For London Design Festival we have put together a selection of visits  to key parts of the festival. This allows design professionals from all over the world personalised introductions to exhibitions, organisations and designers work. This is accompanied by our picks of the festival this year which you can download here.

Visitors can book onto the following introductions using the links below, please ensure that you arrive promptly at meetings, follow the instructions given on the booking confirmation and announce yourself as part of the British Council Design Connections programme.

Please make every effort that you can to attend the sessions that you book onto, spaces are limited to 15-20 people at each visit and key contacts are kindly giving up their time to accommodate our requests at a very busy time of their year. 

Monday 15 September 

Tour of London Design Festival at the V&A
11am - 12 noon 
Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL. Nearest Station: South Kensington

Join a free, guided tour of the London Design Festival at the V&A, taking in a host of installations and displays around the building. No need to book – just turn up. (Tours are repeated at 11am, 2pm and 4pm daily). 

Meet at the London Design Festival welcome desk, Grand Entrance

Introduction to Wrong for HAY 
3.30pm
34 Queen Anne's Gate, SW1H 9AB. Nearest station: St James' Park.

Introduction to HAY & Wrong for HAY at their new showroom with Katherine Hoeger from HAY. Featuring an exhibition, installation, new product launches and pop up cafe run by guest chef Antto. Booking form.

Global Design Forum: Democracy in Design: The Modern Makers
5-6.30pm

Protein Studio, 31 New Inn Yard, London, EC2A 3EY. Nearest station: Shoreditch High Street Overground

The Global Design Forum is a curated series of discussions and events that debates the role of design in a sustainable and prosperous future. This session will explore the future of making in the context of the high-tech DIY culture that is emerging, speakers include: Daniel Charney and Paul Smyth. Tickets £20. Booking form.

Tuesday 16 September

Introduction to the Design Museum
11.00 - 11.30am
A short introduction to the Design Museum with Ria Hawthorn, Touring Exhibitions Manager and a visit to current exhibitions Louis Kahn, Designers in Residence, Collections Lab and John Lewis: How We Live Today. Please view exhibitions from 10am (tickets cost £12.40) and meet in reception for a brief introduction to the museum at 11am. Booking form.

Global Design Forum: Collecting Design: The Evolution of Collector and Maker
12  noon - 1.30pm
Mallett, Ely House, 37 Dover Street, W1S 4NJ. Nearest station: Green Park
The Global Design Forum is a curated series of discussions and events that debates the role of design in a sustainable and prosperous future. In recent years, design has grown the ranks of collectability alongside art, antiques, jewellery and fine wines. This session examines the effect of this on designers, institutions and commercial galleries. Speakers include Jana Scholze and Toord Boontje. Tickets £20. Booking form.

Shoreditch Design Triangle Tour

Extra-ordinary Gallery
2pm  
Ace Hotel London Shoreditch, 100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ. Nearest stations: Old Street/Liverpool Street
A short introduction to Extra-ordinary Gallery with Marcello Venturini from Fabrica. Booking form 

Super Stimuli presented by Modern Design Review which includes installations by Martino Gamper, Bethan Laura Wood, Fabien Capello and Michael Marriot is also being hosted in the lobby of Ace Hotel

KK Outlet
2.45pm 
42 Hoxton Square, London N1 6PB. Nearest stations: Old Street/Hoxton Overground
A short introduction to KK Outlet and their exhibition 20Y HORT. Booking form.

Not This
3.15pm
The Ditch - Shoreditch Town Hall , 380 Old Street London, EC1V 9LT. Nearest stations: Old Street/Shoreditch High Street Overground
A short introduction to NOT THIS, the Goldsmiths MA Design 2014 show. Booking form.

Jasper Morrisson Shop 
4pm
24b Kingsland Road, E2 8DA. Nearest stations: Old Street/Hoxton Overground
A short introduction to the shop and The Good Life exhibition with Miranda and John from Jasper Morrison. Booking form.

Spectra at 43m3
4.30pm
43m3 / Accept & Proceed, Unit 2, 1 Baltic Place, Kingsland Road, N1 5AQ. Nearest station: Haggerston Overground
An introduction to the Spectra installation by FIELD with Sally from Accept and Proceed. Booking form. 

Global Design Forum: Five Ideas to Shake the World
4-5.30pm
V&A, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL. Nearest station: South Kensington
The Global Design Forum is a curated series of discussions and events that debates the role of design in a sustainable and prosperous future. This fast-paced session puts the creators of the five best ideas we could find in front of a powerful panel who will judge – along with your own input – which will make the most significant contribution to our future lives. Tickets £20. Booking form.

Wednesday 17 September

Global Design Forum: Curating design: advances in exhibition programming
10.30 - 12 noon
V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL. Nearest station: South Kensington
The Global Design Forum is a curated series of discussions and events that debates the role of design in a sustainable and prosperous future. This discussion looks at the ways museum and gallery exhibitions have to adapt to new ways of curating and showcasing design as online galleries, augmented reality exhibitions, and how shows in more accessible venues like shopping malls and public spaces challenge the status quo and open up art and design to broader audiences. Speakers include: Vicky Richardson, Zoe Ryan and Christopher Wilk. Tickets £20. Booking form.

Maker Library Network at 100% Design
12.30pm
100% Design, Earls Court Exhibition Centre 2, Warwick Road, London, SW5 9TA. Nearest stations: Earls Court and West Brompton
Introduction to Maker Library Network with Mel Spencer at GRAS studio's Maker Library Caravan. Booking form.

Introduction to 100% Design 
2.15pm
El Ultimo Grito auditorium, 100% Design, Earls Court Exhibition Centre 2, Warwick Road, London, SW5 9TA. Nearest stations: Earls Court and West Brompton
An introduction 100% Design with Will Knight, Show Director. Booking form.

This introduction will follow the talk Chance Encounters: Recyling with Julia Lohmann and Nina Tolstrup (1.30 - 2.00pm) in the El Ultimo Grito auditorium, talks are free but visitors must register for 100% Design.

Introduction to RIBA Regent Street Windows
4pm
Regent Street, W1. Nearest stations: Oxford Circus/Piccadilly Circus. Exact meeting point TBC.
An introduction to the Royal Institute of British Architect's Regent Street Windows Project with Project Manager Anna Leader and a selection of architecture practices involved in the project. Booking form.

Thursday 18 September

Introduction to House of Illustration
10.45am
2 Granary Square, Kings Cross, London N1C 4BH. Nearest station: Kings Cross St Pancras
An introduction to House of Illustration with Olivia Ahmed, Exhibitions Manger. Booking form.

Brompton Design District Tour
12 noon
Meet at Thurloe Place Mews, London SW7 2HL. Nearest station: South Kensington
A tour of Brompton Design District exhibitions, installations and showrooms with Anna Stewart, Project Manager Brompton Design District. Booking form.

Tour of Disobedient Objects
2 - 2.30pm
Porter Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL. Nearest Station: South Kensington
Join curator Catherine Flood for an introduction to Disobedient Objects, the first exhibition to examine the powerful role of objects in movements for social change. Learn about how the exhibition was created, and the backstory to some of Catherine’s favourite objects. Meet at Entrance to the Exhibition, Porter Gallery. Free event - no booking required.

Crafts Council @ Design Junction
4pm

The Sorting Office, 21-31 New Oxford Street WC1A 1BA. Nearest stations: Tottenham Court Road/Holborn
An introduction to the Crafts Council's work and their stand at Design Junction with a representative from the Crafts Council. Meet at stand F76. Booking form. 
Visitors will need to register for Design Junction to gain entry. 

Common Thread @ Design Junction
4.30pm
The Sorting Office, 21-31 New Oxford Street WC1A 1BA. Nearest stations: Tottenham Court Road/Holborn
An introduction to the Common Thread exhibition, a culmination of a residency between Sabrina Kraus Lopez. Booking form. 
Visitors will need to register for Design Junction to gain entry. 

Friday 19 September

Future Stars? at Aram Gallery
10.15am
Aram Gallery, 110 Drury Lane, Covent Garden, London, WC2B 5SG. Nearest stations: Covent Garden/Holborn
An introduction to the Aram Gallery and their exhibition Future Stars? with curator Heloise Parke. Booking form.

A Place Called Home
10.45am
Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
Visit to London Design Festival's Landmark Project sponsored by airbnb with installations by Ilse Crawford, Patternity, Raw Edges and Jasper Morrison. Grace and Anna from Patternity and Yael and Shay from Raw Edges will give a short introduction to their installations. Booking form.

Looking Forwards: SustainRCA
11am
Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2EU. Nearest stations: High Street Kensington/South Kensington
A tour of Looking Forwards the 5th SustainRCA show with Clare Brass, Head of SustainRCA. Booking form.

Designersblock
2pm
The Old Sessions House, 22 Clerkenwell Green, London , EC1R 0NA. Nearest station: Farringdon.
An introduction to Designersblock with Piers Roberts, Founder and Director (2pm). Followed by an introduction to the Design Council's Young Pioneers with Margarita Ktoris, Marketing and Communications Officer at Design Council (2.45pm) Booking form. 

100% Norway at TENT
4.45pm
Hall T2, First floor, Old Truman Brewery, Hanbury Street, London, E1 6QR. Nearest stations: Liverpool Street/Shoreditch High Street Overground
An introduction to 100% Norway with Sabine Zettler followed by a short talk from Philipp von Hase, one of the designers showing. Booking form.

Global Design Forum: Ideas to Kickstart a sustainable economy
2-5.30pm
Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2EU. Nearest station: Kensington High Street.
Join the Global Design Forum and SustainRCA, the Royal College of Art’s specialist sustainability hub, exploring some the brightest ideas and biggest thinking to kickstart a sustainable economy. Speakers include Clare Brass and Rich Gilbert. Tickets £50. Booking form.