Occupying the entire 61,000 m² of the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, 1389 exhibitors from 57 countries crammed into each hall for the Middle East’s largest interior design exhibition, Index, in November.
Exhibitors showcased designs from office furniture to laminate flooring to hand-embroidered wallpapers to elegant crystal chandelier lighting, and visitor numbers increased by 7.3% from 2005, to 36,994. Approximately 62% of registered visitors were from outside Dubai, showing the international influence Index now commands.
Promoting the fair globally was a key consideration for Index organiser dmg this year as Bernard Walsh, managing director of DMG World Media Dubai Ltd explained: “We made substantial efforts to attract the key buyers from Saudi Arabia, India, Iran and other key countries, and it is very satisfying to see that our strategy was successful. Encouragingly, there was also a marked increase in the number of visitors from East Africa, which demonstrates the still expanding geographical strength of Index.”
There was impressive attendance from local companies, with Al Aqili taking over the whole Al Multaqua hall and smaller independent companies producing inspiring stands. Regionally, Egypt had a great exhibition, with an eye-catching raised central display in Zabeel Hall where highly contemporary interpretations of classical furniture items, such as a scarlet stretched chaise longue were showcased from Fayek Furniture.
Internationally, a selection of Far-Eastern countries, including some Vietnamese and Filipino companies, exhibited for the first time, along with their Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian counterparts. Expected flourishes of innovation in principally the furniture and lighting industries were featured in the Italian pavilion where 130 companies were coordinated by Federlegno-Arredo, spread over 3000m².
The UAE is the ideal place to showcase luxury products, according to Carlos Costa, director of the Portuguese Trade Centre. “The feedback from our Portuguese companies was very positive. The exhibitors came to Dubai to present a top quality product equivalent to other famous European brands, yet at a much lower cost. This is the message they were trying to get across within this rapidly increasing country,” he said.
The scale of the show and the variety of exhibitors, while at times overwhelming, meant that the whole spectrum of interior design was covered. As the show expands to immense proportions, it may make more sense to be split into categories instead of countries though. In this era of increased globalisation, the country of origin is much less of a consideration for designers who are simply looking for interesting and exciting products for their projects.
The 2007 exhibition will be held at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre from November 1-5.
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