KUCHING: The just concluded Sarawak Design Week, which was held from Feb 13 to 16, drew around 10,000 visitors including professionals, design enthusiasts and the general public.
Sarawak Design Centre (SARADEC) chief executive officer Dayang Nena Abang Bruce announced that the four-day event has been a resounding success, with a record number of attendees that was well beyond what they had anticipated.
“We have yet to receive the final figure for sales and trade enquiry for the expo, but as of now, we have arrived at RM446,716.
“Which we must say is a good start for this event that is being held for the very first time in a format that is unlike a lot of the others before it,” she said.
She told reporters this after representing the chairman of SARADEC, Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais at the closing ceremony of the event at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Thursday (Feb 16).
Dayang Nena elaborated further that this was a testament to the strength of the design industry and the creative individuals who worked hard to bring their designs to life.
She mentioned that the highlights of the Design Week was the SayD’Signers Pavilion, which showcased stunning furniture designed by students on their Year 2 training programme at Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) Indonesia.
“The owner of QYA Home Décor at the Indonesian Pavilion downstairs (ground floor of BCCK) was full of praise of the event and that he had sold more than 50 per cent of what he had in his booth just on the first day alone.
“The Speakers sessions were well received as well. It was a great platform for them to educate the public about the potentials of the design industry and the challenges it presents, especially here in Sarawak,” she added.
Apart from that, she said that some of the small and medium entreprises (SMEs) commented that this expo gave them the opportunity to market their creative products to the thousands of visitors attending besides being happy to receive such great feedback from the public.
“BorneoTalk’s Design Cube @ Art Wall was also one of the biggest crowd-pullers at the expo, attracting streams of visitors over four days.
“The Art Wall sees a delightful mix of people, from toddlers and their parents to businessmen and artists, even Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, leaving their mark and their personal brand of art on the wall,” she said.
