Midlands Design Forum hosting event at University of Lincoln

To support and promote the design sector in Lincolnshire

| Photo: University of Lincoln/Lincoln School of Design

An event to support and promote the creative industries, especially the design sector, in Lincolnshire will take place at the University of Lincoln next month.

Midlands Design Forum will hold its summit event – ‘A vibrant Midlands Creative Industries: What is the role of the Midlands Design Forum?’ – at the Lincoln School of Design at the University Nicola de la Haye building between 12pm and 4.30pm on Friday, May 12.

The event is free to attend and places can be reserved online here.

After opening remarks by Professor Ian de Vere, Head of Lincoln School of Design, there will be a series of guest talks from a range of speakers and students’ work will also be showcased.

Design organisations have been invited to show how they are promoting, showcasing and supporting their regional and local design sector.

The speakers are:

1.20pm-1.50pm – Creative Lancashire and collaborating with the Design Council – Ed Matthews-Gentle, Director of Creative Lancashire, and Jonathan Ball, Independent Design Strategist
2pm-2.30pm – Birmingham Design: Building a design community – Luke Tange and Dan Alcorn, Director of Birmingham Design
3.10pm-3.40pm – The Conversation: What do we want from the Midlands Design Forum? – Dr Jim Shorthose from the University of Lincoln
3.50pm-4.30pm – What does the Midlands creative industries ecology want? Panel discussion with questions and answers. Chaired by Professor Rachel Granger from De Montfort University with panel members representing different stakeholders

Commuter Jazz will then be held at Southside, the new community venue at the former St Katherine’s Church on Colegrave Street, until 7.30pm with transport provided for the short journey.

Midlands Design Forum was started around four months ago by a cluster of universities to give support to creatives, particularly designers. | Photo: University of Lincoln/Lincoln School of Design

Anne Chick, Professor of Social Design at the University of Lincoln, said Midlands Design Forum was started around four months ago by a cluster of universities to give support to creatives, particularly designers.

She said the idea of the event is to get professional designers networking locally, and across the region, and harnessing them as a body to get behind the design sector in Lincolnshire.

Anne told The Lincolnite: “There is a dedicated need to help raise the profile of Lincolnshire and East Midlands creative talent and to harnessing the economic and social potential in companies and organisations working in the design sector.”

She added that the Centre for Culture & Creativity at the University of Lincoln is a “key player and advocate” saying: “The objective is the Midlands Design Forum will add to this support in Lincoln and Lincolnshire in the future.”

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