On September 14, the press conference for 2026 Hebei International Industrial Design Week took place in Xiongan New Area. Song Xiangdang, Spokesperson of Hebei Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology; Mei Xinyang, Member of the Working‑Committee and Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Xiongan New Area; and Feng Changhong, Director of Hebei Future Industrial Design Innovation Center, attended the conference. They briefed the media on details of this year’s Design Week and answered journalists’ questions. The event was hosted by Zhao Lianbo, Member of the Party‑Group of the Publicity‑Cyberspace‑Affairs Bureau of Xiongan New Area, Director of Xiongan Media Center, as well as Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Xiongan Media Co., Ltd.

It was announced at the press conference that 2026 Hebei International Industrial Design Week will run from September 21 to 30. Centered on the theme “Design Empowerment · Cluster Renewal”, it adopts the “1+N” operation mode. The main venue is set in Xiongan New Area, with four sub‑venues located in Shijiazhuang, Langfang, Hengshui and Dingzhou. At the main venue, there will be 4 key events, 7 matchmaking sessions and 1 exhibition. Combining on‑site attendance, livestreaming, offline physical displays and online virtual exhibitions, the event will showcase innovative achievements of industrial clusters, present real‑world development of industrial chains, promote high‑quality cluster‑made products, and share inspiring design stories. Activities at sub‑venues will be closely interconnected with the main‑venue program, jointly building a professional, high‑impact industrial‑design platform for international exchange and cooperation.

As a flagship provincial‑level international and professional exchange event, Hebei International Industrial Design Week aims to pool global design innovation resources, support the development of Xiongan New Area, and advance the transformation and upgrading of Hebei’s manufacturing sector. Launched in 2018, it has been successfully held for eight editions. Its international influence keeps growing, domestic exchanges keep deepening, it has generated stronger driving force for provincial industries, and delivered remarkable outcomes for Xiongan’s coordinated development. This year’s Design Week focuses on intelligence, green development and integration. Guided by three keywords — new‑technologies, new‑products and new‑business‑models — it strives to shift design focus from “exhibition‑oriented display” toward “practical on‑the‑ground outcomes”. By integrating exhibition with sales, it stimulates innovation via new technologies, empowers industrial clusters through new‑products, and expands integrated‑development space with new‑business‑formats. It serves as a precise docking hub linking design resources and manufacturers, facilitates deep integration between design concepts and production technologies, enables effective matching between innovative outputs and market demands, and opens up overseas sales channels for cluster‑made goods, so as to fuel high‑quality growth of industrial clusters through industrial design.

For exchange activities, the main venue will gather more than 200 distinguished domestic‑and‑foreign experts and industry leaders, including Professor Liu Guanzhong, senior scholar from Tsinghua University; David Kusuma, former President of World Design Organization (WDO); and Yong‑Qi Cai, Chairman of China Society of Creation & Vice‑Chairman of China Industrial Design Association. Leading AI‑design and smart‑manufacturing enterprises will also participate in matchmaking sessions. Highlights include the keynote forum Design Empowerment · Cluster Renewal, the Beijing‑Tianjin‑Hebei Design Coordination · Xiongan Dialogue, the Launch Ceremony for New‑Design Products of Hebei Characteristic Industrial Clusters (releasing 100 newly‑designed products and the Heat‑Map of Cluster Design Demands, analyzing 10 typical enterprise‑empowerment cases), as well as themed matchmaking meetings covering AI‑driven industrial design, robotics‑industry innovation, and design‑industry integration. These sessions target Hebei’s pillar and featured industrial clusters, boosting their transformation and upgrading through targeted supply‑demand connection.

On the exhibition front, the Hebei International Industrial Design Innovation Exhibition covers 8,000 square meters. It consists of four major zones: Hebei Wisdom Manufacturing · Cluster Renewal, Clusters Going Global · International Empowerment, Chinese Design · Industrial Linkage, and Xiongan Future‑City. Around 300 exhibitors from China, the United States, Germany, Italy, South Korea and other countries will take part, including overseas design associations, studios, Huawei, universities and domestic enterprises. More than 3,000 fine design works are to be displayed. The Hebei Exhibition Zone has expanded from the previous 2,000 ㎡ to 4,000 ㎡. It showcases innovative outputs from key local industrial sectors such as equipment manufacturing, rail transit, medical devices, textile & apparel, luggage & bags, sports goods, bicycles and food, interpreting industrial‑upgrading paths with design‑driven benchmark cases. The Xiongan Future‑City Exhibition Zone features local Xiongan enterprises alongside well‑known national firms, comprehensively demonstrating Xiongan’s evolution from industrial foundation‑building to intelligent leap‑forward. The exhibition will witness joint appearances by enterprises across Hebei’s industrial clusters, presenting a grand industry gala featuring deep integration between design philosophy and industrial practice.

For competitions and awards, the 7th Golden Reed Industrial Design Awards will be held during Design Week. This year’s awards have drawn 6,844 entries from 41 countries and regions worldwide. Apart from main‑category and special‑category competitions, the TOP100 special track will continue the “enterprise‑proposed‑topics, design‑problem‑solving” model, so that cutting‑edge design innovation can precisely meet real‑world development needs of industries in Hebei and Xiongan.

Moreover, this Design Week will launch livestreaming platforms for premium‑selected goods and organize the Hebei Design Brand Overseas Matchmaking Summit. It will provide services including release of new consumer‑oriented products for Hebei’s featured industrial‑cluster enterprises, exhibition‑and‑sales promotion, livestream‑driven sales, and business‑matching with international merchants. It helps Hebei’s featured product brands expand across China and into global markets, polishing the business card of “Hebei‑made”.