The innovative and intriguing Belgrade Design Week will run until Saturday the 28th May.

Founded in 2005, Belgrade Design Week is the first festival of creative industries and modern business in Serbia and the South East European region, covering an area home to more than 100 million people from Milan to Istanbul.

In a region of such rich culture and creative potential, the non-profit NGO event will promote the area in a six day extravaganza with an aim to bring the leading global creative-thinkers of the 21st Century together. As part of the Design Week, the Yugoslav Drama Theatre with hold a three-day educational conference, FUTURE2, presenting the leading global creative thinkers of the 21st century.

The conference will be focused on scenarios for the future: finding solutions, ideas, models, tendencies for future needs based on European values and standards, with the goal to define, understand and establish frameworks for the future society.

By Nenad Merze. Image: Belgrade Design Week: picture preview, Daily Telegraph UK

Delegates will have the opportunity to inform themselves about latest global developments from the creative industries, to learn from the leading international companies, brands and individuals on how to adapt to changes in the future economy.

The Israeli designer Arik Levy whose works are exhibited in museums around the world is just one name from a 50 plus list of global leaders of the creative industries, who will be presenting their works to the public during the festival.

Others are Spanish artist and designer Javier Mariscal, German furniture designer Stefan Diez, the Red Dot Award from Germany, architecture studio Snohetta from Norway, contemporary digital art, film and design organization Onedotzero, and Wieden & Kennedy.

The festival focuses on full integration of art, design and community. The 100 per cent FUTURE SERBIA segment will be devoted to the promotion of 50 young and talented designers, whose works will be presented in shop windows all over the city center. In an easy stroll from Kalemegdan to Slavia, visitors and passers-by will be able to view works usually confined to galleries.

There will also be workshops held by the likes of filmmaker Gary Hustwit, cultural planner Lia Ghilardi, design studio Snask from Stockholm and Bozana Komljenovic.