Design Indaba link for PE

The event will be streamed live to the Athenaeum's Ford Little Theatre from February 27 to March 1. Simulcasts were hosted last year in Johannesburg and Durban.

The Design Indaba is a highly respected event which drives design education.

And Thabo Makhetha, a Port Elizabeth fashion designer who is showcasing her talent at the indaba, is among those whose designs Bay enthusiasts can look out for.

Makhetha, one of 40 up-and- coming designers selected to go to the Design Indaba, said she was looking forward to meeting popular and well-known designers. "I'm particularly interested to see how they react to my product."

Andrew McKenzie, creative director of Boomtown Strategic Brand Agency, said hosting the Design Indaba simulcast in Port Elizabeth was a great opportunity for both the city and designers.

"The Design Indaba has been running for a number of years and every year it [attracts] the world's best creative minds. We as South Africans do not get the opportunity to meet these great minds and for us in PE, we have to travel to Cape Town to experience this."

He said that after visiting the Design Indaba last year, he asked about hosting a simulcast in Port Elizabeth. "I was told they could not find a venue for the event, so I phoned around and secured a place at the Athenaeum."

McKenzie said hosting the simulcast was an opportunity for Bay designers to listen to speakers they had heard about at tertiary institutions.

"These are people they study about in their textbooks. It is really fantastic to listen to them speak."

He said there were between eight and 10 speakers a day delivering talks on their areas of expertise.

The simulcast will start at 8.30am and tickets are available at designindaba.com

Single tickets cost R1030 for under 25s and R1460 for those older than 25.

Double tickets are R1680 for under 25s and R1980 for over 25s.