NYCxDESIGN 2016 - Celebrating Design in New York

NYCxDESIGN 2016 – Celebrating Design in New York – NYCxDESIGN, New York City’s official citywide celebration of design, will include an additional three days of programing in 2016 along with new initiatives and events. NYCxDESIGN, now in its fourth year, will take place from Tuesday, May 3rd, to Tuesday, May 17th.

NYCxDESIGN from May 3 to May 17, 2016
This annual celebration serves as the platform to highlight New York City’s diverse design community and its contributions to the fabric and economy of the five boroughs, together with examples of some of the latest in global design. Details of the program, including the announcement of two new initiatives, were discussed today at a design community kickoff event at the Museum of Arts and Design.

“With over 44,000 practicing designers, the New York City area has more people working in design fields than any other metro area in the US—almost as many as LA and Chicago combined,” said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer. “With design jobs growing twice as fast as average overall city job growth over the last decade, we’re seeing even greater opportunity for good-paying jobs throughout the five boroughs. NYCEDC is proud to support programs like this that help our designers showcase their innovations and position New York City at the forefront of the design world.”

“We’re proud to be a part of New York City’s citywide celebration of design, and we encourage visitors to experience our vibrant design community and the newest developments, expressions, and trends that will be showcased throughout the five boroughs,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company. “The world recognizes us as innovative, vital, and visionary because of programs like NYCxDESIGN, and it further promotes New York City as a global design capital.”
Last year’s event, which featured 564 unique events at 228 locations, double the number of events held in 2014. These events represented 17 design disciplines including digital, furniture, graphic, architecture, product and
urban design. According to the 2015 NYCxDESIGN attendee survey, respondents attended an average of six events and 97 percent of attendees stated they would return to NYCxDESIGN in 2016. Key findings from the 2015 NYCxDESIGN event organizer survey reported that 80 percent of participants plan to be part of the event.

Hosted at venues throughout all five boroughs,the event will include events focused on commerce, culture, education and entertainment with a full, varied program including exhibitions, installations, trade shows, talks, launches and open studios.

New Programming for 2016

NYCxDESIGN Awards
This year, Interior Design magazine and ICFF will present the first annual NYCxDESIGN
Awards, a global design competition celebrating outstanding achievement across major areas of
design—from architecture to interiors, from products to collectibles, from craft to technology.
“No matter the fair or show, borough of the city or design discipline, it’s about the community
coming together for the very first time in celebration of all things design, and it doesn’t get better
than that!” said Cindy Allen, Interior Design’s editor in chief.
This open and inclusive awards program will serve as a connector pulling together and rewarding
excellence in design achievement from the over 500 events that comprise New York City’s
showcase of global design. Submissions are open to all fairs, exhibitors, and design firms until
April 13th. Winners will be announced on May 14th at 6PM at the MoMA. For more
information, go to NYCxDESIGNawards.com.

The Design Pavilion/NYC Design Talks
From May 7-15, Design Pavilion will hold a spectacular 9-day public activation at Astor Place in
Greenwich Village. This curated set of interactive displays will bring design and innovation
directly to New Yorkers and visitors alike during this year’s NYCxDESIGN.
In conjunction with Design Pavilion, NYC Design Talks will explore the relationship between
design and community and will feature talks by some of today’s great design thinkers and
relevant insights provided by IBM, Design Trust for Public Space, NYC Department of Design
and Construction, AIGA, and more.

“Design Pavilion invites community engagement in celebrating NYCxDESIGN and ultimately
encourages the increased awareness of the power of design,” said Ilene Shaw, founding principal
of event producer Shaw & Co. Productions. Design Pavilion and NYC Design Talks are
produced by Shaw & Co. Productions with creative direction by Harry Allen Design.

Some returning NYCxDESIGN participants for 2016 include:
 BKLYN DESIGNS
 Collective Design
 Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
 Design Trust for Public Place
 FIT
 Frieze Art Fair
 ICFF
 Museum of Arts and Design
 Parsons School of Design
 Pratt Institute
 Sight Unseen OFFSITE
 WantedDesign (Brooklyn and Manhattan)

In an effort to expand the global impact of NYCxDESIGN, the program was represented at a
number of international design weeks in 2015 including Milan, Shanghai, Barcelona and Tokyo.
Additionally, international design weeks had the opportunity to participate in NYCxDESIGN,
and representatives from various design weeks included Beijing, Ireland, Lima, Mexico, the
Netherlands, Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo and Toronto. NYCxDESIGN is a founding member of a
new World Design Weeks organization that is currently in formation.

Home to more than 44,240 practicing designers (more than any other metropolitan area in the
United States), approximately 3,977 design firms and 10 prominent design and architecture
schools, New York City is one of the world’s design capitals. The design sector is a strong
source of middle-income wages and positive opportunities for income mobility: Employees in
the sector earn an average annual wage of $69,500, and 67 percent of those employed in the
sector earn at least $50,000 a year. In addition, design employment increased 28 percent between
2004 and 2014, compared to a citywide employment growth of 19 percent over the same period.

Design-related event organizers can submit their events to the NYCxDESIGN website
(www.nycxdesign.com) for inclusion on the site’s calendar, leading up to NYCxDESIGN in
May.

NYCxDESIGN is New York City’s official celebration of global design fashioned by some of
the City’s most renowned names in the design world and beyond. A platform to showcase the
tremendous artistry that can be found across the five boroughs, NYCxDESIGN highlights NYC’s
cultural and commercial opportunities, elevates established and emerging design practices and
increases awareness of and appreciation for design by audiences around the world. Managed by
NYC & Company and NYC Economic Development Corporation and informed by a Steering
Committee composed of leaders from the design industries, schools and museums in the City,
NYCxDESIGN features a calendar that includes exhibitions, installations, trade shows, talks,
launches and open studios, spanning all disciplines of design.

New York City Economic Development Corporation is the City’s primary vehicle for promoting
economic growth in each of the five boroughs. NYCEDC’s mission is to stimulate growth
through expansion and redevelopment programs that encourage investment, generate prosperity
and strengthen the City’s competitive position. NYCEDC serves as an advocate to the business
community by building relationships with companies that allow them to take advantage of New
York City’s many opportunities. Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or visit our blog to
learn more about NYCEDC projects and initiatives.

NYC & Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of
New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five
boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City
worldwide.