Hidden Potential at DDW 2026 – Opening Experience

Five playgrounds. One question. Step inside a live participatory lab and discover what else is possible at Dutch Design Week 2026.

Hidden Potential asks one simple question: What else is possible?

On the opening day of Dutch Design Week 2026, step inside a live participatory lab where five radically different playgrounds explore the hidden potential of communities, materials, learning, food, and spaces.
Rather than presenting finished answers, Hidden Potential invites you to become part of the experiment.

Explore discarded coffee grounds as a new material. Discover food as a medium for creativity and connection. Experience possible futures through immersive technology. Reconsider what familiar spaces can enable. Add your own perspective to a collective exploration of peace.

Highlighting European Innovation: VR in Cities of Learning & Quality Label Open Badges
As a core part of this immersive lab, two European Erasmus+ initiatives demonstrate how technology and digital credentials reshape non-formal learning. Step into VR in Cities of Learning to explore how spatial environments expand access to new skills and future perspectives. Alongside this, discover Quality Label Open Badges, a framework designed to make invisible competencies visible, validated, and shareable across borders. Together, these projects show how digital tools and quality-driven recognition can unlock the hidden potential within individuals and communities across Europe.