Design Week Advisory Services | Roberta Mutti

Advisory Services

Strategic guidance for organisations launching design events worldwide

The Design Week Guide, founded by architect and journalist Roberta Mutti, offers strategic advisory to organisations launching first-edition design events, and to brands seeking curated, high-impact participation in international design fairs.

Drawing on over thirty years of editorial experience and direct, on-the-ground work across major design weeks and trade fairs worldwide, including extensive experience in the Asian design market, we help you avoid the most common and costly mistakes of a debut edition.

Whether you are a city or institution building a design week from scratch, a brand planning its first activation at an international fair, or an organisation seeking to position a cultural event on the global design map, we offer tailored guidance based on real experience — not generic frameworks.

Our work combines editorial authority, hands-on curatorial experience, and a direct network of organisers, designers, journalists and PR professionals built over decades in the field.

Roberta Mutti journalist and design consultant

Meet Roberta Mutti

Roberta Mutti is an architect and professional journalist who has been working in the design industry since 1992, when she began collaborating with Interni magazine, one of Italy’s most authoritative design publications. Since then, she has written for leading Italian and international titles, and worked directly with major brands and designers, including Abet Laminati, Vincent Van Duysen, and Paola Navone.

Alongside her work in Europe, Roberta has followed the development of the Asian design market closely for over fifteen years, with extensive editorial coverage of CIFF and the Chinese furniture industry, gaining first-hand insight into how international brands successfully enter and exhibit in Asian markets.

In 2021, she published the book Storia del Fuorisalone / History of Milan Design Week, the first comprehensive account of the first forty years of the world’s leading design event, built on direct testimonies from organisers, designers, international journalists, and PR agencies who shaped its history.

Today, through The Design Week Guide, Roberta combines decades of editorial authority with hands-on international experience to support cities, institutions, and brands building their own design events from the ground up.

Three Ways to Work Together

Each engagement is tailored to your project’s stage and scale. Get in touch to discuss your needs

Feasibility Audit

A focused assessment of your project against the international design calendar, positioning, and key risks. We analyse your concept, identify potential conflicts with established events, and evaluate the realistic potential of your debut edition. Delivered as a clear written report with a recommended roadmap and priority actions

Strategic Advisory

Ongoing monthly support for teams building a design week or major event from the ground up. Includes regular review sessions, access to our international network of organisers, designers, and media contacts, and direct guidance on the key decisions that determine the success of a first edition

Curation & PR Activation

Hands-on support in curating international exhibitor selections and building press visibility across European, Mediterranean, and Asian design media. Delivered together with our trusted international PR partners, with direct outreach to editors, journalists, and industry figures who can put your event on the global design map

Email to roberta (at) designweekguide.com