David Koren

David Koren is an expert in marketing, communications, and business development for design firms. The Director of Marketing at Diller Scofidio + Renfro, David has over 20 years of experience leading marketing, business development, and communications for design firms such as Gensler, Perkins Eastman, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, ESI Design, Morris Adjmi Architects, and WSP. David is the author of The Architect’s Essentials of Marketing, a guide to marketing for architects, published by John Wiley & Sons and endorsed by the American Institute of Architects . In January 2008, David was named one of the "40 under 40" in Building Design & Construction magazine.

Beyond marketing for design firms, David is an innovator, consultant, and organizational founder in the areas of arts and culture, community building, public engagement, social entrepreneurship, and placemaking, with an interest in new innovations in culture, design, technology, and real estate. David led the team that created FIGMENT on Governors Island in NY Harbor in 2007, on the premise that everyone is an artist, and that art should be something that everyone should be able to create and interact with. The NYC festival has grown dramatically, and now welcomes 20,000 participants each year who engage with 250+ arts projects. FIGMENT has spread to other cities (70 events in 20 cities in 5 countries so far). The Village Voice has named FIGMENT NYC the Best Art Festival in NYC. BBC Travel has written, “If Figment were a country, it would be the happiest in the world – and I would apply for citizenship immediately.” David’s book, FIGMENT (What is this? Why is nothing for sale? Why is everyone smiling?), is available on Amazon.

David is a frequent writer and speaker. He is a graduate of New York University (BFA in Dramatic Writing) and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland (M.Phil. in Irish Theatre). He has written two plays that are published by the Dramatic Publishing Company.