Media company Sandow will take over management and operations for the NYCxDesign festival from 2020, following a public call for proposals issued last year.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), which has overseen the annual event since its inception in 2012, will hand over the reigns during the coming year to Sandow.
The company was founded by Adam Sandow in 2001, and lists publications Interior Design and Luxe, consultancy Material ConneXion, and retailer Fred Segal among its portfolio of brands.
Sandow chosen after extensive search
Sandow was selected after the NYCEDC put out a search for prospective candidates to grow and develop the initiative, both in size and revenue, in summer 2018. Interested parties submitted proposals and underwent interviews before a decision was made by the NYCxDesign steering committee ? composed of leaders across the city's creative community. "In Sandow, we found a partner that was not only a true leader in the design industry, but also a company that passionately loves New York City, which is something for us that was extremely important," said Alex Costas, NYCEDC's senior vice president of marketing. "Sandow has a lot of key influential media brands... as well as a lot of companies that are at the forefront of design innovation."

The decision to shift the management of the festival from a city-affiliated organisation to a private company was made to enable its expansion, according to NYCEDC's chi...