interihotel has confirmed Stefan Sagmeister, Neri&Hu and Dani García as the first keynote speakers for MAD26, an edition that will bring together more than 14,000 hospitality design professionals at IFEMA Madrid from 17 to 19 November.

Under the theme Creative Rebellion, the event will feature 350 exhibiting brands and more than 240 international speakers, reaffirming its position as Europe’s leading meeting point for hotel and restaurant design professionals. ROCA will once again be the Global Sponsor of interihotel. Creative Rebellion champions design as a tool for challenging established conventions and responding to the sector’s major social, technological and environmental challenges. This approach will shape the content programme around three central themes: people, sustainability and the future.

Three days of challenging the status quo

Over three days, designers, architects, hoteliers, restaurateurs and other international professionals will share projects, experiences and new ways of understanding design for the hospitality sector. Each day will explore one of the three themes underpinning this year’s edition.

• The Inside Rebellion (17 November): the opening day will explore the transformative power of interior design and design from a deeply human perspective. One of the leading figures illustrating this concept will be Stefan Sagmeister, one of the most influential designers of recent decades, renowned for his ability to connect design, emotion and wellbeing. His work, which is held in institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, will provide a starting point for reflecting on how spaces can improve people’s experiences and challenge established approaches to hospitality design. Renowned practices including Bruzkus Greenberg and Astet Studio will also contribute to this theme.
  
  
• The Green Rebellion (18 November): the second day will place sustainability centre stage and explore new ways of designing more responsible and resilient spaces. In this context, Neri&Hu, the prestigious practice founded by Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu, will share its interdisciplinary perspective on the relationship between architecture, cultural identity and sustainability. Internationally recognised for reinterpreting local contexts through a contemporary lens, the practice will encourage reflection on how design can have a positive impact on both people and the environment. The Green Rebellion will also feature leading figures such as Billy Skelli-Cohen and Lucas Muñoz Muñoz, founder of Ex-Debris.
  
  
• The Future Rebellion (19 November): the final day will focus on innovation, creativity and the new business models transforming the hospitality sector. The true potential of design lies in imagining what does not yet exist and making it possible. The keynote speaker for this theme will be Dani García, one of Spain’s most internationally renowned chefs. His career demonstrates how creative excellence can become a platform for developing concepts capable of reinventing the guest experience. His participation will open a discussion on the evolution of hotels and restaurants towards models that are more flexible, experiential and connected to emerging market demands. The programme will also include contributions from Laura Vall of Axel Hotels and Luca Pronzato, founder and artistic director of We Are Ona, among many others.

Leading international exhibiting brands

interihotel MAD26 will bring together 350 exhibiting brands specialising in equipment, furniture, lighting, surfaces, textiles, materials, technology and comprehensive solutions for hotels and restaurants. Their participation makes the event an exceptional setting in which to discover new products, build business relationships and explore the solutions set to shape upcoming hotel and restaurant projects. The exhibitors include the event’s principal sponsors: Roca, Global Sponsor; Niessen, Event Sponsor; IKEA, Theme Sponsor; and Tarkett, Party Sponsor. Alongside them, a total of 350 exhibiting brands will showcase their latest innovations in an exhibition layout designed to facilitate the discovery of new solutions and the creation of business opportunities.

Located across halls 1 and 3 at IFEMA Madrid, the exhibition will offer first-hand insight into the trends and solutions that will define the future of the design and fit-out of hotels, restaurants and other hospitality spaces.

Talks, hands-on workshops and professional discussions

In addition to the exhibition area, interihotel will present one of the sector’s most comprehensive content programmes, featuring more than 240 international speakers across a range of stages and formats combining inspiration, practical knowledge and professional debate.

• Agora will be the event’s main stage, hosting keynote lectures, interviews and conversations with some of the most influential figures in international design, architecture, interior design and hospitality.

• Atelier will host hands-on workshops led by professionals specialising in craftsmanship, materials, lighting and new design methodologies. Practices and creatives including Amiguis, LaTroupe, Cerámica Mano Alzada, Ansón + Bonet, Light & Studio, Cat on Table and Morbo will share processes, techniques and tools that can be applied to hospitality projects.

• Lounge will host conversations, interviews and round-table discussions organised with partner organisations. It will also welcome a new edition of the interihotel Dialogues, bringing together operators, brands and design practices to examine the main strategic challenges facing the sector.

• Forum will present five half-day thematic events: Future Living Forum, focusing on new living models; Circular Spaces Forum, dedicated to sustainability in interior design; Hospitality Building Systems Forum, addressing industrialised construction; WellSpaces Forum, centred on neuroarchitecture and wellbeing; and AI Interiors Forum, exploring the application of artificial intelligence to interior design. Each forum will bring together leading professionals to discuss some of the sector’s most pressing challenges.

Interiors Living Lab: experiencing the future of hospitality

One of interihotel’s key distinguishing features will once again be the Interiors Living Lab, an innovation laboratory where visitors can experience new approaches to designing, building and inhabiting hotel and restaurant spaces.

• Concept Rooms: This year’s edition will feature conceptual projects developed in partnership with real hospitality operators. HBA has designed a Concept Room in collaboration with Barceló Hotel Group, while Livit Design has created a Concept Restaurant inspired by a new concept from Grupo Lamucca. Both projects will explore new ways of shaping hotel and dining experiences through collaboration between design practices, operators and interihotel’s exhibiting brands.

• Xperience Lab: It's an experimental space will be dedicated to emerging technologies and their applications in interior design. Visitors will be able to explore how new digital tools, Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality and Generative AI technologies can transform design, specification and sales processes, turning the hotel and restaurant user journey into a seamless, intelligent, immersive and people-centred experience.

• Materials Lab will be one of the major new features of this year’s event. The space will focus on materials applied to hospitality design through an installation developed by AMBIT in collaboration with Matter Group. It will showcase the evolution of a selection of foundational materials alongside some of the most innovative and sustainable materials and habitat products presented by interihotel’s exhibiting brands. Its aim is to highlight the innovative and sustainable solutions already offered by exhibitors, increase their visibility and enable visitors to discover how they can be used in real-world projects.

• Curated by Tachy Mora, Craft Lab will present a selection of projects exploring the dialogue between contemporary craftsmanship, design and hospitality. Designed to evoke a hotel reception and lobby, the space will champion the value of ceramic craftsmanship as a source of identity, authenticity and differentiation in hotel and restaurant projects.

• La Suite: interihotel’s VIP area, conceived as an exclusive setting for meetings, networking and encounters between speakers, sponsors and invited guests.

• Global Sponsor Welcome, another new feature at interihotel MAD26, will transform visitors’ arrival at the event into an immersive experience. Roca, the event’s Global Sponsor, will create this welcome space, setting the tone for the visit and introducing attendees to the creative world of Creative Rebellion.