Public support by the Ministry of Science and Innovation

This was a reunion event for the Valencian design sector. The act of support by the Ministry of Science and Innovation for Valencia as World Design Capital 2022, held in the Tinglado 2 of the Valencia Marina, was attended by authorities from the central Government, such as Teresa Riesgo, general secretary for Innovation of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, and from local government, the president of the Valencian Government, Ximo Puig, and the mayor of Valencia, Joan Ribó.

An act of institutional support for Valencian design represented by professionals and companies and promoted from Valencia World Design Capital 2022 which demonstrated the soundness and national projection of the project. The event, which brought together the main agents of design and business of the Valencian Community, served to enhance the city of Valencia as a land of creativity through its National Innovation and Design Award winners.

Eleven names of professionals and companies of the Valencian Community have been distinguished with these awards since their creation in 1987, including Marisa Gallén, president of the Associació València Capital del Disseny and National Design Award winner in 2019, who chaired the event, and Nacho Lavernia, National Design Award winner in 2012, who gave a conference on the role of design for society, industry and institutions. The other nine awards belong to Dani Nebot (1985), Punt Mobles (1997), Xavier Mariscal (1999), Andreu World (2007), Mobiliario Royo SA (2016), Mario Ruiz Rubio (2017), Actiu (2017), Point (2019) and Porcelanosa (2019).

The act of homage included the projection of a documentary written and directed by Eugenio Viñas, a journalist renowned for his work on local culture, featuring all these icons of Valencian design who have acted as ambassadors of the Valencia brand at national and international level.

In her welcome address, Gallén declared: “The quality of life of many countries and many cities can be seen in the good or bad use of design by their companies and public administrations. Now that we have been recognised as World Design Capital in 2022 and we have shown the level of maturity of our sector, we can improve processes, include design in companies and public institutions, expand its sphere of action at the social level and put our societies on the same level as the most advanced societies, where people’s wellbeing is central.”

The mayor of Valencia, Joan Ribó, pointed out the importance of Valencia being World Design Capital in 2022: “We have the opportunity to benefit from design to configure a new social-economic model, which projects us as a more competitive and advanced country, but above all as a solvent country, able to face the challenges of an increasingly demanding future.”