PM2026 madrid

From 25.08.2026 to 01.12.2026 Platform Meeting

The Council is pleased to announce the 2026 Platform Meeting (PM2026) to be held in Madrid (Spain) on 5-6 November 2026, preceding the Council's General Assembly. The Platform and General Assembly will be hosted by the will be hosted by Iberoamérica Diseña (ID) and will take place at the Instituto Cervantes and the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid.

Hosted at the Cervantes Institute in Madrid on 5–6 November as a part of the Cuarto Foro Iberoamericano de Investigación y Diseño (Fourth Ibero-American Forum on Research and Design), the Platform Meeting brings together practitioners, educators, researchers and industry to explore how design shapes knowledge, cities, economies and culture across the Ibero-American region and beyond. Over two days, panels and presentations cover design education, the city, design's contribution to the economy, research through design practice, design and business, bionics and other forms of intelligence, type design, and the relationship between design and music. Above all, this Platform Meeting is an opportunity to bring the Iberoamérica Diseña community and ICoD Members together in one room: to meet one another, exchange perspectives, and learn from each other's practices and contexts. The meeting opens with the Fourth Forum's opening ceremony and closes with the signing of an agreement between Iberoamérica Diseña and ICoD, together with the Ibero-American Declaration on design.

The meeting is organised as part of the Cuarto Foro Iberoamericano de Investigación y Diseño (Fourth Ibero-American Forum on Research and Design), a week of design events taking place across Madrid, and is co-hosted with Iberoamérica Diseña.

4th Ibero-American Forum of Research and Design
(IV Foro Iberoamericano de Investigación y Diseño)
5–6 November · Instituto Cervantes

Thursday, 5 November

• Morning – Registration
• 09:30 – Opening Ceremony, with representatives of the Instituto Cervantes, Iberoamérica Diseña, the International Council of Design, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, CRUE Spanish Universities, AECID, the Spanish Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Science, Innovation and Universities, and the Community of Madrid
• 10:45 – Coffee break
• 11:00 – Open Table: Ten Reasons for Ibero-American Design (Mesa abierta: Las diez razones del diseño iberoamericano)
• 12:00 – PANEL: To Teach Design (Enseñar diseño)
• 13:00 – Factor Diseño: The Economic Relevance of Design in Ibero-America (Factor Diseño: la relevancia económica del diseño en Iberoamérica)
• 14:00 – Lunch break
• 16:00 – Researching while Designing (Investigar diseñando): case studies from Trenes Argentinos / Shakespeare Studio, Siemens / Talgo, Embraer X and Alma Design
• 17:00 – When Companies Design (Cuando las empresas diseñan): ECOALF, BBVA Creative and Carmencita
• 18:00 – Coffee break
• 18:30 – Ibero-America: Culture, Design and Music (Iberoamérica: cultura, diseño y música)
• 19:15 – Images and Music (Imágenes y música)

Friday, 6 November

• 09:30 – Imagining the City (Imaginar la ciudad)
• 10:30 – PANEL: Design, Periphery and Centre (Diseño, periferia y centro)
• 11:30 – Coffee break
• 12:00 – Milestones of Ibero-American Design (Hitos del diseño iberoamericano)
• 13:00 – Ibero-American Typography (La tipografía iberoamericana)
• 14:00 – Iberoamérica Diseña: Signatures and Words (Firmas y palabras), with the signing of the agreement between Iberoamérica Diseña and the International Council of Design
• Afternoon – Guided visits to the exhibitions for International Council of Design participants

This is a draft programme and may change.

VENUE

The Instituto Cervantes is a worldwide non-profit public institution founded in 1991 by the Spanish government, dedicated to promoting the study and teaching of the Spanish language and disseminating Spanish and Hispanic-American culture. The institution maintains a valued institutional agreement with Iberoamérica Diseña (ID) to foster collaborative cultural initiatives. To showcase its worldwide cultural reach, the Institute frequently collaborates on international traveling exhibitions—such as Tipografía Iberoamericana, a prominent poster exhibition co-produced with ID that tours global capitals to highlight the vitality of regional design. Located on Calle de Alcalá in the monumental 1918 Edificio de las Cariátides (formerly the Banco Central), the central headquarters features a stunning glass-domed central hall, grand assembly rooms, and dedicated professional exhibition galleries and congress spaces traditionally allotted for major public and private cultural forums.

ACCOMMODATION

Our host, Iberoamérica Diseña, has put together a list of recommended hotels near the Real Conservatorio, all within walking distance of the venue. Details for each option are below:

• Radisson RED Madrid — C. de Atocha, 123, Centro, 28012 Madrid. Rating: 4.3/5. Price range: €127–€304+. A design hotel in the Art Triangle, featuring a rooftop terrace, gym, and restaurant. 
• Atocha Hotel Madrid Tapestry Collection by Hilton — C. de Atocha, 107, Centro, 28012 Madrid. Rating: 4.7/5. Price range: €62–€200+. A boutique hotel with 46 rooms showcasing Spanish craftsmanship, plus restaurant and WiFi. 
• URBANSEA Atocha 113 — C. de Atocha, 113, Centro, 28012 Madrid. Rating: 4.0/5. Price range: €70–€100. A modern, minimalist option with a rooftop terrace, free WiFi, and a central, clean setup. 
• Atipico Madrid — C. Alcalá, 166, Salamanca, 28028 Madrid. Rating: 4.3/5. Price range: €79–€129+. A design hotel with 118 rooms, offering a rooftop, gym, coworking space, restaurant, and patio. 

Note: All hotels listed are within walking distance of the Real Conservatorio.

CONTACT

If you have any questions about the 2026 Platform Meeting or other activities in Madrid, please contact us at office@theicod.org.

This Event page will be updated regularly.