After the Vitra Summit, the Swiss company’s first virtual event organised over two days in October 2020, Vitra is launching a series of short digital sprints in 2021: the Vitra Sessions. Taking place throughout the year, the new format answers many of the pressing questions that have emerged since the pandemic hit the world last year.
The Vitra Sessions are a series of short digital events to explore how offices, homes and public spaces are evolving. The format will bring together expert keynotes and conversations on design, and feature product news with practical tips for individuals and companies. Short sequences presenting creative insights from within and far beyond the realm of furniture will bring another dimension. During the digital sessions, Vitra will dive into the experiences of the past year and question the nature of our shared spatial environments, which have been put to the test.
The Vitra Sessions focus on key topics:
Distributed work: 11 March 2021, 5pm SGT (10am CET)
‘The pandemic was, and still is, an accelerator that resulted in a fundamental transformation of how and where work is done’, says Nora Fehlbaum, CEO of Vitra. ‘As with any true transformation, there is no looking back. Many companies and individuals are facing the question: what work model is best for me, for my workforce and for my company? Is distributed work here to stay?’ In the first session, designers, thought leaders and innovative organisations will share differing points of view on distributed work, based on studies, best-practices and recommendations. Vitra will present new research and the organisational and spatial approach it implemented in its operations to respond to a permanently altered working mode after 2020. The first session will coincide with the publication of Vitra’s next e-paper on the topic of distributed work.
Design matters: Spring 2021
Vitra believes that physical environments shape our thoughts and feelings, whether at home, at work or on the go. This belief drives the company to improve interiors through the power of good design. During the ‘Design matters’ session, Vitra will present the results of the intensive development process behind new Vitra products created to improve the world of work and the office – designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Antonio Citterio, Konstantin Grcic, Stephan Hürlemann and Jasper Morrison, in collaboration with Vitra’s R&D team.
The Club Office: Summer 2021
Why do we need an office? Vitra’s answer to this is the ‘Club Office’, which will be opened in June 2021 at Vitra’s central offices in Birsfelden. ‘It is a place where employees breathe our identity and sense that they are part of a bigger whole. Colleagues team up, connected by mutual appreciation and a common goal. Like members of a club, they come together willingly, as their weekly schedule allows, to work, share ideas and generate energy to pursue our overriding goal’, explains Christian Grosen, Vitra’s Chief Design Officer, whose R&D team will move into the Club Office. In this session, Vitra presents this new office concept as an answer to the function and purpose of workspaces that organisations will depend on after the pandemic. The session will also touch on the related topic of work cultures that create a sense of belonging and community.
More information can be found at www.vitra.com/sessions