Industry NEWS
Looking Back at The Design Leadership Summit: Madrid
Last week, over 300 leaders in architecture, interior design, and creative business gathered in the beautiful city of Madrid for the 20th Annual Design Leadership Summit. The New York Design Center is a proud partner of the Design Leadership Network as well as the summit and was thrilled to participate in this historic and unforgettable event!
200 Lex is always well represented at the DLN, with many showrooms in attendance in Madrid, including: Benjamin Moore, Kravet, Ralph Lauren, Vaughan, Wendover Art Group, Made Goods, Pooky, Rosemary Hallgarten, Visual Comfort & Co., and The Wells Companies.
Held amid the cultural virality and architectural grandeur of the iconic city, this year’s Summit reflects on two decades of design leadership while looking ahead to a future shaped by creativity, connection, and shared purpose in a time of profound global transformation.
DLN’s annual Summit embodies what has made the organization singular since its founding: a community of practice where ideas, mutual support, relationships, and collaborations drive the evolution of the design profession itself. It is for these reasons that The New York Design Center is proud to support the DLN, an organization that shares our ongoing goals and dedication to the industry and bringing together the best in design.
“As we celebrate twenty years of the Design Leadership Network, we do so not by looking back, but by asking what leadership will mean in the decades ahead,” says Michael Diaz-Griffith, Executive Director and CEO of the Design Leadership Network. “Madrid—newly resurgent after decades of economic challenge—reminds us that creativity and culture are forces for renewal. The Summit is our moment to imagine how design can help us live and lead with purpose, both in our home regions and in the year ahead. This kind of dialogue has never been more important to the future of design.”
“Twenty years ago, the Design Leadership Network began as an experiment in bringing together a small group of peers to share openly about the challenges and opportunities of leading creative businesses,” says Peter Sallick, Founder of the Design Leadership Network. “What has endured is not just the conversations, but the community—the trust, generosity, and exchange that connect us across firms, disciplines, and generations. As the DLN enters its next decade, I’m inspired by how it continues to evolve while holding fast to the values that have defined it from the start.”
The New York Design Center looks forward to sharing many more milestone moments with The Design Leadership Network in the future, including the 100th Anniversary of 200 Lex commencing in Paris 2026 (more information to come).
But for now, please enjoy some of our favorite moments from this year’s Design Leadership Summit: Madrid!
