Design Indaba just keeps on growing

Showing more than 280 exhibitors, including 80 first-time exhibitors and 40 Emerging Creatives, the core Design Indaba Expo show drew well over 35 000 visitors, including 379 journalists and 427 buyers - one third of whom were international.

A full daily programme of additional activities fuelled the buzz... All-day fashion shows, a short-film festival, the new Design Indaba Kids workshops, a suave designer bar, tantalising designer food and daily Pecha Kucha presentations by leading local creatives were just some of the highlights.

Guest of honour

Generating much buzz and drawing an audience of some 900, Design Indaba and Woolworths presented domestic diva Martha Stewart at the Design Indaba Expo on Saturday 27 February 2010. During a light breakfast Stewart herself delivered an exclusive presentation and then popped down to the Design Indaba Expo to feast their senses on the best South African design.

Awards abounded too. The winners of the Let It Out campaign were announced as the 11-member “national creative team” - Kate Butcher, Greg Darroll, Samantha Immelman, Farhana Jacobs, George Kellerman, Lavanya Naidoo, Giulia Odendaal, Nhlanhla Peega, Guy Trangos, Thandiwe Tshabalala and Tammy Joubert. The 2010 Most Beautiful Object in South Africa award went to Anatomy Design's Lab Light. Emerging Creative Justin Southey walked away with the Most Creative Stand award.

Something for charity

In collaboration with Foodcorp, designer baguettes were sold at Design Indaba Expo, with proceeds going towards the newly launched Chef Development Fund. The Cape Town Partnership announced its bid for Cape Town as 2014 Design Capital, the House and Leisure Green Designers at Woolworths announced their winners, the Cape Town Fashion Council held its third industry conference and, somewhat more irreverent but no less great, ZA News launched its second season.

The first Design Indaba Film Festival was held at the Labia on Orange. In Woodstock, the Design Indaba Party at the Old Biscuit Mill showed off the talents of Funafuji, Magic Carpet Ride, Popskarr, Jack Parow, Krushed & Sorted, Goodluck and Anthea. In Observatory, a professional chef's workshop by Nils Noren, vice president of culinary arts at the French Culinary Institute, was hosted in collaboration with Foodcorp.

In addition, the second Cape Town Design Route was launched in collaboration with Cape Town Tourism, offering creative consumers all-year access to the Design Indaba Expo.