UPDATE:: NGV has announced MDW dates and expressions of interest are now open! Thank you to everyone who jumped into collective action, the message clearly transmitted!
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The future of Melbourne Design Week is uncertain, with 2025 dates yet to be announced, pending confirmed funding from the Victorian Government.
The industry must unite NOW – with a clear call to action to the State Government and Creative Victoria that Melbourne Design Week is a pivotal event on the Australian design calendar and must be protected.
INDUSTRY CONCERN
Typically, participants receive an EOI by October, yet with no call for content or confirmed dates, many wonder if MDW will disappear.
After eight successful years of MDW programming, spearheaded by the NGV, immediate action is needed across the industry to create action demanding state funding support to enable MDW ongoing.
IMMEDIATE CALL TO ACTION!
1 // WRITE or TELEPHONE
Hon. Chris Brooks MP, State Constituency Office
Minister for Development Victoria
Minister for Precincts
Minister for Creative Industries
min.creative@ecodev.vic.gov.au / (03) 9658 4201
cc Vic Gov Media Advisor Lloyd Skinner lloyd.skinner@minstaff.vic.gov.au / 0457 138 806
2 // SHARE ON SOCIAL (IG, FB, Linkedin)
Download link for tiles below. IMPORTANT to tag Instagram handles, and full name on Linkedin
3 // SHARE with your network – create awareness and promote action
DOWNLOAD
- Letter Template to the Minister
- Social Tiles (tagging is essential)
- Press Release (uploading this afternoon)
- Authentic Design Alliance letter to Minister
KEY MESSAGING
COMMUNICATION CONCERNS – EOI & 2025 DATES
The design industry is concerned about the absence of MDW and EOI for content for programming or communication about the Melbourne Design Week 2025 dates – and fears that the event may be in potential jeopardy.
There has also yet to be any public or stakeholder consultation about the event’s future.
QUOTES SUPPORTING VICTORIAN CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
Attributable to Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks for Victorian Premier’s Design Awards
Source, Minister’s Press Release May 24, 2024
“These awards celebrate the essential role that design plays in our everyday lives and across a wide range of industries – and highlight the depth of talent and excellence in Victoria’s remarkable design sector.”
“Our design industry is not only changing lives with innovation and creativity, but it supports thousands of Victorian jobs and generates millions for our state’s economy.”
VICTORIAN STATISTICS ON CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
- Almost 200,000 people employed in design-related roles
- $6 billion annual revenue generated
- $400 million in design-related exports
MELBOURNE DESIGN WEEK PROFILE
Melbourne Design Week has placed Victoria on the map as a global leader in design, drawing regional, national and international visitors, fostering cultural exchange, and strengthening the state’s reputation as an innovation hub.
Melbourne is known globally as ‘the design capital of Australia.’ The continuous success of MDW anchors this mantle.
FOSTERING DESIGN & CROSS INDUSTRY REACH
Design touches nearly every industry, from construction and manufacturing to digital technology, healthcare, and urban development.
Cancelling MDW would have ripple effects across intersecting sectors and impact businesses, designers, and the diverse community of workers who rely on the platform for professional growth, networking, inspiration and business growth.
MDW REACH
The year-on-year growth and increasing interstate and international participation prove Melbourne Design Week’s significance.
As a leading event on the global Design Week calendar, MDW draws overage from local and international press outlets, demonstrating the landmark impact of the event.
The program has enriched and changed the entire design landscape in Australia. Without Melbourne Design Week, the creative industries would be at a considerable loss, with no existing platform having the reach or impact to execute the depth and breadth MDW delivers under the stewardship of the NGV.
CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION
ADA contact – here
THANK YOU DALE
Many thanks to Dale Hardiman for initiating this advocacy; you reach him via @dale.Hardiman
