This year, we’re inviting our design community to help shape a signature feature of the 2026 festival: a public “Meeting Point” installation that welcomes visitors, sparks curiosity and celebrates the creative spirit of Victoria.

The “Meeting Point” will be created through a collaborative competition designed to bring together designers, makers and thinkers from across disciplines. Sponsored by RJC Engineers and AME Group, and delivered in collaboration with Man & Son Design—the studio behind last year’s festival hub—this initiative blends creative exploration with real-world design expertise.

Over a series of three meet-up sessions, participants will take part in guided learning, ideation exercises and team-formation activities facilitated by local creative leaders. We’ll help form multi-disciplinary groups—each with a minimum of three members from different backgrounds. Think a structural engineer working with a graphic designer and a welder; or an architect teaming up with a lighting designer and an illustrator.

You’re welcome to join solo—the sessions are intended to help you meet potential collaborators and build a team. By the end of the program, each team will submit a concept for the 2026 “Meeting Point.”

The winning design will receive production support—guided by RJC Engineers, AME Group and Man & Son Design—to bring the concept to life. The finished installation will be fabricated for Design Victoria 2026 and prominently displayed in the festival hub as a central gathering space for visitors.

A chance to create, connect and contribute to the festival’s identity—this is collaboration at its most exciting.

This is a 3-part workshop. It is preferred but NOT REQUIRED to attend all three session.

Dates (4:30-6:30pm, location TBC)

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- Tuesday 27 January

- Tuesday 10 February

- Tuesday 24 February

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