Interaction Week 2021

Call for Cities

Interaction 19, Seattle, United States. Photo: Ryan Warner Photography

IxDA is pleased to open the Call for Proposals for North American cities interested in hosting Interaction Week 2021, which includes the annual Interaction conference, a two-day Interaction Design Education Summit, the IxDA Student Design Charette, and the Interaction Awards ceremony. Each year, Interaction Week is held in February.

Since its inception in 2008, the Interaction conference has grown to be a significant and must-attend event for design professionals interested in the practice and discipline of interaction design and related fields. The Interaction conference, which is a sell-out event each year, is envisioned and created almost entirely by passionate volunteers from local design communities. In 2016, IxDA created the Interaction Week brand to recognize the integrated nature of the activities that take place each year around the conference. This year’s Interaction Week, held in Seattle, United States was a tremendous success, and we’re looking forward to Milan hosting a fantastic week in 2020.

Hosting Interaction Week will bring the world’s interaction design community to you. It is a great way to showcase your local design community, share your city’s unique voice in design, and expose local designers to the leading thinkers and practitioners in interaction design. It is also a great outlet for networking and recruitment with companies from around the world gaining access to a skilled practitioner base.

Timing for Submissions

• All submissions are required no later than midnight GMT 30 Aug 2019
• Review of submissions will take place 2–13 September 2019
• Shortlist of locations presented to IxDA Board, 14 September 2019
• Site visits of shortlisted candidates, September/October 2019
• Final selection of location for Interaction Week 2021 will be made by 30 October 2019

The ideal host city candidate for Interaction Week will

• Have an active IxDA local group
• Feature a strong and vibrant design community, and unique contributions to the field of interaction design
• Name a conference chair and co-chair, submitted with biographies. The chair/co-chair do not need to be local, but they need to be active in the field of design and present a strong vision for the Interaction Week events. (Leads for the Education Summit, Student Design Charette and Interaction Awards are selected through a separate process from the Call for Cities.)
• Partner with a local design school with a strong interaction design program to support the Interaction Design Education Summit
• Demonstrate an engaging conference experience for ~1500 attendees, including the potential venues, a range of convenient hotels and high-level conference logistics

Conference committees and the IxDA

Hosting an international conference is a significant undertaking. The IxDA is committed to providing guidance, support and infrastructure components to ensure continuity from the previous conferences and a strong foundation for the planning team.

Submitting your city

We encourage local interaction design communities to make a case for Interaction Week to be held in their city. The detailed requirements for proposals are outlined below, along with a summary of the submission guidelines, timing, review and selection process.

Should you have any questions about the process, the requirements, or the conference itself, please send an email to interaction@ixda.org. All questions relating to clarification of information surrounding this Call will be responded to publicly.

We look forward to your submissions!

Regards,
Alok Nandi
President, IxDA

Timing for Submissions

• All submissions are required no later than midnight GMT 30 Aug 2019
• Review of submissions will take place 2–13 September 2019
• Shortlist of locations presented to IxDA Board, 14 September 2019
• Site visits of shortlisted candidates, September/October 2019
• Final selection of location for Interaction Week 2021 will be made by 30 October 2019
• Each proposal will be acknowledged via email to confirm receipt within the deadline.

Selection Criteria & Submission Requirements

A successful proposal will both illustrate a vision for an engaging Interaction Week and demonstrate the ability of the team to plan and execute that vision. Some of the key elements include:

• A proposed conference chair or co-chairs and key members of the planning committee; including brief biographies for each individual
• A location that is convenient for attendees arriving internationally
• An active IxDA local group, and a strong and vibrant local design community
• Conference venues capable of:

1. seating 1500 people theatre-style
2. three smaller rooms capable of seating 350–500 people each
3. 8–10 rooms suitable for small sessions and workshops
4. open space capable of accommodating catering; social networking and a minimum of 30 10×10 exhibition booths
5. Internet access (wi-fi) for attendees at all conference venues and events
6. Live captioning for attendees at all venues
7. Video recording and live streaming talks from the education summit and conference venues

• In order to make Interaction as accessible as possible, preference will be given to submissions that include:

1. accessible venues
2. catering to accommodate all major eight food allergies
3. consideration of simultaneous translation
4. provision of on-site childcare

• A selection of hotels near to the conference venue(s) at various prices and quality to suit the range of needs of conference attendees (i.e from 3-star to 5-star accommodation). Standard room rates for Feb 2021 must be included in the proposal along with any considerations included in the room block proposed (i.e.: upgrades, commissionable rate)
• A draft budget with an indication of conference rate for registration, sponsorship targets and other sources of revenue within a provided template
• A summary of the process by which the submission was created

Additionally, the proposal will outline support of the other events included in Interaction Week

• A partnership with a design school to support the Interaction Design Education Summit.

1. Venues for Design Education Summit events and participation in Summit planning
2. Student volunteers
3. Venues for pre-conference workshops

• Potential venues for ancillary events such as the

1. Student Design Charette
2. Awards ceremony
3. Conference opening and closing parties
4. Local Leaders’ Retreat
5. IxDA Board Retreat

Design School Partnership

In order to stay engaged with evolving approaches to design education and the most junior members of our community, the conference team will select a school or schools for partnership. The host school may provide support and planning for the Education Summit as well as logistical support, venues, student volunteers, recruitment events, etc. for the main conference.

Benefits to co-hosting the Interaction conference include:

• Recruitment of your students. Many of the professionals in attendance are in Director-level positions at leading creative agencies and Fortune 500 companies and are in a position to hire. This creates an opportune time for a recruitment event for your students. Companies recruiting at Interaction Week 2019 included Adobe, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, HBO, as well as design consultancies such as McKinsey, Capgemini and R/GA.
• Research partnerships. Many companies attending Interaction Week have faculty/corporate research cooperatives and present opportunities for relationship building.
• Promotion of your higher education programs. A great number of attendees at IxDA events seek higher education in design, business, and other disciplines; this creates an ideal opportunity to promote degrees.

IxDA will work with the chosen school to create a strong branded presence of the school’s offerings at our conference; this may take the form of a workshop, a recruiting event, portfolio reviews, or other unique events intended to connect the school with the attendees in a meaningful way.

Notice of Intent & Questions

Please let us know if you are considering submitting a proposal for your city. We will provide a budget template and other resources on request, and are available to answer any questions. All questions and notices of intent should be sent to interaction@ixda.org.

Submission Format

Submissions must be web-based, and the entry link sent via email to interaction@ixda.org. Each submission should clearly indicate the contact person for the proposal.