More than 35 000 people have converged on the Cape Town International Convention Centre every year since 2004 for the annual Design Indaba Expo. Widely touted as the best of its kind worldwide, Design Indaba aims to show how design and innovation can make a positive impact on the world as a powerful communication, industrial and commercial tool.
Now the largest organised design event in the Southern Hemisphere, the Expo showcases advertising, craft, decor, fashion, product design, industrial design, new media, publishing, visual art, jewellery design and graphic design in one place. The event is open to both the public and industry buyers and here, designers and creative businesses can strut their stuff while benefiting from exposure and networking. Tickets can be bought at the door or online for R80. For those coming from Durban or Johannesburg or elsewhere in South Africa, you can book your flights here.
Although the Indaba has become known as ‘the conference on creativity’ but is a far cry from being a series of one-sided instructional lectures. The forum is open and encourages free-thinking and new ideas as well as fantastic opportunities to learn from leaders in their respective creative fields.
There are four areas of inspiration offered at this year’s conference:
2014 DESIGN INDABA FILMFEST:
During the film fest, ten film design oriented movies premiers will be presented during ten days. These all focus on aspects of architecture, urban design, fashion, photography, street and performance art, motion graphics and other facets of creativity.
2014 DESIGN INDABA CONFERENCE AND YOUNG DESIGNERS SIMULCAST:
Esteemed leaders in the fields of creativity present a range of talks on their experiences and share their industry knowledge at this three-day symposium. The event is broadcast live in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, PE and Potchefstroom so that no one has to miss out.
2014 DESIGN INDABA MUSIC CIRCUIT:
Everybody loves a bit of background music and for two days during Indaba, thirty-eight live acts will perform a host of musical genres in 10 different venues across the city.
2014 DESIGN INDABA EXPO:
The Expo itself takes place from Friday, 28 February to Sunday, 2 March 2014 and will feature in excess of 300 local creative minds displaying a huge range of unique wares such as hand-crafted jewellery, furniture, handmade crafts, illustrations, stationery and fashion.
