7th Annual Conference & Exhibition

MANUFACTURING vs. SERVICE

Thursday, October 3, 2024

SIP Center, Šempeter, Slovenia

WDC24 THEME

Workplace Strategies to Support Your Business Transformation

The 7th annual Workplace Design Conference, WDC24, brought together leaders from manufacturing and service worldwide. The event highlighted how companies are driving innovation through workplace transformation and new mindsets essential for the digital age. WDC24 taught us about the necessity of embracing change, cross-industry learning, and modern work environments to stay competitive.

Thank you for being part of our event! See you next year at WDC25!

Thinking about upgrading your workspace or relocating?

The WDC Conference is your go-to event!

Planning a major business transformation?

Bring your management team to WDC24!

7 YEARS OF TRADITION

30+ SPEAKERS

390+ ATTENDEES

420+ MINUTES OF NETWORKING

WHO WAS SPEAKING

WDC24 speakers

This year’s conference focuses on workplace strategies to support your business transformation.

The conference theme is “Strategies for Business Transformation.” Find out more about the program and speakers.

ALL ABOUT PERFORMANCE

Workplace Design Conference is all about business success and the well-being of your people.

If you’re considering a workplace renovation, relocation, or a complete company transformation, this event is for you. It’s for business leaders on all levels, company professionals, and industry practitioners.  

Start a process of positive change in your organization by attending WDC24. In-person or online.

ABOUT THE WORKPLACE DESIGN CONFERENCE

WORKPLACE STRATEGIES

PARTICIPANTS

you'll meet...

Workplace Design Conference is, first and foremost, designed for Business Leaders, Company Executives and Entrepreneurs. You will meet many of your colleagues there, heads of SMB, SME and large enterprises.

WDC is also a must attend event for Workplace Strategists, HR Professionals, Facility Managers, Real Estate Professionals, Interior Architects, Designers and other key people who want to help improve performance, collaboration and talent retention in their organizations by matching workplace design and technology with strategic vision and sound management.

WDC24: WORKPLACE LESSONS LEARNED

MANUFACTURING vs. SERVICE

Can service organizations learn from manufacturing companies and vice versa? We think they can.

New Trends

Many new products, industrial or service products, and even consumer goods will likely go the way phones and cars have. They will become part of our digital experience.

New Mindset

These breakthrough solutions will be rooted in data, software, and connectivity. But disruptive ideas require a different mindset, and mindset change can only happen in a favorable environment and with time.

New Work Environments

Manufacturing champions have learned a lot from the tech giants, including the fact that more innovation happens if you bring the right people together. Physically. Many have gone a step further and have designed next-generation workspaces.

WDC24

Join us on October 3, 2024, in person or online, at the 7th edition of the Workplace Design Conference. You will learn how leading manufacturing and service companies, in Slovenia and globally, drive innovation and use high-performance work environments to do so.  

SECURE YOUR SPOT

RESERVE YOUR SEAT

The WDC conference provided excellent opportunities for networking and all sessions were very informative. More importantly, we heard proven strategies of aligning the work environment with the needs of the people, with the new technologies and the overall vision of the organization.

Tomaž Šalamon

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Banka Sparkasse d.d., Slovenia

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

AGENDA WDC24

8:30–9:15

Reception Opens / Morning Coffee

9:15–9:20

Main Stage​

Welcome

Alenka Kragelj Eržen, Kragelj Architects

CEO I Lead Architect

Introduction to WDC24

Dr. Nigel Oseland, Workplace Unlimited

WP Strategiest I Change Manager

9:20–10:00

Main Stage​

Building the Future Brick by Brick: Unveiling LEGO Group's Innovation Center and the Acceleration of Innovation with Speed and Incubator Mindset

Jesper Toubøl, LEGO Group, Denmark

Vice President, Operations

Jesper will talk about LEGO’s strategies, using the example of their new supermodern innovation center in Denmark, for supporting collaboration, creativity, and performance.  He will explain how they designed interconnected manufacturing and office work environments that promote unity, strong corporate culture, and the well-being of their people.

LEGO’s VP will reveal how their core principles and values such as imagination, creativity, learning, quality, and caring have been incorporated into the spatial design of the workplace, and how LEGO is supporting employee productivity through smart designs of their manufacturing and office work environments with Generation Z in mind.

Highlights from Jesper Toubøl’s presentation:

  • Engineering Innovation Velocity: Inside LEGO’s cutting-edge innovation center
  • From Blueprint to Breakthrough: The nexus of design, hybrid work environments, and collaborative spaces
  • Infusing LEGO’s Core Values: A tapestry of fun, imagination, creativity, learning, quality, and caring in workplace architecture
  • Meeting the Next Generation: How LEGO Group addresses Gen-Z needs and adapts workplace of the future
  • Bridging Worlds: Enhancing connections between office and shop floor for increased collaboration and interaction

10:00–10:35

Main Stage​

Workplace as a Catalyst of Sustainable Development

Kati Barklund, Tenant & Partner, Sweden

Sr. Workplace Strategy Manager

Kati will speak about the workplace as a strategic toolto enhance organizational culture, collaboration, innovation, and the efficient use of resources.

With the right approach, we can create inclusive, stimulating, and empowering workplaces that help increase security and safety, foster cost and resource effectiveness, and boost performance for organizations. We can also help diminish the environmental footprint of our organizations.

Our overall aim should be to help create more sustainable workplaces, buildings, and organizations, aligning them with human, economic, and environmental needs, and creating more value for people, organizations, and societies.

Kati will present several practical examples, ideas, and solutions on how the right workplace strategy can support business transformation. In particular, she will focus on positive changes in employee thinking and behavior.

10:35-11:00

Break

11:00–11:35

Main Stage​

Workplace Design as a Strategic Business Tool: 10 years of a B2B Brand SIP

Metka Hrovat, SIP d.d., Slovenia

Chief Brand & HR Officer

Metka will present the company’s long-term strategy that has been at the root of all changes at SIP over the past decade which includes changes in the corporate culture, branding strategies, and the upgrade of manufacturing and office premises, led by the newly built SIP Center.

She will explain how their workplace strategies contribute to the overall SIP’s vision. And why the modern workplace is an important business tool that can promote employee satisfaction and support productivity and performance.

Ten years ago, SIP embarked on a new path, largely uncertain and unknown. In an agricultural sector where the brand is not considered the most important thing for the user, SIP decided to do exactly that — they put branding strategies at the forefront.

Today, SIP is three times bigger with double-digit profit margins, a modern manufacturing plant, the world’s largest mower, and a comprehensive #experienceSIP for all stakeholders.

11:35–12:10

Main Stage​

Team Landscapes - Using Design to Support Team Working

Mark Catchlove, MillerKnoll, UK

Director

Supporting team collaboration remains critical for leaders looking to drive optimum organizational performance.
Designing the best environments for group work begins with understanding the unique needs of different types of teams. The requirements of each team can (and should) be supported by bespoke combinations of sensory design elements that help to sustain energy levels and align with the tasks at hand – meaning teams are equipped to work to their best capacity!
Drawing on research conducted by MillerKnoll, this seminar introduces four distinct team types and offers practical design considerations for supporting the dynamics of each.

12:10-13:45

Lunch and networking

13:00–13:45

Parallel Stage

Mastermind Session with Speakers (Premium)

13:45–14:15

Main Stage​

Impact of the Workplace on Employees' Well-being, Creativity, and Cognitive Abilities

dr. Maja Fesel Kamenik, HRM One, Slovenia

Founder, CEO

Dr. Maja Fesel Kamenik, psychologist, founder, and CEO of HRM One, will speak at WDC24 about how a collaborative and cohesive work environment affects our performance, communication, and social needs.

She will share how the workplace affects employee satisfaction and creativity, the importance of good air quality, enough daylight, and greenery, and how to improve workspaces to increase employee performance.

Maja’s focus is on developing people and organizations with the goal of empowering individuals to reach their highest potential in the work environment and their long-term well-being.

At the conference, she will share the workplace lessons she has gained from more than 20 years of experience, advising various Slovenian and international companies in HR systems, management, recruitment and selection, development, and employment law.

14:15–14:50

Main Stage

Putting People at the Heart of Change

Sophie Maddison, Philips, Netherlands

Director of Change Management

Sophie will speak about how taking a people-centric design approach to change is critical for organizations aiming to stay competitive and innovative.

This session will delve into the strategies for driving successful change that embraces neuroscience, people-centric design, and adaptability. We will explore practical approaches to driving complex transformations, engaging employees, facilitating behavior change, and the importance of co-creation in sustaining change. By aligning organizational values with change initiatives, companies can create a positive atmosphere promoting collaboration and innovation.

Products come and go… Technologies change… But Philips is still about one thing. They are creating meaningful innovation that improves people’s health and well-being.

Sophie will share the lessons on Philips Global Marketing and E-commerce Transformation, which took Royal Dutch Philips, with a 130-year legacy, into its next era as a focused global leader in health technology. Specifically, practical tips on how to use change theory, marketing, and design thinking tactics to build a compelling change management approach for any workplace. 

14:50-15:40

Main Stage

Panel with WDC24 Speakers

Moderated by Dr. Nigel Oseland

15:40-15:45

Main Stage

Closing Words

Alja Ceglar

15:45-17:00

Main Hall

After event networking

COMING SOON…

AGENDA WDC24

Workplace Design Conference is an experience-based, results-oriented, super practical event bringing together business leaders and professionals. They attend WDC to create more efficient workspaces for their companies. And more successful businesses. A day full of questions and answers, challenges and solutions. And best practice case studies from local and international workplace strategy projects.
Alenka Kragelj Eržen
FOUNDER & CEO
Kragelj Architects, Slovenia
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

GEt the latest info

Get announcements about WDC and other interesting news straight into your inbox.

GET INSPIRED

WDC GALLERY 2024

Check out photo gallery to see the highlights of our past event. We’re excited to welcome you to next year’s conference and create more memorable moments together. 

Conference Pass
Access to main conference program, interactive expo area, Lunch & Refreshments
  • Access to main conference program
  • Lunch & Refreshments during breaks
  • Goodie bag and exclusive offers

Regular: 125 €

(Valid until 15. 5. 2024)

Premium
Conference Pass

Everything included in the Conference Pass + exclusive benefits: Premium seat, Exclusive meet and chat with speakers, Access to sessions recordings

  • Access to main conference program
  • Lunch & Refreshments during breaks
  • Goodie bag and exclusive offers
  • Premium seat
  • Exclusive meet and chat with speakers
  • Access to session recordings after the conference

Regular: 165 €

(Valid until 15. 5. 2024)

Virtual Pass

Access to main conference program via live streaming, access to session recordings

Regular: 75 €

(Valid until 15. 5. 2024)

*Prices do not include VAT. 

A 10% group discount is available for organizations that register 2 or more delegates. Reserve your seat now. You can change the names of the participants at any time. For more information send us your inquiry or call us at +386 (0)1 256 43 50.

TIME FOR EXPERIENCE

EXCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE

Choose between Conference pass with classic stall seats or Premium pass with banquette or lounge seating.
Special ticket packages available.
WORKPLACE DESIGN CONFERENCE

FEEDBACK FROM PAST ATTENDEES

WORKPLACE DESIGN CONFERENCE

ATTENDEES ARE COMING FROM

OUR ATTENDEES

ATTENDEES ARE COMING FROM

OUR NETWORK

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

Connect with your target audience
Showcase your brand

Become a sponsor or an exhibitor, and connect with your target market including business leaders, decision-makers and workplace professionals.

SIP CENTER, SLOVENIA

VENUE & LOCATION

WHO inspired us in PREVIOUS years 

Previous WDC Speakers

Peter Ippolito

Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Ippolito Fleitz Group, Germany

Kay Sargent

Senior Principal I Director of WorkPlace
HOK, USA

Gerda Stelpstra

Partner | Total Workplace Lead Office Consultancy Cushman & Wakefield, Netherlands

Kirk Vallis

Global Head of Creativity Development Google, USA

Michal Matlon

Place & Architecture Psychologist
theLivingCore, Austria

Ruben Van Eijk

Head of Creative Shop CEE Meta, USA

Asif Sadiq, MBE

Senior Vice President, Head of Equity and Inclusion,
Warner Media, UK

Randy Gage

Author & Speaker RandyGage.com, USA

Alex Pinter

Strategic Innovation & Growth Lead
Accenture, Austria

Peter Baumann

Global Head of Real Estate & Facilities Projects
SAP, Switzerland

Dr. Ken Dooley

Chief Strategy Officer for Empathic Building
Haltian, Finland

Thomas Fundneider

Founder & CEO
theLivingCore, Austria

Dr. Nigel Oseland

WP Strategist & Change Manager
Workplace Unlimited, UK

Alenka Kragelj Eržen

Lead Architect and CEO
Kragelj Architects, Slovenia

Božidarka Radović

Product Lead
Better, Slovenia

Roko Malkoč

Product Director
Better, Slovenia

Tatjana Milnović

Global Brand Strategist
Infobip, Croatia

Monika Ivanović

Head of Employer Branding
Infobip, Croatia

HOW CAN WE ASSIST YOU?

YOUR MESSAGE or INQUIRY

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

GEt the latest info

Get announcements about WDC and other interesting news straight into your inbox.

COPYRIGHT 2024 KRAGELJ ARCHITECTS LTD., WORKPLACE DESIGN CONFERENCE 2024

PORTRAIT

Jesper Toubøl

Vice President
LEGO Group

Jesper Toubøl, Vice President at the LEGO Group, leads the Danish division of the LEGO Group’s molding and qualification factory, encompassing both advanced mass production and the maturation of new technologies.

Jesper has also made significant contributions to the innovation of product design and production equipment, leading to the establishment of engineering centers in Singapore, Mexico, and Denmark.

His main goal is to implement the company’s business vision through innovatively designed manufacturing and business facilities, breakthrough technology, and the right people.

PORTRAIT

Kati Barklund

Senior Workplace Strategy Manager
Tenant & Partner

Kati Barklund is Senior Workplace Strategy Manager at the Swedish workplace and property advisory firm Tenant & Partner, helping clients realize their employees’ and organization’s potential through Performing Workplaces. For over twenty years Kati has been working at the forefront of both physical and digital workplace areas.

Before Tenant & Partner, Kati worked at Microsoft, Coor, Skanska, and Pharmacia. She is also Chairman of the IFMA Sweden Chapter and part of the Global Leadership team of WE (Workplace Evolutionaries).

PORTRAIT

Metka Hrovat

Executive Director of Brand and HR
SIP d.d. Šempeter

Metka Hrovat is the Executive Director of Brand and HR at SIP d.d. and Executive Consultant at Brand Trust. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Restructuring and has 25 years of experience in operational and strategic marketing, communication, and brand management.

Metka has 10 years of experience as a marketing director in publishing and manufacturing companies, 15 years of experience as a board member in Slovenian and international corporations, and has been a member of Brand Trust, an international brand strategy firm, since 2011.

PORTRAIT

Dr. Maja Fesel Kamenik

Director and founder
HRM One, BEEP INSTITUTE

Dr. Maja Fesel Kamenik has an MBA from the IEDC Bled School of Management and a PhD in Organizational Psychology. For over 15 years, Maja has been CEO of HRM One Ltd, specializing in HR development, assessment, consulting, and outsourcing.

She specializes in human resources development, psychological assessment, consulting, and outsourcing. In 2020, she founded the Beep Institute, dedicated to achieving business excellence through well-being-focused sustainable development. Her focus is elevating employee well-being, aligned with the Beep Well-being Model’s dimensions: Psychological, Physical, and Social.

PORTRAIT

Sophie Maddison

Director of Change Management
Philips

A people-centered change leader and human-centric design enthusiast, transforming ‘how we do things’ within a diverse range of global organizations including Philips, Booking.com, SalesForce, KPMG, Novartis, and HSBC Bank. 

A track record in supporting leaders to achieve their strategic objectives via end-to-end organizational change from strategy design, program management, stakeholder relationship building, and driving measurable adoption.

Agile Scrum Master, Design Thinker, Employee Experience Guru, and Neuroscience of Change Nerd. With the forever enduring question – how can we change the system to make it easier for people to do the right thing? Rather than change people to fit the system.

PORTRAIT

Mark Catchlove

Director
MillerKnoll

Mark leads MillerKnoll’s Global Insight Group which is responsible for sharing the latest thinking in workplace design and related issues.

He has been in the organization for over 25 years and over that time has become a respected contributor to the workplace community. He has delivered more than 800 seminars around the world. Mark has also run in-house workshops and seminars for a variety of leading organizations – both large and small.

He has been employed in the office interiors industry for almost 40 years, working with many leading public and private sector organizations.

PORTRAIT

dr. Nigel Oseland

WP Strategist & Change Manager
Workplace Unlimited, UK

Dr. Nigel Oseland is a workplace strategist, environmental psychologist, and change manager who understands the human experience, specifically what sort of behaviors can lead to greater engagement in the workplace, more ideas, and higher productivity. 

Nigel Oseland is a sought-after international speaker, and author of several papers and books, including “Improving Office Productivity – A Practical Guide for Business and Facilities Managers”. 

PORTRAIT

Alenka Kragelj Eržen

CO-FOUNDER & CEO
KRAGELJ ARHITEKTI

Alenka Kragelj Erzen is an architect, workplace strategist, designer and project leader with 15 years of experience on projects for corporate clients. She is also a coach, change manager and workshop facilitator helping organizations and their people transition to new, more efficient ways of working. Alenka successfully managed extensive research, workplace design and office relocation projects for clients such as A1 and VIP Mobil (members of Telekom Austria Group), Outfit7, Grey Worldwide, Krka, Prva Group, Triglav Insurance Group, Medis, DARS, Unicredit, Sberbank and others.

She passionately advocates for the idea of putting people in the center of workplace design. Alenka speaks at industry events, and has authored numerous articles on architecture, interior design and workplace design strategies.

PORTRAIT

Jennifer Bryan

Managing Director of Leadership and Change
ABChange Consultancy, UK

Jennifer Bryan is a published author, TEDx and global speaker and Managing Director of Change and Leadership, who has worked with over 40 different organisations across multiple industries, such as Microsoft, Fujitsu and Technicolor Creative Studios. She is also Vice President of the Association of Change Management Professionals UK. She has a passion for putting people at the heart of the decision-making room. She has developed a holistic approach to change and created a unique leading change framework, the ABChange Model, and uses her commercial insight to help lead people in change.

Jennifer is author of Leading People in Change – A practical guide (Feb 2021), contributing chapter author in Managing Change During Unprecedented Times (May 2023), book review on Elemental Change: Making stuff happen when nothing stands still by Neil Usher in Corporate Real Estate Journal vol. 11.1, regular writer of industry journal articles in Workplace Insight Magazine and AshleyKate HR News, peer-reviewed articles Successfully Managing Change in the Workplace in Corporate Real Estate Journal vol. 8.1 (Oct 2018), Journey of Leadership in the Workplace in iCroner (Sept 2014) and Lead Behaviour in Coaching at Work (Jul 2012).

PORTRAIT

Muriel Altunaga Aguirre

Independent Consultant
The Flow

Muriel Altunaga has spent the last 20 years working as a designer, workplace strategist, and change manager. She has delivered projects for many organizations, spanning different sectors, geographies, and scales. Over the years she worked in design practices, real estate companies, such as CBRE, and on clients’ side. This experience gave her a well-rounded understanding of the building cycle. Muriel is passionate about human-centred design and how the built space shapes people’s behaviour. She enjoys providing integrated services and approaches office design holistically. Muriel excels at one of the toughest challenges of workplace change projects — combining an in-deep understanding of the user’s and businesses’ needs with technical knowledge of the constraints of the building and the sustainability objectives. As a trained architect, Muriel has led teams to deliver multiple services, from defining strategy for a single intervention to creating global workplace standards, roll-out global transformation, or defining real estate strategies. Muriel Altunaga is a regular speaker in sector-related events, debates, and professional panels.

PORTRAIT

Peter Ippolito

Co-founder and Managing partner
Ippolito fleitz group

Peter Ippolito studied architecture in Stuttgart and Chicago. During this period he was an assistant to Prof. Ben Nicholson (Chicago) and collected valuable practical experience in the studio of Daniel Libeskind (Berlin). He set up the Ippolito Fleitz Group together with Gunter Fleitz in 2002. And in 2015 Peter Ippolito and Gunter Fleitz were the first German interior designers to be admitted to Interior Design magazine’s prestigious ›Hall of Fame‹. In addition to his creative work, Peter Ippolito has held various teaching positions and is in keen demand as a speaker and on competition judging panels. Peter Ippolito is a member of the German Designers Club (Deutscher Designer Club).

Kay Sargent, HOK

PORTRAIT

Kay Sargent

Senior Principal, Director of WorkPlace
HOK

With 38 years of experience, Kay is a recognized expert on workplace design and strategy issues and an award-winning designer. Kay is Global Co-Director of HOK’s WorkPlace team and sits on HOK’s Board of Directors. In 2020 she was named ASID’s Designer of Distinction. In 2021 she was selected from her field of peers to provide Congressional Subject Matter Expert Testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives on “Federal Real Estate Post-COVID-19: A View from The Private Sector.” Kay also serves on the GSA Diversity taskforce and is an advisor for the HOK Diversity Advisory Council.

PORTRAIT

George Edward Muir

Co-Founder of EverythingOmni

George is the Co-Founder of EverythingOmni, a global advisory, advocacy, and thought leadership group formed to make sense of the noise surrounding how to cope with a rapidly changing economic and business landscape.

George has been learning and developing his expertise through an extensive 27-year journey within IKEA and running his company, Udal Cuain AB.

He is a renowned Futurist, responsible for igniting ideas, discussing the practical applications of the digital revolution of business, and how Ethics, Communities, and artificial intelligence will impact our professional lives.

George helped establish IKEA’s retail business in Eastern Europe, China, and Russia. He also founded the company’s original digital DNA by developing its digital architecture. His work there also extended to business process and people and culture (HR), before leading the program to ‘visualize the future IKEA workplace.

Post-IKEA, George has built both the business and people strategy for a future ‘unicorn’ in the USA and Australia. He also holds talks and workshops worldwide on various topics encompassing the future of work and banking, ethical issues of AI, and workplace wellbeing.

For George, simplicity is a virtue, and his main focus is taking a complex problem and providing a clear, simple solution.

PORTRAIT

Gerda Stelpstra

Partner | Total Workplace Lead Office Consultancy
Cushman & Wakefield, The Netherlands

As an anthropologist, Gerda brings a unique perspective to the corporate real estate sector, with a strong focus on people and organizations. She is known for being a thought-provoker, encouraging people to consider topics from different angles. Her expertise as a strategist is grounded in anthropological principles, which she uses to guide organizations in their workplace development. By taking a holistic approach, she examines the system, rituals, and behaviors that influence trends, providing valuable insights into workplace-related transformation. With her extensive experience in the real estate sector, Gerda is a knowledgeable guide in corporate real estate and a go-to expert for organizations seeking to optimize their workplaces.