Well-known décor and media specialist Sherri Chipps takes over as Decorex SA portfolio director while former fashion and décor magazine editor Jacquie Myburgh-Chemaly has taken on the media and publicity account.

The appointments were made soon after it was revealed that attendance at Cape Town Decorex in April this year was up 15% on 2011 figures. Durban Decorex in 2012 was up 40%.

Last year Decorex Joburg attracted 50 000 visitors – a figure the team are hoping to increase this year thanks to yet another innovative exhibition.

So far, this year’s exhibitions have attracted particular attention for their on-trend focus on the world-wide movement towards authentic craft and a ‘real’ lifestyle. And while the celebrity-linked ‘Operation Man Cave’ has also created much interest and entertainment, the move towards male-focused space in the home is also in line with what’s happening around the world.

Johannesburg’s August show will see the launch of the Plascon 2013 Colour Forecast – the annual authoritative statement on colour trends keenly watched by decorators and designers throughout the country. Four exciting South African names in design have been asked to interpret the palette for visitors to Decorex Johannesburg.

Chipps and Myburgh-Chemaly will be working closely together to take the impact and exposure of Decorex to a new level.

Sherri Chipps is known to most in the world of South African décor and design. One of the founding members of the St Leger and Viney team, alongside Gary Searle, Chipps also worked in sales and PR at Mavromac for many years before starting her own interior design business. Following a stint with magazines including Conde Nast House & Garden and then House and Leisure, Chipps ran her own PR and media strategy business, managing the accounts of various leading décor brands, before joining Decorex SA.

Being a passionate supporter and promoter of South African décor and design, Chipps says she is delighted to be joining a brand that truly platforms, champions and promotes the South African décor and design industry. “I am particularly excited to be taking over the Decorex SA portfolio at a time when design and décor are becoming such vital lifestyle trends, offering us the opportunity to take this exhibition to new heights.”

Jacquie Myburgh-Chemaly, most recently editor of VISI magazine and now an independent media consultant, is on board to run the media and publicity account for Decorex SA.

Myburgh-Chemaly brings with her a wealth of experience and contacts in the South African lifestyle media and looks forward to pushing the PR envelope. “I have seen the media landscape change dramatically in recent years and believe this has opened up massive new opportunities in terms of publicity and public relations. Decorex SA has evolved into a world-class exhibition and it’s going to be an exciting adventure helping to communicate this fact to both the homemaker and design audiences in an exciting fashion.”