Networking Event San Diego Design Week Opening Reception and Design Forward Lightning Talks

San Diego Design Week 2026 kicks off downtown at 401 B St.

Doors open at 5:00pm for networking in the lobby. At 6:30pm we head upstairs for the reception and the Design Forward Lightning Talks, a fast-paced series of five-minute, auto-advancing talks from designers across the region.

The talks span an eclectic range of themes: user-centered design in the age of AI, accessibility and inclusive experiences, community-driven and service design, brand and business storytelling, play and creativity, sustainable consumption and the objects we live with, the built environment, fashion and culture, and the craft of original creative work.

This event is free and open to all. Come early, stay late, and connect with San Diego’s design community.

Schedule

• 5:00pm: Doors open, networking in the lobby
• 6:30pm: Reception and Design Forward Lightning Talks upstairs