The city’s most extensive programme of design talks takes place throughout Dubai Design Week.

There were three main talk programmes that ran throughout the six days of the festival:

On the Main Stage - located in the atrium of Building 4 at d3 - designers, creatives and thinkers shared their insights; from international practitioners to regional influencers. The programme included a range of keynote presentations, panel discussions and high-level conferences including the Belief in AI, staged in association with Global Grad Show and People Planet Profits sustainability & a design conference staged in association with UAE Modern. The keynotes programme included talks with international innovator Daan Roosegaarde presented by the Dutch Design Center, globally renowned Italian designer Paola Navone and Arab satirist Karl Sharro.

The Audi Innovation Talks - were located within the Audi Innovation Hub; a space dedicated to solutions and advances in design through innovative problem-solving. The daily conversations with various experts invited audiences to delve deeper into technology and innovation within an intimate setting. Speakers included Audi’s own automobile lighting designer Konrad Troeger and Riyad Joucka founder of MEAN* (Middle East Architecture Network).

At Downtown Design, The Forum - a purpose-built auditorium space at the heart of the fair - encompassed informative discussions designed to engage with design professionals on ‘Culture of Collaboration’, ‘Innovation in Design’ and ‘Livable cities - built environments of the future’ where award-winning designers Ini Archibong and Matthew McCormick spoke for the first time in the Middle East.