Business opportunities
Three days of business, projects and new partnerships
Design District brings together the people shaping projects across architecture, interiors, hospitality, construction, furnishing, materials and technology.
Architects and interior designers meet manufacturers and suppliers. Hoteliers and investors discover products and solutions for upcoming developments and refurbishments. Producers and distributors connect with specifiers, contractors, buyers and potential partners from Croatia and across the region.
For business visitors, it is an opportunity to see products and materials first-hand, meet the people behind them and build relationships around projects that are already being planned, specified or delivered.
Different roles, shared projects
Architects and designers
For architects and designers, Design District enables direct contact with manufacturers and suppliers whose products can be incorporated into future projects. Materials, finishes, dimensions, customization options, and technical solutions can be verified directly with the people who produce or represent them.
Hoteliers, investors and property owners
For hoteliers, investors, and owners of tourist properties, the fair provides an overview of solutions for furnishing, renovation, and spatial development, ranging from furniture and materials to technology, energy solutions, and other products tailored to the hospitality sector.
Manufacturers, distributors and suppliers
For manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers, it opens up the opportunity to meet new business partners, designers, and buyers from Croatia and the region.
Istria and Rovinj: A market built on continuous investment
Istria is more than the setting for Design District. It is Croatia’s leading tourism region by commercial overnight stays.
In 2025, Istria recorded 28.3 million overnight stays, close to 30% of the national total. Of these, 7.9 million were generated by hotels and similar accommodation. Rovinj alone recorded 4.2 million overnight stays, making it one of Croatia’s leading tourism destinations.
Istria is also closely connected to the markets that matter to Design District. Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Italy are among the region’s key tourism markets, placing Rovinj naturally within a wider Central European business landscape.
Croatian tourism is also moving through a significant investment cycle focused on quality, sustainability and digital transformation. Under the European Recovery and Resilience Facility, €166 million has been allocated to improving competitiveness and supporting the green and digital transition of tourism, with a further €123 million dedicated to regional diversification and higher-value tourism products.
Investment is being directed towards energy efficiency, sustainable construction, renewable energy, circular solutions, digital technologies and higher-quality tourism infrastructure.
For the architecture, interiors and hospitality industries, this translates into a steady pipeline of refurbishments, new developments, upgrades and investment in better materials, smarter technologies and more efficient buildings.
28,3 mil.
overnight stays in 2025.
close to 30%
of nation total overnight stays.
7,9 mil.
overnight stays in hotels and similar accommodation.
4,2 mil.
noćenja u Rovinju tijekom 2025.
Rovinj places Design District directly inside that market.
Connections that lead to business
What starts at Design District often continues long after the event ends.
Over the years, introductions made in Rovinj have led to new commissions, product specifications, fit-out projects, orders, distribution agreements and long-term partnerships.
Manufacturers have connected with architects and designers who later specified their products. Suppliers have entered new projects and markets. Conversations with investors, hoteliers and contractors have developed into refurbishments, furnishing projects and further business.
Since 2018, Design District has facilitated more than 1,000 business meetings and generated more than 2,000 projects and business opportunities.
1.000+
business meetings held since 2018.
2.000+
projects and business opportunities launched since 2018.
The 2026 programme creates further opportunities to meet around specific sectors and business interests through DESIGNING FOR 2030, HOSPITALITY DAY, BUSINESS 101, HOSPITALITY CLINIC and the wider Design District programme.