The Craft and Design Institute (CDI) is proud to present its annual trade exhibition NEXT as part of the 2022 edition of Decorex Cape Town, running from 16-19 June 2022. NEXT22 is a South African showcase that reveals the latest furniture, lighting, textiles, fashion accessories and homeware ranges from over 25 top talents.
This is the fifth edition of the NEXT Trade Exhibition, a showcase that forms part of an export development initiative of the CDI. The CDI is a South African non-profit company with over two decades of success in developing creative people, small businesses and the craft and design sector at large.
Importers, retailers and decorators – as well as design-loving members of the public – will get the opportunity to find the new ranges from the participating businesses, who hail from across the nation and represent the best of South African craft and design. Exhibitors include a mix of well-established brands and rising stars such as A Love Supreme, Woza Moya, Douglas & Company, Meyer von Wielligh and Willowlamp, amongst others.
Through partnering with Decorex and locating the NEXT22 exhibition at this leading design event, it will expose the businesses to an expected 30 000 local visitors, including local and international trade guests.
For the second year in succession, the NEXT22 Trade Exhibition will also gain increased longevity and a wider global reach through the use of a virtual experience. A virtual tour will be hosted online after Decorex Cape Town concludes, and will give wider access to buyers, members of the trade, and the public from across the globe. The exhibition has been made possible with support from the Department of Small Business Development and City of Cape Town, and the online exhibition will be free to access.
The NEXT22 virtual experience conveniently removes any costs associated with international travel for both makers and buyers and widens the net beyond the showcase at Decorex Cape Town. This allows an even greater number of international buyers and media entities to view the NEXT Trade Exhibition.
NEXT was launched in 2018 and has grown annually, drawing in dozens of international trade buyers from a diverse array of countries such as Denmark, France, Sweden, Italy and the US amongst others, many of whom previously travelled to Cape Town specifically for the trade exhibition. Since COVID, many of these buyers have elected to convert to the online format, with ongoing success.
All of the NEXT22 exhibitors have been coached through the CDI’s export development programme, which has supported over 70 businesses since inception. This programme has been running for several years and was initiated and run with the support of the Dutch Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI). Since inception, the programme saw an average of over 50% increase in export sales (from 2016 to 2018 to European markets). The programme is anticipating a fruitful NEXT22 as parts of the world return to pre-COVID levels of business.
“The post-pandemic landscape has allowed us to embrace the welcome return to a public exhibition, which was paused during the lockdowns. At the same time, NEXT22 exhibitors will also benefit beyond the timeframe of the Decorex Cape Town show dates with the extended digital dimension, which will be online for a full year. This is the best of both worlds!” enthuses CDI Group CEO, Erica Elk.
“The City is a proud founder of the Craft and Design Institute, and through the NEXT Trade Exhibition, we create a unique platform for designers to showcase the best that Cape Town has to offer. As a City, we are constantly looking at innovative ways to help businesses grow and in turn, create opportunities for our residents,” said Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth.
Find the full NEXT22 catalogue online from 16 June 2022, and the virtual experience goes live in July at http://www.thecdi.org.za/next22