The World Design Organisation (WDO) this week launched its bid process to find the city that will play host to the 2019 World Design Assembly. The biennial two-day assembly is one of the WDO’s largest events, and brings with it a not-insignificant amount of prestige. In a statement released along with the announcement, WDO have said they are open to aligning the assembly with a local design event, which would inevitably lead to global design industry exposure and support.

Over the course of the 2019 World Design Assembly, approximately 150 representatives from over 40 participating countries will gather in the chosen capital to make key decisions relating to the future of the design industry. It will also be used as a planning forum for future initiatives such as the World Design Capital (for which Sydney recently lost a bid to the French city of Lyon), the World Design Talks and the World Design Agenda. (This latter shapes the WDO’s commitment to sustainable development on a global scale.)

“It is our desire to encourage bids from organisations that share our commitment to demonstrate the impact of design on the accomplishments on strategic objectives, such as the ones set out by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals,” says WDO president, Luisa Bocchietto.

“We’re also open to receiving proposals from design event organisers that see the value of holding our assembly in connection to their main event. We recently piloted this model in partnership with the city of Torino (Italy). Through the promotional reach of our international network, we supported the city’s development of a week of design events.

“We know that there are many events around the globe that are already addressing design as a catalyst of change towards overcoming some of our world’s most pressing issues. We hope to identify and leverage these existing opportunities and cultivate alliances that will enable us all to make a real difference in the world.”

The submission deadline for the first round of bidding has been set for 4 January 2018. All entered cities who wish to progress past that stage must have a complete proposal ready by 7 February 2018. At this stage, an announcement for the chosen host city is expected to be ready by the end of April.

More information here.