OVER the three decades of its existence, Decorex Africa has transformed into the continent’s most unique marketplace, offering both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) engagement opportunities for design and decor.
The platform has become the definitive meeting point of supply and demand, positioning Africa as a global design force while actively driving the commercialisation of creative enterprises.
This transformation extends beyond commerce – it’s reshaping industry standards through innovation and sustainability while allowing exhibitors to simultaneously connect with trade professionals and end consumers, maximising their market reach.
This evolution has established Decorex Africa as the continent’s most powerful creative-economy catalyst, with Johannesburg’s showcase alone driving over R200-million in deals annually, about 75% of which are concluded by returning trade visitors. The event creates about 1 000 jobs (more than 400 permanent and 500 temporary positions) while engaging over 3 000 external suppliers.
The platform’s impact in 2024 set new benchmarks across both cities. The Cape Town showcase, with its emphasis on sustainable design and innovation, generated over R60-million in media value and attracted 21 446 visitors to its 10 000m2 venue. The Johannesburg exhibition, anchored by the prestigious 100% Design Africa platform, drew 28 554 visitors to its 19 000m2 space. Together the shows featured over 600 exhibiting brands.
Revolutionary networking opportunities through the sophisticated Business Matchmaking programme have transformed how African design enterprises access global markets.
In Johannesburg alone, 689 high-value business meetings were facilitated, while the carefully curated Hosted Buyers Programme welcomed 15 influential buyers from 11 African countries.
