From 13 to 16 October, Cosentino held the fourth Spanish edition of its gathering for specifiers from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, featuring Ron Arad, Karim Rashid and Studiopepe
Spanish multinational Cosentino hosted a new edition of C.Next Designers EMEA from 13 to 16 October 2026, bringing together more than 250 architects, designers and specifiers from Europe, Africa and the Middle East. It was the fourth edition held in Spain and the ninth worldwide.
The event was built around the theme Design to Transform, which champions design as a force capable of reshaping society and adding value to it. Over four days, the programme combined a visit to the group’s industrial facilities, talks by international design figures, panel discussions and social activities at several locations across the province of Almería.
Dezeen joined as media partner. The event was supported by Dornbracht and Jung (Platinum+ Sponsors); Gaggenau, Novara, TECE and Speho (Platinum Sponsors); Material Bank, Orac, Marset, GURU, Alphenberg and Studio Haus (Gold Sponsors); and Naturtex, Vibia, Polcart, NexGen Construction, Groël and Noblessa (Brand Partners).
Innovation, inspiration and design
The programme opened on Tuesday with a Mediterranean welcome at the CaboGata Beach Hotel. On Wednesday, the first full working day moved to Cosentino’s industrial park in Cantoria. After an opening address by the company’s CEO, Pilar Cosentino, architect and designer Ron Arad sat down with Jorge Lope, the group’s Commercial Director for Europe, to look back on the milestones of his career and his collaborations with the brand.
C.Next Designers EMEA reached its ninth edition worldwide, the fourth in Spain, with more than 250 professionals from three continents.
The day concluded with training sessions on the group’s products and a guided tour of its facilities: from the Dekton production plants to the R&D Centre, by way of the natural stone warehouse, one of the largest in Europe.
Contemporary debate, insight and a vision for the future
On Thursday, the second day took place at the Almería Science and Technology Park (PITA). Cajamar‘s auditorium hosted presentations from brands including Novara, Jung, Speho, TECE and Gaggenau, and the high point came with keynotes from Karim Rashid and Milan-based studio Studiopepe.
Max Fraser, Editorial Director at Dezeen, also moderated two panel discussions. The first, held with Dornbracht, explored hyper-personalisation as a creative tool, with Monica Arango (founder of C’est Ici Design, Dubai), Danko Lekic (founder of Black Architecture, Denmark) and Sascha Bialoian (Head of Global Channel Management at Dornbracht, Germany).
The event presents design as a cross-cutting tool with the power to reshape and transform society.
Meaningful design to inspire people’s lives
The second panel examined how design is changing our everyday habits, with Fran Silvestre (founder of Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, Spain), Bidisha Sinha (Associate Director at ZHA, UK) and Ayşin Sevgi Karakurt Macit (founder of AS Architects, Turkey).
Studio Haus closed the content sessions, which gave way to the afternoon’s activities and a gala dinner in the Cloister of Almería Cathedral.
Hyper-personalisation and design’s impact on everyday habits were the focus of the two panels moderated by Dezeen’s Max Fraser.
With this edition, C.Next Designers EMEA reaffirmed its commitment to the global creative community as a space for dialogue where innovation and design lead the way forward.
