Eindhoven Exchange

During Dutch Design Week 2019, Eindhoven365, Dutch Design Foundation (DDF), Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) and Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) launched the first edition of Eindhoven Exchange. Twenty-five international talents were paired with local (industrial) design students and got to know the design city of Eindhoven in three days.

Call

Local and international design networks of Eindhoven365 and partners were used in the run-up to the campaign to generate applications, both for places to sleep and for international participants. In the end, these calls led to twenty-five perfect matches based on design disciplines, age and studies. The international talents came from London, Paris, Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki, and Abu Dhabi.

Programme

A total of fifty local and international participants were immersed in an intensive programme for three days. The days started with breakfast talks, followed by site visits at DAE, TU/e, Van Abbemuseum, Campina site and Strijp TQ, to name a few. During the day, the participants were given the opportunity to discover Dutch Design Week and the city on their own, ending the day with a joint dinner and even a party at the KEIBLACK pop-up café in Brandstore Eindhoven on Thursday evening.

Effect

Edwin Blok-van Enck (Eindhoven365), partly responsible for Eindhoven Exchange, looks back on a successful first edition. "Many participants told us that they were surprised by Eindhoven's offer. Besides that, we know some students who are still in touch, which is the purpose of this project. The couch surfing is just a nice start for exchanging experiences and knowledge."