National conference has designs on North East businesses

A National conference has its sights set on the North East this October, when it will seek to demonstrate the benefits of design to local businesses at the annual ‘Design Means Business’ conference.

Due to a wealth of interest in this year’s programme, the event, which is held in association with Design Network North, will take place across two days at The Sage Gateshead on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 October.

The speaker programme boasts senior figureheads and leading practitioners from the country’s top design agencies and highly regarded global brands, such as Aston Martin, Orange and Philips, who will share their experiences on how design has impacted their bottom line.

The featured speakers will take to The Sage’s impressive stage on both days to discuss the importance of design both in business and across four key themes – Ageing, Health, Lifestyle Technology and Transport.

Design Network North’s Terry McStea said: “The two-day programme will consist of presentations from leading designers, on themes including Design for Health, Opportunities in the ‘Grey Market’, and Customer Focused Design.

“The overall aim of this event is to inspire and support businesses throughout the North of England to open their mind to what design really means and, once embraced, the positive impact it has on their business.”

“There has been a big push over the last 10 to 15 years, particularly in the North East for manufacturers to be more efficient and ‘lean’ to reduce costs. However, companies are starting to realise that they need to be producing better products that meet their customers’ needs better – the key to this is design. I think businesses now have a better appreciation of the value of good design, and that it isn’t just about the colour or shape of your product, it’s about what it does and how well it does it.”

Individuals and companies from all sectors are encouraged to attend the conference to learn the benefits of design to their business and the wider community. Previous attendees have included companies specialising in design, manufacturing and business services and academics from across the North East, and so far as Yorkshire and Birmingham.

Following on from last year’s success, organisers are expecting this year’s event to be the biggest yet, and are urging people to book their tickets as soon as possible, to avoid missing out.

Terry continued: “We hope that attendees will be inspired by hearing great stories about the value of design and take away new ways of looking at their products and the way their business works. They’ll no doubt meet some fascinating people who are equally as passionate about design.”

For further information or to book tickets www.designmeansbusiness.org.uk or call 0191 499 8383 / enquiries@designnetworknorth.org.uk.