Promotion: annual trade fair Workspace Design Show returns to London for its second edition, which will see design experts debate topics such as optimising real estate with flexible design, employee wellbeing and designing the future workspace experience.

The Workspace Design Show takes place at the Business Design Centre in Islington from 27 to 28 February 2023.

The trade show includes a programme of talks, following the theme Destination Workplace: Places Where People Want to Be, in which discussions will address topics such as changing environments, hybrid working and designing workplaces that will attract employees.

Speakers at the Workspace Design Talks include partner at Foster + Partners, Grant Kanik; head of interiors at Heatherwick Studio, Charlotte McCarthy; design leader of real estate services at Ernst & Young, Lola Hoya; founding partner and president at PLP, Lee Polisano; and founder and CEO of The Society of British and International Interior Design, Vanessa Brady.

The Sustainability Works talks, focusing on green initiatives in the workplace, will feature head of sustainability at BDP, Lucy Townsend; creative director at Jolie Studio, Sarah Wakefield; principal at Perkins&Will, Natalie Smith; design director at MCM, Deepak Parmar and director and head of environmental, social and governance at BDG Architecture + Design, Lydia Randall.

The trade show also presents the Occupiers Forum: The view from HQ, with 20 workplace occupiers offering their perspectives on building community spaces, net-zero buildings, changing settings, designing desirable locations and improving productivity in hybrid working environments.

Among those speaking in The Occupiers Forum are inclusive design lead of Workplace Design at HMRC, Claire Henderson; real estate director of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, Michelle Marwood; workplace design lead for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Oracle, Ash Kaur; and head of workplace for Europe and the Americas at Standard Chartered, Suzan Dixon.

Workspace Design Show is also hosting the Finishes and Interiors Sector Conference (FIS) on both days of the event, with 16 speakers discussing compliance and fit-out processes, and what makes a "destination workplace".

Speakers include director of consultancy at MCM, Jamesina Sainsbury; partner of acoustics at Cundall, Andrew Parkin; and creative director at Modus Workspace, Vidhi Sharma.

The show will present a number of experiential features including The Entrance: Destination Workplace Rebirth by Gensler; The Lounge: Change by Design by BDP; The Bar by M Moser Associates; and The Mood Board Contest, by Kvadrat.

Workspace Design Show was launched in November 2021 and showcases furniture, lighting, surfaces, technology, acoustics, storage and biophilic products.

Workplace Design Show's floor will also feature a bar designed by M Moser Associates, which is informed by the design studio's mission to reduce waste and repurpose discarded materials "which are too often discarded in place of new materials".

"The goal is to give these items a new lease of life and spark curiosity and conversation," said M Moser Associates.

Workspace Design Show 2023 takes place from 27 to 28 February 2023 at the Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH, UK. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Images are by Marek Sikora.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Workspace Design Show 2023 as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.