Welcome to the 18th AGIdeas International Design Week. The event has continued to grow and in 2007 sold out for the first time. 2361 people registered for the main forum. Since its inception, AGIdeas has hosted 350 of the worlds leading creative people. Their insights and shared experiences have inspired seasoned professionals, the next generation of designers and their fellow speakers. Often their anecdotes and creative adventures have extended well beyond their defined design discipline. This takes the number of registrations for the event to in excess of 28000. The organisation of the week is a major task. In a profession where collaboration does not come easily, over 1900 volunteers have worked together with a spirit of co-operation which has been admired by many. As part of the AGIdeas International Design Week, we are proud to be able to award three around the world traveling scholarships, including an internship at Fabrica in Treviso, Italy. 31 young designers have now benefited from these awards and we are now seeing evidence that this experience has influenced their careers, their thinking and the work they are producing. This brings us to AGIdeas 2008 International Design Week, our coming of age. While the week has reached a level of maturity, we all feel there is much more to be done. With a strong foundation of involvement from designers in Australia and internationally, strong commitment from the areas of design, education and business, and our sponsors, the future will only be limited by our imagination. There are eight events that will form the basis of this years programme. AGIdeas International Design Forum is three days of extraordinary presentations; AGIdeas Interactopens the doors of some of Melbournes best design studios; AGIdeas NewStar sends three young designers on international traveling scholarships; AGIdeas Alumni brings together past