The design SPEED mentoring program organised for the fourth time helped the development of six design brands

The fourth programme provided an opportunity for six market-ready design enterprises to expand their professional knowledge during the workshop series that prepare them for the international market. The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) and the Italian Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) launched the programme in 2019 based on their partnership agreement which enables Hungarian design brands to gain the expertise needed for brand development with the help of acknowledged domestic and international experts. After the completion of the programme’s second phase, participants are preparing for their two-day study trip to Milan and their final presentation to be held there.

The professional collaboration of four years between the HFDA and IED primarily supports the long-term goal of helping design brands that already have a stable business structure in Hungary to get ready for international expansion. The programme also provides a widespread network for the participants to give them a jump-start for realising their projects.

In this year’s programme, Blum & Wolf, designer of special luminaires; Concrazy, maker of concrete furniture and interior design objects that provide a long-lasting visual and functional experience; Forms Design, which puts a great emphasis on creating sustainable design furniture and spaces; Madzag Dog, combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary visual culture and functionality; Sandart & Co Kft., which dreams up luminaires forming repetitive structures in infinite variations; and sarakele, creator of minimalist objects and interiors of timeless beauty, were given the opportunity to further develop their operations.

During the eight-month mentoring programme, the designers could deepen their knowledge with the aid of Hungarian and international mentors. In the framework of the collaboration with IED, they could participate in a workshop series divided into two blocks and five modules. The three-day English language modules were held with the participation of international speakers and the first four modules by were the globally acclaimed strategic business and marketing consultant, Jacopo Bargellini. At the renowned expert’s sessions, designers could learn crucial knowledge about design, marketing, brand management, positioning, research, innovation, and communication. In the fifth module, Alberto Bottalico, strategic CEO of Burson Cohn and Wolfe introduced participants to the world of PR and sales incentivising commercial techniques. Jacopo Bargellini gave additional help to the brands via further one-to-one online meetings after the closing of the workshop series.

The Hungarian workshops were held by professional leaders of prominent domestic companies. Due to the cooperation between the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency (HEPA) and the HFDA, Iván Gyurácz Németh, Business Unit Manager at Absolvo Consulting, gave practical business planning advice to the designers. At his session, participants gained an insight into models of entering the international market, competitive analysis, financial planning, and best practices of business leading strategies. Afterwards, Hiventures’ colleagues clarified questions of financing and capital raising in their presentations, and Dr Ádám György provided support to understand the complexities of the law on the topics of copyright, trademarks, and patents. The Hungarian workshop series was concluded with the HFDA’s social media and PR communication presentations and personal meetings with Dr Eszter Görözdi-Nagy business coach. The programme series received a lot of positive feedback from the designers who highlighted the high level of the training as well as the preparedness of the speakers besides the useful practical knowledge they gained.

The programme has inspired several designers to start bigger-scale rebranding in the near future and continue developing their enterprises confidently while using the new skills they acquired.

The 2022 design SPEED mentoring programme will reach its final phase with the study tour to Milan between the 1^st and the 3^rd of December. The trip serves sales incentivising purposes as well, so both the designers’ and the Italian professors’ opinions are being asked regarding which showrooms to visit in the capital of design. The professional visit’s goal, besides being inspired, is that the visited showrooms and concept stores let designers in on their sales processes and the possibilities of being represented by them.  

To conclude the training and summarise the newly learnt practices, mentees will deliver their 30-minute presentations in English in person in Milan, at the IED headquarter. Based on their feedback, the designers cannot wait for this possibility since it is a great chance for them to experiment with strategic planning and expand their international network of connections.