DW! Semana de Design

What DW! Semana de Design does

DW! Semana de Design is a privately-held for-profit festival and events company headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Lauro Andrade. The company organizes urban design festivals that connect brands and professionals across design, architecture, art, and interiors, and is recognized as the largest festival of its kind in Brazil and among the five largest urban design festivals globally. The core product is the annual DW! São Paulo Festival, which in 2025 staged 415 events across 14 days with 132 exhibitors spread across eight design districts (Jardins, Pinheiros, Centro Paulista, Santa Cecília, D&D Shopping, Alameda Gabriel, Lar Center, and a digital/virtual district); the 15th-anniversary edition in March 2026 extends to 18 days and adds circular economy and fashion programming under the theme 'Legado Criativo.'

The product portfolio also includes DW! Tour (a portable festival format deployed in Rio de Janeiro and Balneário Camboriú in 2026), DW! Talks (a conference program), DW! Blog (a year-round editorial channel that produced 23M+ impressions during 2024), DW! Acontece (event coverage), and DW! Fashion Hub. Operationally, the company runs a decentralized model where exhibitors activate in their own showrooms and partner venues rather than a single convention center, with production executed by partner Summit Promo.

DW! makes money through two primary streams: exhibitor participation fees paid by brands and design companies to activate across the festival's districts, and corporate sponsorships across category tiers (e.g., Peugeot as Official Car, Tabas by Blueground as Official Accommodation, Lenvie as Official Perfume), with additional public-sector support from the São Paulo municipal and state cultural secretariats. End attendees are served free of charge, with the business model monetizing the audience via exhibitor ROI and sponsor brand association rather than ticket revenue.

Name

DW! Semana de Design

Legal name

DW! Semana de Design

Website

https://dwsemanadedesign.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DW! Semana de Design organizes Brazil's largest urban design festival in São Paulo, running 400+ events across 8 districts for design brands, architects, and consumers, with expanded 2026 editions in Rio de Janeiro and Balneário Camboriú.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Festival Events

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail, Consumer Goods & Lifestyle Shows Organizers (THAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Fan Conventions Organizers (THAHABAN), Event Design, Decor & Styling (HSACAAAB)

Keywords

• Urban design festival
• Design week events
• Exhibitor participation platform
• Architecture design programming
• Festival sponsorship activations

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor Participation Fees: Brands and design companies pay to participate as official exhibitors in the festival, gaining visibility across multiple districts and venues in São Paulo and other cities.
2. Festival Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors (automotive, home furnishings, hospitality) sponsor the festival in exchange for brand association with the event. Sponsors include Peugeot (Official Car), Unilux, Docol, Eliane, Senac, Tabas by Blueground (Official Accommodation), and Lenvie (Official Perfume).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

DW! Semana de Design organizes and operates a large-scale annual urban design festival held across multiple districts of São Paulo, with touring editions in Rio de Janeiro and Balneário Camboriú. The company sells exhibitor participation slots and corporate sponsorships, coordinating hundreds of showroom activations, talks, installations, and creative programming for design brands, design professionals, and the general public.

Product overview

DW! Semana de Design is a festival platform offering in-person, digital, and multimedia design experiences across Brazil. The core product is the DW! São Paulo Festival (the main annual event, now in its 15th edition), supplemented by the DW! Tour (regional festivals in cities like Rio de Janeiro and Balneário Camboriú), DW! Talks (conference programming), DW! Blog (editorial content), and DW! Acontece (event coverage). The portfolio also includes specialized verticals like DW! Fashion Hub for fashion-related programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DW! São Paulo Festival Main annual design festival in São Paulo, Brazil, featuring hundreds of exhibitions, talks, installations, product launches, and creative activations across 8 design districts; designed for design brands, design professionals, and the general public.
• DW! Tour Touring exhibition program that brings DW! to different cities including Rio de Janeiro, Balneário Camboriú, and Litoral Paulista, featuring local exhibitors and events.
• DW! Talks Conference and lecture program featuring talks by design professionals, architects, and creative industry leaders during the festival.
• DW! Fashion Hub Fashion-focused section of the festival featuring cinema, dance, performance, musical shows, fashion shows, talks, creative fair, and material exhibitions.
• Exhibitor Participation Program Commercial program that enables brands and design companies to participate as official exhibitors in DW! festival editions, gaining visibility across multiple districts and venues in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Balneário Camboriú.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program Corporate sponsorship program that allows brands across automotive, home furnishings, hospitality, and other categories to become official sponsors of the festival in exchange for brand association.

Quantifiable outcome

• 415 events across 14 days with 132 exhibitors in 2025 edition (largest in festival history)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• PeugeotmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Official car sponsor of DW! festival. Provides transportation support for festival operations and benefits from brand association with the major design event.
• Summit PromocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Event production company responsible for idealization and realization of the DW! festival. Handles organizational management, sponsor relations, and operational execution of the event.
• World Design Weeks (WDW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial member of World Design Weeks, a global network of design week organizations. This membership positions DW! among major international design festivals and enables cross-promotion and knowledge sharing with design weeks worldwide.
• UniluxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship partnership providing window and door solutions brand visibility during festival events.
• DocolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBath and kitchen fixtures brand as sponsor and exhibitor, hosting events at Casa Docol showroom.
• ElianeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCeramic and surface materials brand participating as sponsor and exhibitor.
• SENAC São PaulominorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducational institution as sponsor, featuring design programs and educational content during festival.
• D&D ShoppingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor retail partner hosting festival events and serving as one of the key design districts. Design shopping mall providing venue and cross-promotional support.
• Shopping Lar CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor retail partner providing venue for festival events and hosting design district activities.
• Tabas by BluegroundminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial accommodation sponsor of the festival, providing hotel services for visiting participants.
• LenvieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial perfume sponsor of the festival.
• CasaShoppingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRio de Janeiro venue partner for DW! RIO 2026 festival edition. Design shopping destination hosting festival events in Rio de Janeiro.
• CasaHall Design ShoppingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBalneário Camboriú venue partner hosting DW! Balneário Camboriú festival edition. Fourth edition in 2026.
• Japan House São PaulominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural institution hosting Kigumi exhibition on Japanese wood joinery carpentry as part of festival programming.
• Secretaria Municipal de Cultura e Economia Criativa de São PaulomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government cultural department as official supporter of the festival.
• Secretaria da Cultura, Economia e Indústria Criativas do Estado de São PaulomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government cultural department as official supporter of the festival.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NYCxDESIGN: New York City's annual citywide design festival. Operates a similar multi-district, multi-venue model connecting design brands, showrooms, and cultural institutions — directly comparable to DW!'s urban festival approach.
• Dutch Design Week: Largest design event in Northern Europe, held annually in Eindhoven. Comparable multi-venue, urban festival model that brings together designers, brands, and institutions across a city — a direct global peer of DW!.
• ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair): North America's leading trade fair for contemporary furniture and design, held in New York. Comparable exhibitor base of furniture, materials, and interior-design brands, with similar B2B sponsorship and participation economics.
• Maison&Objet: Major Paris-based trade fair and design event focused on lifestyle, interior design, and consumer goods. Comparable to DW! in targeting furniture, décor, and lifestyle brands with a mix of B2B and consumer audiences.
• High Point Market: The largest home furnishings trade show in North America, held biannually in High Point, North Carolina. Comparable exhibitor base of furniture and home goods brands with a similar transactional, sponsor-supported business model.
• Salone del Mobile.Milano: The world's flagship design and furniture fair held annually in Milan. Directly comparable to DW! as a large-scale, citywide design festival that aggregates exhibitors, brands, and B2B visitors — though at a materially larger global scale.
• London Design Festival: Annual multi-venue design festival across London, also a member of World Design Weeks alongside DW!. Operates a similar decentralized, multi-district activation model connecting design brands with consumers and professionals.

Broad incumbents

• Design Miami: Global design fair held alongside Art Basel in Miami and Basel. Comparable sponsorship and exhibitor economics in the design/collectible furniture space, but focused on the high-end collectible and gallery segment rather than broad consumer design.

Others

• Summit Promo: Brazilian event-production company that handles idealization, organizational management, sponsor relations, and operational execution for DW!. Listed as a core strategic partner rather than a peer, but materially relevant as the operational backbone behind DW!'s festival production.

Emerging players

• Tokyo Design Week / Tokyo Midtown DESIGN TOUCH: Annual design event in Tokyo combining exhibitions and installations across cultural and retail venues. Comparable urban, multi-venue design festival concept, though typically more curated and smaller in exhibitor scale than DW!.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHMT-1sbKG7yxnCMM1KYPzQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/dwsemanadedesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dw-semana-de-design
• Instagraminstagram.com/dwsemanadedesign
• Pinterestbr.pinterest.com/dwsemanadedesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DW! Semana de Design