'Design conclave in Kerala to tap state's huge talent pool'

To tap into the huge talent pool available in Kerala, the country's largest design conclave will be held at Kochi over three days starting from December 12, a top state government official said on Wednesday.

The meet assumes added significance as it comes against the backdrop of the state government's decision to set up a Centre of Excellence for Design at Kochi.

The summit is being organised by the state Electronics and IT Department in association with international bodies such as World Design Organisation (WDO) and Interaction Design Association (IxDA).

State IT Secretary M Sivasankar said the talent pool in Kerala in design is huge and it is events like this that gives such professionals a boost and the take away of this event that took place last year was Silicon Valley-based Lumium Design has opened its unit in the state.

"Our aim of holding events like this is to make Kerala a global hub for design companies and the newest trends in design in various domains. The talent pool that we have here is huge and if we look into companies in the country that employ designers, a good number are from our state," he said.

Around 5,000 people are expected to take part in the various sessions planned where design experts in various segments from across the world discuss the global trends in design and architecture.

The list of speakers includes top representatives from companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, YouTube, ISCA London while Oscar winning sound designer Resul Pookutty will also share his experiences.

( With inputs from IANS )