22 Million Visitors at 'DDP Design Fair' On- and Offline... New Product Launches Linked to Employment and Startups

Newly Established 'Buyer Day' This Year: 160 Companies Including Distributors Hold Order Consultations, 28 Design Job Seekers Employed

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Design Foundation announced on the 18th that the '2021 DDP Design Fair,' held simultaneously online and offline for the first time during the COVID-19 situation, attracted 220,000 visitors.

The newly established 'Buyer Day,' introduced for the first time this year, saw participation from over 160 buyers including distributors, social commerce companies, and select shops, exceeding expectations from the pre-registration stage. They engaged in face-to-face orders and consultations with designers and small business owners. Follow-up negotiations regarding business orders and contracts are currently underway.

Twenty-eight young designers who participated in the 'Young Designer Job Fair' for design job seekers successfully secured employment at their desired design companies. For pre-registered job seekers, curator Kim Na-young and 28 senior mentors from the design industry provided free one-on-one employment consulting, including resume writing and mock interviews, serving as a stepping stone for design job seeking and entrepreneurship.

Additionally, this year’s event, aligned with the theme 'Circular Resources Thinking About the Future, Upcycling,' plans to recycle materials such as mesh fabric and floor nonwoven fabric used in the exhibition hall instead of discarding them as waste, transforming them into new products.

The Seoul Design Foundation evaluated that the '2021 DDP Design Fair,' now in its third year, has secured competitiveness as a specialized design industry fair by receiving high satisfaction and strong responses from designers and small business owners. It is explained that the fair is growing into a specialized design business platform where new product launches, orders, employment, and entrepreneurship connections are achieved through 'collaboration' between small manufacturers and designers, beyond simple exhibitions.

Meanwhile, the '2021 DDP Design Fair,' hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, is a new product launch show under the theme 'Wonderful Life,' showcasing changes in lifestyle such as rest, healing, single-person households, and home offices, presenting a total of 170 products.

Lee Kyung-don, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, said, “Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, design has become more closely connected to our daily lives, allowing the DDP Design Fair to shine and grow significantly in a meaningful year,” and expressed expectations that “next year, it will be seen as a more expanded professional design industry fair both domestically and internationally.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.