5 Design Conferences to attend in Copenhagen
Five upcoming design events in Copenhagen in 2024:
- UX Copenhagen - Mar 20-21, 2024
- The Conference - Aug 27-28, 2024
- Softer Digital Futures - Oct 4-5, 2024
- We Love Graphic Design - Oct 5, 2024
- Design Matters — Oct 23-25, 2024
Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is a hub of culture, architecture and innovation. With its charming streets and historic landmarks, it has become a popular destination for digital workers. According to Nomadlist, Copenhagen scores a 3.43 out of 5 for digital nomad friendliness.
Although Copenhagen can be expensive, with high accommodation, food and transport costs, it is a popular destination for digital workers. This is due to the many free or low-cost activities the city has to offer, such as visiting museums or exploring its parks and gardens.
Since my visit to Copenhagen. I've been fascinated by the city and all the creative events that take place in and around the Danish capital. These events combine the magic of festivals with in-depth conferences to explore alternative futures.
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 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.
Softer Digital Futures
Softer is a platform built on a feminist consciousness. They believe that softer values such as care, empathy, community, collaboration and multiplicity are the way to equal opportunities to learn and practice digital art and design. Their first meeting took place in April 2022.
- Softer Digital Futures 2024 will take place on 4-5 October. Exploring how softer values should influence the direction of digital futures.
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 5 October
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
Other notable events in Copenhagen
- CPH:DOX, it's one of the largest documentary film festivals in the world. The next edition will take place from 19 to 30 March 2025. Since 2003, CPH:DOX has been offering a wide-ranging programme, from the works of prominent international directors to new talents, from spectacular premieres to experimental film/video works in the field between cinema and visual arts.
- 3 days of design is Denmark's most important design fair, and takes place early summer from 4 to 6 June 2025. During the event, design brands open their showrooms all over the Danish capital. 3 Days of Design takes place in venues all over Copenhagen.
In addition to these larger design conferences, there are many smaller gatherings, morning or evening events. Local organisations such as CHPUX and chapters of Ladies, Wine & Design, The Design Kids and CreativeMornings often organise events.
One 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.
Getting to Copenhagen
Travelling by train is a convenient and environmentally friendly option, with several routes available from nearby countries. Bus travel is also affordable, with many companies offering direct routes from major European cities. Alternatively, flying to Copenhagen is a great option for those coming from further afield, with several airlines offering direct flights from major cities around the world. Book your trip on kiwi.com to 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 meet-up, 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 broaden your skills and fuel your creativity. I hope you have found this guide useful and that it has inspired you to visit one of the many exciting design events in Copenhagen. And if we've missed any events, please let us know - I'd love to hear from you!
* All artwork and screenshots are the property of their respective owners. Cover photo by Lindsay Martin on Unsplash.
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