Design Korea 2015
Design Korea 2015 (DK 2015), the nation’s largest industrial design fair sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and organized by the Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP), will take place from Nov. 11 to 15 at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.
The KIDP (President Jeong Yong-bin) announced that applications for participation and inquiries about the 13th DK in 2015 are pouring in. With the theme of “Design Business Fair,” the DK 2015 will showcase around 2,000 good design products at home and abroad. Companies can now apply for participation on the DK official website (www.designkorea.or.kr) and the KIDP official website (www.kidp.or.kr) until Sept. 30.
The KIDP believes that the event is being deluged with applications due to last year’s distinguished results and this year’s strengthened programs. The DK 2014 was rated as a comprehensive business event, rather than just a design event. About 180 companies from 10 countries took part in and 150 buyers from 27 countries visited. Also, there were 695 cases, worth 80 billion won (US$67.68 million) of export consultation, and 35.5 billion won (US$30.03 million) worth of provisional contracts were signed at the event.
DK 2015 will run a “Buyer Matching System” that allows participating companies and buyers to exchange information with each other before the fair and to hold meetings during the fair, creating the best business matching results.
It will consist of a “Business Exhibition Hall,” which displays companies in the lifestyle and IT category closely related to daily life, a “Business Consultation Meeting” to attract buyers, and a “Special Exhibition,” which shows technology convergence with a design-centered industry. Also, there are other events, such as a “Design Forum,” in which companies and buyers discuss and build networks, “Opening Performance,” “Night of Design,” and “Design Tryout Zone”.
Moreover, the DK 2015 will display entries of Good Design (GD) products in 2015 and finalists of Korea Design Exhibition. KIDP President Jeong Yong-bin said, “Design Korea, a design fair that represents Asia and leads the domestic design industry, has created substantive businesses from 2003. This year, we will provide more opportunities to both companies and visitors by displaying the latest design trends and expanding B2B links.”