vision.
SOMETHING IS IN THE AIR
Amid a changing world, new energy is awakening. In times of great challenges, fresh forces, bold ideas, and a strengthened sense of self are emerging. They do not arise despite uncertainty, but precisely from it – and therefore carry a special radiance.
mcbw 2026 responds to this transformation. With this year’s motto “Playground of Possibilities,” Munich once again becomes a hub for design, innovation, and future ideas. What the world needs is not perfection but the joy of creating. Openness. The courage to begin. Creativity not as an accessory, but as a tool for change.
The future cannot be planned, but it can be shaped – and that is exactly what mcbw invites you to do: on stages, in workshops, exhibitions, and discourse spaces. “Playground of Possibilities” is not a utopia, but a call to experiment, learn, act, and grow together. This attitude is guided by four overarching principles – a process that provides orientation while leaving space for experimentation, dialogue, and transformation.
1 / EMPOWERING THE CREATIVE SELF
Confidence. Trust. New tools. New roles.
Creativity has never been so easy – and so necessary. In a world full of challenges, we need people with the courage to actively shape the future. New technologies like AI and intuitive interfaces make creativity accessible to the masses, while at the same time increasing responsibility. What is needed are personalities who provide guidance and act as mentors to make new paths visible. Change begins with the trust that you don’t need to know everything in order to create something valuable. Trust in open, often chaotic, but always shapeable processes. And above all, trust in your own creative abilities.
To design means: daring to begin, even if not everything is clear. Trusting yourself as the first step.
2 / EXPLORING THE CREATIVE FIELD
Freedom. Curiosity. Intuition. Playing together.
Creativity needs space to play – and play itself. It is fueled by curiosity rather than rigid goals, by the joy of experimenting. To do this, we can awaken our playful lightness – the kind that marvels, tries things out, changes its mind, and ignores conventions. Play opens up spaces that inspire rather than control – in the mind, in everyday life, and within teams. In this context, design becomes a shared playground to create an inviting togetherness.
To design means: playfully experimenting and inventing new worlds.
3 / TURNING IDEAS INTO ACTION
Get started. Experiment. Prototype. Make it visible.
After trust and playful exploration comes the moment when ideas become visible – a return to a maker’s mindset. It has never been easier to turn an idea into a real product: thanks to new technologies, distribution models, and self-confidence. People want to bring their ideas into the world and celebrate success. Creating is about starting where you are - not waiting for perfection but showing what already exists. Testing, learning, improving. Design becomes action in rapid sequences.
To design means: acting concretely and making impactful ideas visible.
4 / CREATING VISIONS THAT ENRICH
Meaning. Impact. Responsibility. Shaping the future.
The decisive step: to elevate the idea beyond itself. Here, creativity gains direction – as a compass for community, quality of life, and the future. Design becomes a tool for empathy, responsibility, and bold ideas. It is about creating impact and feeling that action matters – and that this very feeling fuels the joy of design. Not just solving problems, but daring to envision the extraordinary: Imagining new perspectives, stories, and spaces that do not yet exist – but should. In this way, design becomes a means of influence. It shapes something that inspires people. To be creative today means changing mindsets. An invitation to fill our actions with meaning – and a reminder that innovation can foster hope.
To design means: embracing responsibility for our actions and helping shape the future in meaningful ways.
BE PART OF THE PLAYGROUND
mcbw 2026 is a collective expression of a new mindset and, beyond its annual theme, a place of exchange and collaboration. Every year, leading partners – from agencies to companies like BMW, Steelcase, and more – help shape the program and provide ideas and insights for a future-oriented design culture.
The “Playground of Possibilities” opens its doors to everyone who thinks, works, and lives creatively – from professionals to start-ups, universities, organizations, and visionaries. mcbw offers many opportunities for active participation as a partner, program contributor, or visitor. Interested parties can register now at contact @ mcbw.de.
For especially creative and innovative event ideas, mcbw offers a wildcard opportunity: selected projects will receive free participation in Design Week. Projects from start-ups, young professionals, or students with limited budgets are also regularly considered.
SAVE THE DATE – MCBW DESIGN SUMMIT
Monday, May 4, 2026 at Munich Urban Colab
The all-day conference brings together internationally renowned speakers to explore current trends, visionary impulses, and interdisciplinary design perspectives on the annual theme in talks and panel discussions.
Munich, July 10, 2025
- May 10 to 18, 2025 | 14th edition of munich creative business week
- Largest design festival in Germany – more than 200 events | 390 speakers | more than 65,000 visitors
- Top-caliber, diverse, and multifaceted – events curated by close to 210 program partners
- Strong presence in public spaces
- Changes in mcbw project management team
- Save the date: mcbw 2026 from May 4 to 10, 2026
mcbw 2025 – Germany's largest design festival in the heart of Munich
For the 14th time bayern design hosted the largest design event in Germany, munich creative business week (mcbw), this year following the motto How to create a vibrant community. From May 10 to 18, mcbw 2025 comprised a varied and interactive program aimed at design professionals and the public alike. Exhibitions, installations in public spaces, talks, and discussions enabled participants to experience design in all its facets.
With its bandwidth of formats – from scientific to playful interpretations of this year’s motto – mcbw 2025 invited people to engage, discover, discuss, and establish contacts. For nine days, Munich's city center was transformed into a vibrant design festival, offering numerous opportunities for the many participants to come together as a vibrant community.
mcbw 2025 – facts and figures
More than 200 events, close to 210 program partners, 390 speakers, and more than 65,000 visitors – that is the proud record of mcbw 2025.
New program partners that contributed to making the festival a success with their own events included ABB Robotics, allmannwappner, Deutscher Designtag, Etcorporate, Lab Campus, Politide, Roland Berger, students of the Identity Design master program at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences Department of Design, and World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026. Frontify, Kurz, and Mars have joined BMW Group, Steelcase, and Ströer as new partners and sponsors.
Sold out – mcbw design summit
For the fourth time mcbw presented design summit, an international B2B conference that was extended into a full-day symposium this year. On May 12, the top-caliber panel of six keynote speakers met at Munich Urban Colab to discuss three thematic focal points – shaping togetherness, inspiring empathy, and opening minds. Through brief lectures and moderated discussions, 17 speakers from 10 countries sounded out the annual mcbw motto from diverse perspectives in front of approximately 250 visitors. The focus was on ways for design to contribute to a dynamic, vibrant, and democratic society. The conference concluded on a festive note with a well-attended get-together – a unique opportunity for the roughly 350 invited guests to meet, exchange ideas, network, and celebrate together.
Top-caliber, diverse, and multifaceted – close to 210 program partners curated an exciting lineup
The appeal of mcbw continues to grow with each passing year. This is reflected in the number of visitors and in the quantity and variety of events curated by the program partners to turn mcbw into a unique experience. Deutscher Designtag kicked off the festival with DIVE´25, the first country-wide design conference. Leading minds from the design industry and design-forward companies, marketing and communications discussed the social, ecological, cultural, and economic potential of design with representatives from politics, academia, and the corporate sector. The focus was on interdisciplinary dialog – on stage, backstage, and among the audience.
At the same time, DDX Conference hosted by Microsoft Germany offered a day full of inspiring talks, hands-on workshops, and valuable networking opportunities – all aimed at opening up new perspectives and advancing the industry. DDX'25 was a high-energy conference for innovators, designers, and product leaders shaping the future of UX and digital innovation. Also, the Startup Awards made a comeback to honor emerging talent and forward-looking projects.
Every great party ends in the kitchen. The Interior Design Studio Holzrausch team and the J*GAST design collective took this insight to heart and told their Kitchen Stories on May 16, towards the end of mcbw: an open evening of food, drinks, and live music focused on exchange and ambiance. Four kitchen islands were set up in the showroom for participants to talk about culture, indulgence, craftsmanship, or music, each kitchen with its own theme, tone, and circle of voices featuring Mike Meiré, Oliver Jahn, Ana Relvão, Jan Heinzelmann, Angelika Nollert, Guido Walter, Susan Ann McKenzie, and many guests.
Strong presence in public spaces
Together with its program partners, mcbw presented installations at diverse locations throughout the city center on all nine days. The heart of the festival and its main information point again was mcbw hub, which was installed specifically for the occasion at Rindermarkt square and in the retail area at Ruffinihaus. Visitors were invited to try new things, from ping pong on round tables to a creative workshop. The futuristic metal capsule presented at Königsplatz square by Designblok Prague in cooperation with the Czech Center in Munich proved to be a highlight. Those willing to stand in line with other curious visitors were rewarded with views of spectacular glassworks staged in the interior of the capsule by the Czech Republic's currently best designers in an ensemble of 170 mirrors.
The event hosted by the Sintesi Labs agency was titled Take a seat: A 23-meter-long table installed on the south lawn of Alte Pinakothek summed up the motto How to design a vibrant community by bringing people into conversation in a playful manner. After mcbw, Kunstareal München took over the interactive installation and will place the table at FLUX at Pinakothek der Moderne. At FÜNF HÖFE, together with the audience Dutch designer Noa Haim and her Studio Collective Paper Aesthetics team created an interactive piece of art from folded carton modules. The installation was implemented in cooperation with LEONHARD KURZ and with generous support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. At Viktualienmarkt, students of the Identity Design master program at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences presented wishing well. By coin toss, hundreds of people confided their most secret wishes for a future worth living in this pop-up container. The money will be donated to the organization Herzenswünsche e.V.
Changes in mcbw project management team
After serving as interim project manager during a two-year parental leave, mcbw project leader Thorsten Buch passed the baton to Lisa Braun this June. Lisa Braun already has begun to develop a concept for mcbw 2026 together with the interdisciplinary bayern design teams in Nuremberg and Munich.
Save the date
The next edition of mcbw will take place from May 4 to 10, 2026.
Press material
We invite you to share reports and documentation about mcbw 2025 or individual events. You can download the latest images and extensive information on the top themes here. Please notify us if you need more information or are interested in interviewing with the mcbw organization team or one of the many program partners. We will be happy to coordinate schedules.
More information on the mcbw 2026 will be available shortly.