Design Indaba Conference 2008:
Sold out, but book for the simulcast

We did it again... With more than a week to go still, Design Indaba Conference from February 27 to 29, 2008, has sold out for the fourth year in a row.

“With higher interest rates and a slowing economy, it's great to still have a sell-out event! We've worked on fine-tuning this event for over 13 years, and it's wonderful to feel this valued by the global design community. If only we had a bigger auditorium in Cape Town!” said Deborah Weber, Design Indaba promotions manager.

To stem the ongoing demand for tickets to the Conference, Design Indaba has now opened the Young Designer’s Simulcast to over-25s. Offering a live broadcast from the main plenary session to a second auditorium, delegates older than 25 can now enjoy the foremost creative event in the country for the reduced price of R1500. Delegates can also buy a simulcast ticket and a year’s subscription to the award-winning Design Indaba magazine for R1645.

From Bill Moggridge, who designed the world’s first laptop, to the inimitable Paul D Miller, aka DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid, and South African Oona Scheepers, who has designed interiors for Porsche and Audi, the Design Indaba Conference 2008 brings together some of the most influential creative minds in the world.

Shunji Yamanaka, acclaimed designer of humanoid robots; Ilse Crawford, founding editor of Elle Décor; Ivan Chermayeff, responsible for the NBC and Mobil logos; and Li Edelkoort, the world’s most renowned trend forecaster, lead a stellar cast of 37 industry heavyweights. Adding to the mix, Marije Vogelzang is set to seduce with her food installations, Jonathan Levien and Nipa Doshi to enchant with their Indian-European mashups, and Maxim Velcovsky to undoubtedly provoke with his post-socialist porcelain.

Driving critical debate around local creative industries, South African fashion designers Amanda Laird Cherry, Gavin Rajah and Nkhensani Nkosi will participate in a multimedia panel interview interrogating the future and significance of South African fashion. Creators of the MTV orb, Hjalti Karlsson and Jan Wilker from New York, will also be presenting a bespoke graphic design project that responds to their experience of South African culture, streets, cuisine, creative communities and charm – we call it "Foreign Eye for the Local Guy".

Tickets for the Specialist Indabas on February 25 and 26 are also still available. These breakaway focuses on architecture, jewellery and lifestyle offer concentrated insights for professionals, the public and interested parties.

Avant-garde Swiss jeweller Christoph Zellweger and top studio jeweller Wendy Ramshaw constitute the Jewellery Indaba on February 25 from 1pm to 3pm.

Maestro of British-Japanese architecture Mark Dytham, installation maniac Jason Burges and South African architect responsible for the CTICC, Anya van der Merwe Miszewski, comprise the Architecture Indaba line-up on February 26 from 10am to 1pm.

Leading creative director Ilse Crawford, world-renowned trend forecaster Li Edelkoort and Laetitia Wolff, editor of New York lifestyle magazine Surface, present the Lifestyle Indaba on February 26 from 2pm to 5pm.

Book for the Design Indaba Simulcast and the Specialist Indabas
at Computicket.

DESIGN INDABA 2008
Design Indaba will fortify as the South African Design Week in 2008, with the expo and conference programme running over a week from Saturday 23 February to Friday 29 February 2008.

DESIGN INDABA EXPO
For the fifth time, the Design Indaba Expo will offer a curated commercial platform for South African designers to showcase local goods and services to the global market. Based on the success of the 2007 event, which played host to more than 20 000 visitors, the 2008 event has been extended for an extra day, running from Saturday 23 to Tuesday 26 February, 2008. The Expo will also be even bigger than before with more floor space, a host of new exhibitors and a brand-new dedicated fashion arena with day-long shows and movie festivals.

DESIGN INDABA CONFERENCE
The Design Indaba Conference will run from Wednesday 27 February to Friday 29 February, 2008. Judged the best conference in the world by EIBTM in Barcelona, the conference has played host to luminaries from all over the world since 1995 and been sold out for the past three years.

SPECIALIST INDABAS
Due to demand from delegates and the public to attend the Specialist Indabas, these will run parallel to the Expo on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 February 2008. These two-hour architecture, fashion and jewellery events feature local and international designers debating the contribution of these creative sectors to the South African economy. Bookings for Specialist Indabas open at Computicket on 14 January 2008.

YOUNG DESIGNERS SIMULCAST
As part of Design Indaba’s ongoing commitment to design education, Design Indaba 2008 will again offer a Young Designers Simulcast, catering to young designers and students under the age of 25. This is a live broadcast from the main plenary session to a second auditorium. Students and young designers will be able to access speakers in short, informal chat sessions during and at the end of the day.

DESIGN INDABA JOURNALISM WORKSHOP
For the first time, Design Indaba is presenting the Design Indaba Journalism Workshop in conjunction with the Design Indaba Expo taking place from February 23 to 26, 2008. New York design critic and assistant professor at Parsons, Susan Yelavich will lead the workshop with the assistance of an international team of acclaimed editors, journalists and writers. The cost is R1500 per person. To apply for participation, please contact Deborah Weber.

For more detailed information about the above activities taking place, and for related high-resolution images, please contact:

Deborah Weber
E-mail: deborah@interactiveafrica.com

Nadine Botha
E-mail: nadine@interactiveafrica.com

Tel: (021) 465 9966
Website: www.designindabaexpo.com