The venues have been selected and allocated, the jury completed - roll on "Designers' Saturday". The time has come. On November 6 and 7, 2010 Designers' Saturday will take place for the 13th time in Langenthal, Switzerland.
Thanks to its special profile, the event has made rapid strides since it was first established in 1987, and has now become no less than a small biannual design festival. After all, well-designed products are not the only focus at this meeting point for design fans: The products are exhibited in old and new factory halls, on streets, squares in cellar catacombs and in rooms which all have their own character. In other words, all the industrially manufactured products return to the place they were first made, as it were: The factory - where they exude a special flair, far from the sterility of trade fair halls.
Not just the numerous new companies, and they make up about half of the exhibitors, promise to be the source of many an exciting discovery this year. We can also look forward to the presentations of companies that have taken to the stage in Langenthal regularly, as they have been assigned new locations where they will have to rediscover themselves - and the change in neighbors certainly offers potential for new dynamics. The 60-odd internationally renowned companies and innovative new companies always opt for original presentations, and the displays will be rounded out by projects from national and international art and design college.
For the last event in 2008, the selection process for exhibitors was redesigned in order to nurture the quality and originality of projects. That selfsame concept has been further refined this year. All exhibitors - ranging from A as in Alias, Arper and Atelier Oi to V as in Vitra and Z as in Zumtobel - were selected on the basis of a multilevel process. In the end, the best presentations will be honored with "D'S Awards" which as of this year will be presented in gold, silver and bronze. In addition, in 2010 for the first time, a "Public's Choice" prize will be awarded.
There's another new feature, too: This year, Designers' Saturday will for the first time open its doors on Friday, November 5 at 2 p.m. to a specially invited professional public. This "Preview for Professionals" is intended to ensure a more even distribution of visitors across the event, as the professionals always flock to Designers' Saturday in great number, and allow the professional public to concern themselves more closely with the exhibits. Press representatives will also be invited to this preview. A further change is that the official opening will take place already on Friday evening. "Designers' Night", however, will take place as usual on Saturday.
Unlike the customary furniture fairs, Designers' Saturday not only intends to offer an overview of excellent new products. In Langenthal, visitors will be able to experience design in its many facets, through installations, unconventional presentations and prototypes. Designers' Saturday aims, more than anything else, to offer a unique opportunity for the design industry to meet, an occasion that will bubble over with inspiration. With such a design atmosphere, there is only one thing left to do: Off to Langenthal!
