4 Design Conferences to attend in Copenhagen

4 badass design conferences are happening in Copenhagen, Denmark. What have these annual events have in common? They are community-driven and designed to have interaction, the interaction between participants, speakers, and the local community.

Seven upcoming design events in Copenhagen in 2023:

  1. UX Copenhagen - Mar 20-21, 2024
  2. The Conference - Aug 27-28, 2024
  3. Design Matters — Oct 23-25, 2024
  4. We Love Graphic Design - October 2024

Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, is a hub of culture, architecture, and innovation. With its charming streets and historic landmarks, it has become a sought-after destination for digital workers. According to Nomadlist, Copenhagen scores a 3.43 out of 5 for digital nomad-friendliness.

While Copenhagen can be expensive, with high costs for accommodation, food, and transportation, it is a popular destination for digital workers. This is due to the many free or low-cost activities, such as visiting museums or exploring the parks and gardens, that the city has to offer.

Since my visited to Copenhagen. I’m fascinated by the city and all the creative events that are happening in and around the capital of Denmark. These events merge the magic of festivals into in-depth conferences to explore alternative futures.

2024 uxcopenhagen

UX Copenhagen

Helle Martens created in 2015 UX Copenhagen, a two day conference for professionals working with and around User Experience (UX) Design. The theme for UX Copenhagen® 2024 is “Degrowth and Consumerism”. This edition UX Copenhagen looks at climate change, consumerism, and waste. We’ll talk about degrowth, and about unlearning decades of harmful production, development and processes. We’ll have talks about how consumerism will need to change in order for the planet to survive. We’ll show some practical examples of work we have already done, and open the discussion about what we as designers can do to make sustainable changes for the better and create fundamental, systemic change.

  • Next edition of UX Conference is March 20-21, 2024, with speakers like Trine Plambech and Mariagiulia Benato. Tickets are 4500 DDK for online and 8500 DDK for the in-person event.
  • Related podcast: Episode 37 with Helle Martens, founder of UX Copenhagen
The Conf Malmö entree

The Conference

The Conference is a two-day conference of super-curated talks, where curious minds from all over the world meet to delve further into the promises and pitfalls of the digital development. 2022 Marked the 10th year anniversay of The Conference. The Conference is in Malmö, Sweden which is only 40 minutes from Copenhagen. Can't wait till the next edition late August? The Conference offers their catalog of talks for free to watch. Enjoy 300+ talks with people from all over the world representing all kinds of disciplines.

  • The Conference is August 27 - 28, 2024 at Slagthuset in Malmö, Sweden.
  • Related article: Our 2016 interview with Cecilia Frankel of The Conference on removing the clutter, be of help and have gender equal speaker line-ups.
design-matters-copenhagen

Design Matters

Design Matters is a conference on new movements in Digital Design. They bring together practitioners from the best and most happening companies around the world. Design Matters is created by designers, for designers!

  • Design Matters Copenhagen is October 23 to 25, 2024. The event takes place online and in-person. The talks and workshops of the conference will revolve around the following themes: Reusing, What makes a designer a designer, expressing the value of design and there is no planted B.
  • On June 4rd + 5th, 2024 the team behind Design Matters Copenhagen hosts in Tokyo Design Matters Tokyo.
  • On January 31 and February 1st, 2024 Design Matters hosted their second edition of Design Matters MX in Mexico City and online.
    More details and tickets you find on designmatters.mx
  • Upcoming events by Design Matters
WE LOVE GRAPHIC DESIGN 2022 giorgia lupi

We Love Graphic Design

We Love Graphic Design is an annual one day seminar held in Copenhagen, celebrating graphic design by showcasing the versatility and relevance of this broad field through a line-up featuring some of the most important, inspirational and insanely creative graphic designers right now.

  • We Love Graphic Design is TBA

Other notable events in Copenhagen

  • CPH:DOX, it's one of the biggest documentary film festivals in the world. The next edition kicks off on the 13th to 24th of March 2024. Since 2003, CPH:DOX offers a wide programme with anything from the works of prominent international directors to new talent, from spectacular premieres to experimental film/video works in the field between cinema and visual art.
  • 3 days of design is Denmark's most important design fair, and takes place early summer from 12 to 14 June 2023. During the event, design brands throw open their showrooms across the Danish capital. 3 Days of Design takes place in venues across Copenhagen.

Next to these bigger design conferences, there are lots of smaller meetups, morning or evening events. Local organizations like CHPUX and chapters of Ladies, Wine & Design, The Design Kids and CreativeMornings organize events frequently.

An hour from Copenhagen is the Social Service Club. Social Service Club is a community for the rebels on a mission to explore, celebrate and nurture our human potential. Every summer they turn our farm into a living classroom for one week of collective dreaming and individual introspection.

After 2 years a new iteration of Softer Digital Futures in Copenhagen the team brings the event to London on March 16th. For a day of talks, panels, performances, music, art & community centered around softer values, perspectives and directions. The evening portion of the event, Softer will bring you a delicious spread cooked by a local chef, drinks and very special DJs.

Travel to Copenhagen

Traveling by train is a comfortable and eco-friendly option, with several routes available from nearby countries. Bus travel is also affordable, with many companies offering direct routes from major cities in Europe. Alternatively, flying into Copenhagen is a great choice for those coming from further, with several airlines offering direct flights from major cities worldwide. Book your travel on kiwi.com get the best deals.

That’s It For Copenhagen!

As you can see, Copenhagen is a treasure trove of creativity and innovation, with events that are inclusive, community-focused, and designed to spark interaction and inspiration. Whether you attend a multi-day festival or a smaller meetup, you are sure to connect with like-minded people who share your passion for design and innovation. Mark your calendar and get ready for an unforgettable experience that will expand your skills and fuel your creativity. I hope you have found this guide useful and that it has inspired you to attend one of the many exciting design events in Copenhagen. And if we missed any events, please let us know - I'd love to hear from you!

* All works and screenshots are property of their respective owners. Header photo by Lindsay Martin on Unsplash.

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