PROVIDENCE – This year’s DesignxRI Design Week, Sept. 13 to 24, outpaced its predecessor and, three weeks prior to kickoff, is still growing.
To-date, Providence-based economic development generator DesignxRI has scheduled more than 55 events for the fourth annual, 12-day event – 10 more than the 2016 event’s final total and nearly triple the number of events scheduled in 2014, the inaugural year of Design Week, according to DesignxRI data.
Events include talks, tours, luncheons, showcases and parties. A plethora of design fields from visual and brand identity to landscape architecture and city planning, product design and user experience to civic systems and design strategy are on the docket for 2017.
CVS Health Corp., (add)ventures, MojoTech, Nail Communications, WillyWaw, Lotuff Leather, The Design Office are some of the companies who have signed on to host events during this year’s annual design forum.
Attendance at the 2016 event was 22 percent more than at the 2015 event and 17.5 percent of the audience were guests from out-of-state, according to DesignxRI data.
The Providence-based design firm said they expect 2017 attendance to be the highest yet in Design Week history.
While many of the scheduled events are free, the lunch series costs $10 including the price of the meal, $25 for the September 15 Kick Off Party at The Plant in Providence and $75 for the September 21 Rhode Island Design Hall of Fame party at WaterFire Arts Center in Providence. All proceeds benefit operational costs of Design Week.
Design Week Hall of Fame honorees will be announced later this month.
As of Tuesday, committed sponsors include Ximedica (a platinum sponsor), Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, MOO, Polaris MEP with R.I. Commerce Corp., IIDA New England, Providence Monthly, City of Providence, IOLabs, RISCA, (add)ventures, TruthBox Architects, KITE Architects, DBVW and TRAC Builders.
For more information visit the event’s website.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
