In this keynote, Raffaella Paniè reveals the creative vision and design strategy behind the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, exploring how curiosity, culture, and collaboration shaped the identity of one of the world’s largest and most visible events.  

From the Torch to the Medals, from the Look of the Games in the venues to the digital and urban environments, she unpacks how Italian design heritage meets contemporary innovation to create a cohesive visual language that celebrates unity, emotion, and place. 

Drawing from her experience leading multidisciplinary teams across architecture, branding, and experiential design, Raffaella shares insights into, this keynote invites audiences to see how design can become a bridge between heritage and innovation, local spirit and global spectacle, and how the world’s biggest events are not just staged — but crafted through curiosity. 

Curiosity-driven questions to address in the session: 

●  How curiosity can be at the heart of a creative process and how it drives design breakthroughs under extreme constraints 

●  How did it help uncover the unique spirit of Italy and translate it into the identity of Milano Cortina 2026? 

●  Olympic and Paralympic Games Brand identity is a complex design system. How does the journey start and get to the end of the process translating cultural DNA into a global design system.  

●  When in the process there is a dark corner, considering the short timeframe, what helps to get to a solution or THE solution. 

●  The power of storytelling, emotion, and materiality in shaping identity.  

●  How do you design with sustainability and legacy in mind — so that this creative work continues to inspire long after 2026? 

●  Leading creative collaboration at Olympic scale: the power of different points of view and competences.