Design Indaba to take on Shanghai

Design Indaba is headed east after the exciting news that Shanghai will host three creativity-fuelled projects coordinated by South Africa’s premier design conference and expo experts.

After months of discussion between the Design Indaba team and Mr Sun Chao, the Party Secretary of the CPC Minhang District Committee in Shanghai, plans are in place for the first-ever international Design Indaba to be held in China.

Three distinct projects will be coordinated and managed by Design Indaba in Shanghai over the next three years, with funding from the Shanghai Minhang District. Among these projects, Design Indaba will consult on the creation of a design school of international excellence in the city, and a Design Indaba Gallery will be established to showcase exhibitions of work by some of the best designers and creatives from around the world. The third project will be the first international instalment of the Design Indaba Conference to take place in Shanghai.

Design Indaba founder Ravi Naidoo says that taking Design Indaba to Shanghai is “the right step forward in demonstrating the impact of design and creativity to BRIC economies”.

“The Minhang District is a perfect platform from which to launch Design Indaba Shanghai and to collaborate with and grow the design and innovation community,” Ravi says. “We’re excited by the opportunities the Shanghai Minhang District government has offered us and we also look forward to learning from our peers in China.”

As a rapidly growing and evolving economy, China is committed to developing the country’s creative sector and becoming a world centre for research and development. Some 100 new design schools are set to open in China in forthcoming months as a platform for the acceleration of design and innovation.

More information: www.designindaba.com