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Thanks for joining X Design Week!

It’s a wrap! That was the first X Design Week in partnership with urbanana!

We look back on an intense week full of inspiring Fireside Chats, profitable networking sessions and also coworking downtime at the Design Offices in Cologne.

Many thanks to all who either participated or contributed and especially to the team of the Digital Tourism Think Tank!

Here are a few impressions of a successful first edition of the X Design Week in Cologne…

Impressions

X Design Week x urbanana

With the never-before-festival “X Design Week”, the project urbanana (initiated by Tourismus NRW e.V. together with Düsseldorf, Cologne and the Ruhr Area) brings the international network Digital Tourism Think Tank to Cologne. This is the first time this future forum will be held in NRW. From 6 to 10 June 2022, we’ll talk about topics, trends and developments in tourism destination management as well as in the digital scene. Under the motto “Shape Destination Experiences”, the English-language event will focus on the importance of start-ups, gaming and XR technologies for the tourism industry.

Tickets

cooperation

The digital scene and tourism – especially in urban areas – can no longer be considered separately. Let’s say: The settlement of start-ups indicates the innovative charisma of a city. Such cities are especially attractive hotspots for travellers and can always attract new target groups with their new scenes, places and architecture. A big gaming scene on the other hand promises creative ideas that also have a lasting impact on urban life. The same applies to co-working spaces, which are tailored to the needs of start-ups and for remote work and thus constantly attract new working travellers. It’s obvious: The branches are increasingly intertwining and using new interfaces and synergies. With the “X Design Week”, this cross-sector network is now being expanded.

The programme of the decentralised “X Design Week” under its motto “Shape Destination Experiences” lives the method of “Design Thinking”. Besides rather classic formats such as keynotes, panels and fireside chats, interactive challenges are targeting the new interface between tourism and the digital economy. The event will be accompanied by numerous networking opportunities, workshops with local players from the industry and technical visits to forward-looking institutions. This will offer a multi-faceted supporting programme at an outstandingly suitable venue: The metropolis of ten million people around the urban centres of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The event is curated and organised by the Digital Tourism Think Tank, which has its headquarters in the UK, in close cooperation with the project urbanana. The Digital Tourism Think Tank describes itself as a global platform for tourism organisations and institutions that want to be pioneers and create best practices in the field of destination marketing. With the “X Design Week” in June, a unique framework will be created to expand this network with players from the tourism, digital and creative industries and to discuss important topics that will continue to occupy the industries in the future. As a destination partner, urbanana brings the event to the main venue of Cologne, but also creates further anchor points to the partner regions of the project, Düsseldorf and the Ruhr Area.

Want to start to network right away? The X Design Week is also on LinkedIn.

all you need to know

Teaser Video