A fourth year Interior Design Student, Palesa Bohlale Matlaupane won a competition to design a delegation’s
stand for the Adaptive Futures 2018 Exhibition, that took place from 18 to 21 June 2018.

City Press in partnership with the European Union Delegation afforded this unique business opportunity to a small business. As part of this global climate change adaptation conference, the EU delegation will host a stand at the adaptation expo at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, with the aim of showcasing how the European Union leads on climate action and supports partner countries in those efforts.

“I designed an exhibition stand that imitated a greenhouse and incorporated the logo of the EU in the physical structure,” said Palesa.

The brief focused on the Paris Agreement and how one can create visibility and awareness in the form of an exhibition stand. The project was sponsored by the European Union. The designer had to design a space that promoted the Paris Agreement and its identity. The theme of the stand was “Talanoa Dialogues.”

Palesa said her process involved not only research about the association and its goals and objectives, but also about design trends in Europe. She said knowing the booth was going to be used in Europe affected her design approach, and she also considered that budgets for trade show booth installations tend to be higher in Europe.

EU has set aside R200 000.00 for the construction of Palesa’s exhibition stand.

Adaptation Futures 2018 has attracted the participation of over 230 organisations from around the world, including the Adaptation Fund, the Global Centre of Excellence on Climate Adaptation, the European Union, Canada’s International Development Research Centre and South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs.