Dezeen promotion: the changing nature of travel is the focus of this year's Sleep Event – an annual gathering for hotel architects and designers.

The two-day event – taking place at London's Business Design Centre on 22 to 23 November 2016 – features debates, installations, exhibitions and networking opportunities.

It will include the Science of Tribes Sleep Set competition, which asked five creative studios to design a guest room for a group of people defined by shared values, lifestyles and aesthetic preferences.

The participants – London offices Aukett Swanke, Gensler and Studio Proof, Tokyo-based Mitsui Designtec, and WOW Architects from Singapore – will present their concepts to a panel of judges and a conference audience.

The Immersive Reality Lounge, hosted by "tech pioneers" Soluis in collaboration with design consultancy Graven, will showcase the latest technology transforming the hotel design process.

Attendees will be able test virtual reality platforms – including the HTC Vive, the Oculus Rift, and shared immersion experience Sublime Portal – to create hotel design concepts.

A conference panel featuring both tech developers and designer end-users will discuss the latest developments, as well as the hurdles of implementing these new techniques.

Another symposium, The Sleep Conference, will explore the future challenges of the hospitality industry, as well as how design can improve the body and mind.

Industry experts including Sharan Pasricha, founder of Ennismore, and Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou of design studio Space Copenhagen will be keynote speakers.

The Sleep exhibition will showcase projects by 160 UK and international brands, including lighting, furniture and rugs.

On display will be Morgan Furniture's Rio side table, which combines traditional craft with 3D printing; the latest Stockholm collection from Chelsom Lighting; new Phaedra printed wallpaper by Style Library Contract; and products by Dare Studio, Astro Lighting, Dornbracht, Vitra, and Johnson Tiles.

Other exhibitors include Lukas & Robertson, Rug-Maker, James UK, Lincrusta Heritage and Cole & Son, Hamilton Conte Paris, Quasar Holland and Fabbian Iluminazione.

There will also be a pop-up Sleep bar, which is designed by interior design and branding agency Superfutures in collaboration with visual artist Tupac Martir and multidisciplinary design studio Studio Appetit.

Visit the Sleep Event website to find out more about the conference, exhibition and design features, and to register for a complimentary pass.