As a center for design research in the Nordics, Copenhagen and the Øresund region are home to many small design companies, consultancies, and studios that build upon a modernist heritage and extend the role of design into the future. In the academic design world, we have a range of institutions local to Copenhagen contributing to a vibrant design research community. Human-centered computing departments are present at the University of Copenhagen and Aalborg University Copenhagen Campuses; Malmö University with their School of Arts and Communication (K3) across the sound; and Denmark’s Royal Academy of Design with a strong profile in visual design, games, fashion, furniture design, and architecture.
Why Copenhagen?
Copenhagen is ranked as the second most livable city in the world, partly because it is safe and easy to get around in. It has good food at all price ranges, many of which are spin-offs of the 13 Michelin-starred restaurants in the city. It is well known for good coffee and pastries, not to mention its sophisticated and/or cozy bars specializing in cocktails, wine, or beer. Copenhagen boasts a thriving cultural scene with live music, theater performances, and contemporary art exhibitions in galleries and museums dotted around the city.
Copenhagen is one of Europe’s leading cultural and educational centers; its oldest university (the University of Copenhagen) was founded in 1479. With over 1.1 million inhabitants, the Greater Copenhagen area represents one-third of Denmark’s entire population in an integrated labor market, the result of well developed infrastructure and a robust transit system.
While we won’t schedule events in the city, we will strongly encourage participants to explore on their own, and we will provide the Student Volunteers with lists of good restaurants at different price ranges and current exhibitions around town.
Travel and accommodation
Flight time from America (6-12 hours), Asia (10-20 hours), Africa (4-13 hours), Australia (20-24 hours), and Europe (1-4 hours) to Copenhagen airport. The airport is located 30 min from ITU by metro.
Train times within Europe (Hamburg: 5, Amsterdam: 12, London: 17, Paris: 18, Stockholm: 6, Oslo: 8)
Hotel accommodation with different price options
These prices are without negotiation of special conference rates, which we will negotiate prior to the registration opening for the conference.
Budget/Mid-range options:
- Hotel Copenhagen http://www.hotelcopenhagen.dk/ approx. 600kr/night • WAKE-UP hotel (https://www.wakeupcopenhagen.dk/#/ approx. 800kr/night
- Danhostel Copenhagen (https://danhostelcopenhagencity.dk/) rooms approx. 800kr/night studio apartments approx. 2200 kr/night
More high-end options:
- Bryggen Guldsmeden (very close to ITU) (https://guldsmedenhotels.com/da/ bryggen ) – 1700kr/night
- Zoku (Next to ITU) (https://livezoku.com/copenhagen/stay/ ) approx. 1700kr/ night
DK Visa application
When attending the DIS 2024 conference in Denmark (DK), it is essential to submit your business visa application well in advance and at least 15 days before your intended entry into the Schengen area if you are a citizen of a country with a visa requirement to avoid processing delays. It is possible to apply up to 6 months before travel.
Use the online ApplyVisa platform for applications, and refer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark website for detailed guidelines and a list of visa requirements. Here, you can also find an overview of current visa processing times in the country you are applying from.
ACM is able to provide visa support letters to registered attendees, authors, and speakers with accepted papers/posters/talks, as well as conference committee members. Please allow up to 10 business days for your information to be reviewed and your support letter to be processed. All requests are handled in the order they are received.
IT University of Copenhagen

The IT University of Copenhagen (ITU) is a small and young university, founded in 1999 to cover theoretical & applied computer science, data science, science & technology studies, design research, online culture studies, and games research. It is home to several research labs (e.g., IxD lab, AIR lab, Ethos lab, Robotics, Evolution, & Art lab) and research centers (e.g., Climate IT, Digital Welfare, Digital Play), all of which focus on topics and agendas relevant to the DIS conference.
We are only about 120 faculty and 2000 students (full-time equivalent).

During the conference, we will have the students run their excellent coffee bar in the building serving classic espresso drinks at affordable prices. During the opening reception, we will also have the student bar open, enabling people to hang out into the evening.
IT University of Copenhagen
Rued Langgaards Vej 7
DK-2300 Copenhagen S
Denmark