The second edition of the DesignBlok Talks conference will run for two days for the first time this year — on October 6 and 7, 2026, more than 40 Czech and international architects, designers and other experts will gather as part of the DesignBlok international design festival in Prague to discuss this year’s central festival theme: light. The conference will take place in the historic central hall of the Industrial Palace at the Prague Exhibition Grounds, becoming the very first event to be held there following extensive renovation. DesignBlok Talks is organized by DesignBlok in collaboration with the world’s most widely read design portal, Dezeen, and the Centre for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP, the Prague Institute of Planning and Development).
The DesignBlok Talks conference has, since its founding, become an important platform for architects, designers and interior designers, developers, manufacturers, journalists and curators to meet, and an integral part of Professionals’ Day (the day dedicated to industry professionals) as well as the rest of DesignBlok’s professional programme. Following last year’s success, this year it naturally grows further — expanding into a two-day format and moving to the newly reopened Industrial Palace or, in Czech language, Průmyslový palác.
The programme will offer three thematic sections — Future of Design, Future of Architecture and Future of Living. Tuesday will be devoted to design and architecture, while Wednesday’s programme will focus on home and furniture. The architecture section is partnered by the Centre for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP). Talks and discussions will be held in both Czech and English.
The conference will be hosted, among others, by Dezeen editor-in-chief Max Fraser, who is also president of the DesignBlok Awards jury, and Ben Hobson, journalist and co-director of Dezeen. The complete programme and further speaker names will be announced in the coming weeks on the festival website.
DesignBlok’s return to the restored Industrial Palace will also be marked by the chance to get to know this iconic building up close. The Prague Exhibition Grounds (in Czech Výstaviště Praha) is preparing a series of guided tours for the public. “The reopening of the Industrial Palace is an exceptionally powerful moment for us. We are all the more delighted that the very first event to take place here will be DesignBlok. But we also want the wider public to enjoy the renovated palace, which is why, in cooperation with Prague City Tourism, we are preparing a series of guided tours led by accredited guides, allowing people a glimpse into the story of this remarkable renovation and into places that had been inaccessible for many years,” comments Tomáš Hübl, Chairman of the Board of the Prague Exhibition Grounds. From September 25 to October 12, approximately fifty tours with discounted admission will take place as part of the palace’s opening, each with a capacity of 30 people. Registration will open in the coming days via the Prague City Tourism website, with up-to-date information available on the Výstaviště website.
On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, following the conclusion of the DesignBlok Talks conference programme, Professionals’ Day will follow — the traditional DesignBlok festival preview intended for industry professionals. Attendees will be able to view all festival locations and curated exhibitions before they open to the public, meet in person with more than two hundred designers and representatives of studios and brands, and make new professional connections. A DesignBlok Talks ticket also includes accreditation for Professionals’ Day.
