Service Design Network Next Gen Conference 2024

To attendees who joined and made the SDN Next Gen Conference 2024 an incredible experience – THANK YOU!

We are still buzzing with the energy, inspiration, and the connections forged. Your passion for service design was infectious. This is more than just an event, it's a community. Until next time we meet!

Missed a talk? Wanna asynchronously attend that other workshop? You can catch up on the entire 24 hour schedule, because recordings of all sessions are available for replay! Find these under the ▶️ Replay tab on our virtual conference platform. If you missed the conference, Replay access tickets are now available to purchase! Get em from our ticketing platform.

The Service Design Network’s Next Gen Conference was held online on the 12th of April. The event provided a full global day of interactive workshops, keynote presentations, satellite sessions and panels, a design challenge, portfolio reviews, and networking.

Learn more about the event on our event website here.

The theme: Infinite Threads 

The theme of the 3rd annual SDN Next Gen Conference is “Infinite Threads: Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Unlock the Power of Service Design.” 

This year, SDN Next Gen Conference aims to weave a more inclusive, global tapestry of Service Design. In our increasingly globalised society, design solutions require shared and inclusive approaches to reflect diverse needs and perspectives. Conference attendees will gain invaluable insights, connections and experiences that will enable them to craft human-centred, socially-conscious, and impactful design innovations that our world needs more than ever. The conference will transcend individual titles and explore the interdisciplinary skills, knowledge, and networks that thread the various efforts to address complex global and local challenges. 

At SDN Next Gen Conference 2024, attendees will be part of a movement of students, young and senior professionals and career shifters unlocking the power of service design through interdisciplinary learning and collaboration! 

About the virtual venue

The virtual conference will be hosted on Ringcentral, the same platform that was used last year. Attendees will have access to the replays of the conference sessions approximately 30 minutes after their conclusion.  Ringcentral also allows attendees to create a profile, search matching profiles, and set up in-platform meetings to facilitate networking.

Ticket registration is open for all through our financial inclusion initiative

At the SDN, we are committed to achieving a more diverse community of global practitioners unconstrained by economic barriers that may hinder them from accessing everything our organisation has to offer. In line with this thinking, we are offering discounts on virtual tickets for attendees registering from countries classified as “Lower middle” or “Low” income economies, using the World Bank’s country income index as a guiding framework. 

FAQ

What is SDN Next Gen Conference? 

SDN Next Gen Conference is an annual international platform that brings together students, young professionals, universities, and corporations from diverse industries. With a focus on fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, the conference aims to explore the latest trends, best practices, and real-world applications of service design.

When is SDN Next Gen Conference? 

SDN Next Gen Conference will take place on the 12th of April 2024. 

The conference will kick off 00:00 UTC (11:00 AM Melbourne time) and span 22 hours to accommodate 3 major regions:  

• Asia/Australia: 11:00-19:00 AEST (UTC+11)
• Europe/Africa: 10:00-18:00 CEST (UTC+2)
• Americas: 11:00-19:00 EDT (UTC-4)

Do I need to attend all 22 hours of the conference?

There’s no need to rise early or stay up late to participate – our conference setup lets you experience all the live benefits during your local time and watch recorded content from all regions afterwards.

Each of the 3 region’s programming will entail the same overall structure, experiences, and benefits. You are, of course, welcome to attend and participate in all conference events, not only the events taking place during your local region time.

The entire conference will be recorded, and all attendees will be able to view recordings of all conference events afterwards.

I’m a mid-level or senior professional. Can I still attend SDN Next Gen Conference?

We welcome anyone and everyone who is interested in learning about or contributing to the next generation of service design! We believe our vibrant, global community is strengthened by the diverse perspectives that our members hold. It does not matter how many years you have studied or worked in the field of design, whether you’ve recently shifted to design or are completely new to it. We welcome you to join us at SDN Next Gen Conference!

Where will the conference be? 

The conference will be entirely virtual. Attendees will gather on the Ringcentral platform.

Where can I buy tickets? 

You can save your spot here: https://events.ringcentral.com/events/sdn-next-gen-conference-2024/registration 

Extra early bird ticket sales are currently open – book yours before they run out!

How can I receive updates about the event? 

Visit our social media channels, 
Instagram: @sdn_youngtalentboard
LinkedIn: Service Design Network Young Talent Board
Twitter: @sdn_ytb
Facebook: Service Design Network Young Talent Board
And refer to our website: SDN Young Talent Board Website

How can I sign up to become a speaker?

Applications for speakers’ expressions of interest are currently open and will close on the 27th of January 2024. Apply here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCSFxghV23Y8G29OyrtI2IMi8cjpt1ClvG-cwgHGvOVFraCA/viewform.

Who can I contact if I want to become a partner? 

Feel free to send an email to Agata Kowalska, the SDN Next Gen Conference 2024 Partners Team Lead, at: partners@service-design-network.org or linkedin.com/in/agata-kowalska/. 

About SDN Young Talent Board: The Service Design Network (SDN), founded in 2004, is the leading non-profit institution for expertise in service design and a driver of global growth, development and innovation within the practice. Through national and international events, online and print publications and coordination with academic institutions, our member-based network connects multiple roles within agencies, business, and government to strengthen the impact of service design within the public and private sectors. Ours is a global, open-minded network, focused on knowledge-sharing, collaboration and exchange.

The Service Design Network Young Talent Board (SDN YTB)’s vision is to create a vibrant, global community of service design students & young professionals that are connected through collaboration, inspired by fresh ideas, and empowered by curiosity to shape the future of service design. The SDN YTB aims to provide an accessible platform for knowledge-sharing, experimentation, and collaboration that will help foster the mindful growth of the service design discipline and its impact on society. The SDN YTB goal is to bridge the gap between education and professional practice and create a more diverse and equitable service design industry.