“Conferences don’t just happen. They are designed, just like design itself”

Courtyard of a historic building with tall windows and a modern glass rooftop pavilion with people on terraces.

Legacy Maker in the spotlight: Stefanie Callens, Design Museum Gent

When you organise an international conference, you are looking for more than a great destination and a suitable venue. You also want people around the table who know your field and can help take your conference to the next level.

That is exactly the role of the experts brought together by Flanders Convention Bureau in its Legacy Makers network. These entrepreneurs, researchers and policymakers are not only experts in their respective fields. As ambassadors for Flanders, they also support your conference, helping to create the kind of impact that can make your organisation a milestone in its field.

In this newsletter, we put one of these Legacy Makers in the spotlight: Stefanie Callens, Project Coordinator at Design Museum Gent. And that choice is no coincidence. On 1 December, the next Legacy Makers Event will take place at her newly renovated museum. All ambassadors will come together to exchange ideas about the impact your conference can create in Flanders. 

“Above all, I’m someone who makes ideas happen”

“I studied history and cultural management, which led me into the museum and production world. My role is primarily on the organisational side: how do we make sure creative ideas actually become reality, within the available time and budget?

Today, I am leading the entire reopening project for Design Museum Gent. Our museum has been closed for more than four years, so reopening is about much more than simply opening the doors again. We want to put the museum firmly back on the map, both in Ghent and beyond.

I find design a fascinating context to work in. But what drives me most in all my projects is bringing people and ideas together and turning ambition into real-world results. That planning mindset is very much part of who I am.” 

Smiling woman in a teal sweater, head-and-shoulders portrait against a light gray wall.

“Design is about more than beautiful objects”

“Design is about more than the chair you sit on or the table you eat at. Behind everything lies an idea, a need or a societal issue. At some point, someone asked: what is needed, and how can we use design to provide an answer?

You can also see that in our exhibition Public Matter(s): Design and Democracy. There, we explore democracy as something that was itself designed: a system that, at a particular moment in time, offered an answer to a particular need. But perhaps today we need to go back to the drawing board. Does that design still work for everyone? Or does it need to change? I find that way of looking at things fascinating. Because the way something is designed helps determine how it functions.

The same applies to a conference. The format you choose, the people you involve and the way you bring them together all influence the outcome. A conference does not simply happen. You design it, just like design itself. And that means you can also help determine what it ultimately leads to.” 

Poster reading "PUBLIC MATTERS" with multilingual subtitle "Design and Democracy" and a white statue holding a horn.

“I want people to feel: I am part of this”

“For the Design Museum website, each of us chose a favourite object from the collection. We have around 24,000 pieces, about 500 of which will be on display when the museum reopens. I chose a 1932 design by Andries Copier, a major figure in Dutch design history. He designed a biscuit jar in marbled pressed glass that brings together packaging and design, and fully deserves its place in a design museum.

A personal choice like that immediately shows just how rich the collection is. Everyone looks at things differently and is drawn to something different. That personal element is important to me, in my work too.

I see myself as a connector. For the museum, we work with more than 300 designers, but also with non-profit organisations, other organisations, young people and older people. I find it special to bring all these people together around a single theme and allow them to tell a story together. My hope is always that people develop a sense of ownership. That afterwards they can say: I contributed to this. I am part of this story.

For me, that is a form of impact. Not simply creating something for people, but creating something in which people recognise themselves and to which they feel connected.” 

Rectangular marbled plastic storage box with a fitted lid on a white background.

“A conference creates impact for a place, but the reverse is also true”

“As a museum, we want to take on a different role than we did in the past. Our ambition is to reclaim a place in the hearts of the people of Ghent. We are located right in the historic city centre and want to be an open house where everyone feels welcome, where people can simply walk in, discover something, take part in an activity or just enjoy the view over the city.

I think that is important for a conference too. Of course, you want participants to go home feeling that their event was a success, both in terms of content and organisation. But for me, there is something more: I also want them to take something away from the place that hosted them. Its story, its philosophy, and the way we look at design, sustainability and society.

At that point, your venue becomes more than just a backdrop. The place itself adds meaning to the conference. So your conference does not only create impact for the place; the reverse is also true: the place creates impact for your conference.” 

Empty room with wooden floor and exposed ceiling beams, featuring a large window overlooking rooftops and church spires.
@ Maarten Boes

Would you like to know more about the Legacy Makers network?

Because you are a researcher, entrepreneur or policymaker and would like to become an ambassador for international conferences in Flanders?

Or because you would like to organise your conference in Flanders and benefit from the support of experts in your field?

Tuya Beyers will be happy to provide you with all the information. 

Your contact person

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