The 2019 World Industrial Design Conference (WIDC) will open at the Yantai International Exposition Center on Oct 18. [Photo/jiaodong.net]

The 2019 World Industrial Design Conference (WIDC) will open at the Yantai International Exposition Center on Oct 18.

The international event, with the slogan "design lights the fire of innovation", will welcome more than 500 companies from more than 30 countries to showcase their cutting-edge designs.

Haier Group and Xiaomi Corp will attend the event with their latest designs, while Tencent Cloud will display its state-of-the-art cloud products.

Haier Group plans to host a forum entitled "design creates a smarter, better life" which will invite its partners from across the country to showcase smart family and industrial internet platforms.

A series of activities, including an international roundtable discussion on design development, 80 forums on the development of the international design industry, and more than 100 matchmaking conferences on design and manufacturing will also be held.

The event is jointly hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Shandong Provincial People's Government.