DesignSingapore Council organises the Singapore Design Week an annual national design event that brings together Singaporean and international programmes and activities for the design community, business owners, students and the public. SingaPlural, the Design Week’s anchor event, promotes Singaporean design talents from across the creative industries. The Design Business Summit organised by the Design Business Chamber Singapore, is a public conference that attracts creators, business owners and enthusiasts to share knowledge and identify best practices. Archifest, a two-week event celebrating Singapore’s urban environment, lets Singaporean and regional creators and enthusiasts to engage with one other as well as the public.
Major design events and tradeshows organised by the private sector include the annual International Furniture Fair Singapore (held in conjunction with the Asean Furniture Show, The Décor Show and The Hospitality 360). It is regarded Asia’s premier sourcing platform and design show. It has conferences and design awards for designers and design-related businesses. The annual Singapore Fashion Week, a joint private and public sector initiative, is a trade platform that promotes Singaporean and regional designers to international buyers, retailers and media. 100% Design Singapore, another internationally renowned design tradeshow, provides creators and design companies a platform to do business and exchange ideas. Singapore is the only Asian city to host Maison & Objet Asia a major international trade fair for home lifestyle and trends. The World Architecture Festival, the world’s largest international architectural event and world’s biggest architectural awards programme is held annually in October.
Singapore collaborates with countries that regard design important for economic and social development. Singapore’s MOU with Japan promotes design excellence. DesignSingapore Council developed the Singapore Good Design Mark (SG-Mark) based on Japan’s Good Design Award (G-Mark). Japan External Trade Organisation Hidden – Unveiling Japanese Design exhibition at the National Design Centre. The MOU with Denmark promotes design to improve life. Singapore was the first city to host INDEX: Award 2011 exhibition (following a premiere in Copenhagen), in conjunction with two international forums. The MOU with Korea Institute of Design Promotion develops bilateral cooperation on design. DesignSingapore worked with the United Kingdom to host Digital Fashion Week and the New British Inventors: Inside Heatherwick Studio exhibition at the National Design Centre. 1000 Singapores: Eight Points of the Compact City, an exhibition in collaboration with Cite de l’Architecture et du patrimoine, is in Paris, France, till September 2015.
Other events: [Gastronomy] In 2014, DesignSingapore commissioned the Singapore Food Vision 2020, an initiative that envisions the future of food. It also conducted design thinking workshops for the food and beverage sector. [Film] The Design Film Festival established by the private sector has travelled to cities such as Berlin, Taipei and Bangkok. The festival features public screenings of films dedicated to art, architecture and design. [Heritage] Singapore Night Festival, presented by National Museum of Singapore and National Heritage Board, is a night event featuring cross-disciplinary exhibitions and performances, and late-night admissions to museum and other venues, including National Design Centre. [Arts & Lifetstyle] Singapore: Inside Out: A travelling showcase of Singapore’s cross-disciplinary creative scene presented in global creative capitals Beijing, London and New York. The project celebrates Singapore’s 50 years of independence and features design, fashion, film, food and music. [Music] Singapore and the United Kingdom musicians collaborated in Musicity Singapore, a project that combines architecture, experience design and music. Using a mobile app, visitors could listen to sitespecific music. [Country Partnership] The objective to connect two nations through music, visual arts, film, design and gastronomy resulted in two festivals launched concurrently: Singapour en France – le festival in Paris; and Voilah! French Festival Singapore, in Singapore.
Significant creative events that facilitate collaborations between industries for new content creation and its delivery, as well as audience engagement: Singapore Media Festival, Mosaic Music Festival, Singapore Food Festival, World Gourmet Summit, The Singapore Writers Festival, Golden Point Award, Singapore Street Festival,Singapore Art Week, Singapore International Festival of Arts.
