The small "s" in the VIENNA DESIGN WEEKs speaks volumes: A week just would not suffice to present the Austrian capital's lively design scene, invite people to exhibitions, parties, talks, discussions and special tours through museums and still fit in a design conference. For the first VIENNA DESIGN WEEKs from October 3-21, 2007 the Tendency Group Design, an initiative by Tulga Beyerle, Thomas Geisler and Lilli Hollein, together with firms, stores, museums and other institutions have put together a comprehensive program of events. The aim: to stimulate interest amongst design experts and non-professionals with an interest in design in Viennese design as well as national trends and issues in contemporary design developments. Care is taken from the start that in all the patriotic support for things local the perspective for design as a discipline is not lost: The presentation by a guest nation is to be a firm feature of VIENNA DESIGN WEEKs; "belle vue? debuts with young Swiss design in the museum quarter curated by Pierre Keller (exhibition from October 6 to November 11). The highlight of the two and a half crammed weeks is the design conference "Design 07 - The Middle? by the Vienna Applied Arts University at which on October 8 and 9, some 30 national and international speakers will address the topic "The Middle " Visitors who walk along the seven stations of the "Passionswege? can experience in the participating stores installations, experiments or new creations that seek to remove both young and established design from the museum context and place them in the public eye. The design event finishes with "Blickfang Vienna". Running October 19 to 21, this sales fair being held for the fourth time takes place in the Museum of Applied Art (MAK).