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Commercial Interior design exhibition expected to draw record crowds.
It's official. The Middle East's interior design and product market is at an all-time high as statistics indicate that the import of furniture and interior products to the Gulf exceeded $6.5 billion (about Dh23.87 billion) in 2006, a figure that continues to rise.
Against this backdrop, Index — the Middle East's annual interiors exhibition — being held from November 1-5 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, is a significant event for the industry. "Index is a comprehensive exhibition covering furniture, textiles, flooring, wall coverings, window products, lighting, kitchens, bathrooms, ceramics, interior architecture, accessories, interior design services and furniture production," says Bernard Walsh, Managing Director, dmg World Media Dubai, the organiser of the event.
Finland is among the many new countries making a debut at this year's exhibition. The Finnish company Kasola Group will showcase a range of secure storage solutions by Kaso and Palaset plastic products from MK-Tresmer.
"We are taking part in Index due to the strong demand for high quality and well-designed interior products in the region. Our products are ideal for both residential and commercial settings, and one of the highlights of our stand will be a range of innovative secure storage solutions for organised living — its design makes it ideally suited for the residential market," says Jouko Posti, Export Manager, Kaso.
Southeast Asia is also expanding its share in the Middle East market and will be strongly represented at Index this year. "Over the six years that we have taken part, the number of visitors and exhibitors, the amount of business generated and overall positive feedback has increased. Index remains, by far, the largest and most prestigious interior exhibition in the entire Gulf region," says Henry J. Schumacher, CEO, ECCP, the official body responsible for the participation of Southeast Asian countries in Index.
"Index is a truly global event, both in terms of exhibitors and the audience of professional buyers and specifiers who come from the GCC, the Indian subcontinent, wider Middle East region, Africa, Europe and even the Far East and the US," says Kim Willis, Exhibition Development Director, dmg World Media Dubai. "The most satisfying statistic is the high number of repeat bookings that we took at last year's show. This clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the event in generating business for our exhibitors," says Willis.
Italy, recognised as a world leader in interiors, will have a substantial representation at Index as 200 leading Italian companies will be present at the show. "The wide diversity of Italian brands is of special interest to interior professionals who visit the show," says Willis.
Federlegno-Arredo, the Italian federation of wood, cork, furniture and furnishing manufacturers, has been participating in Index since 1997. "We chose to take part in Index because it was, and still is, the most important international furniture and interiors event in the Middle East. The number of Italian companies participating through our Federation has consistently grown, and this year our pavilion will cover more than 3,000 square metres, with more than 120 participating companies. The Middle East is an important market for Italian companies as it is a very dynamic region.
Index represents a big opportunity for Italian companies to meet builders, contractors, designers and architects, not only from the UAE and the GCC countries, but also from India, the Far East and Australia, giving them a unique platform to show their new products and develop new relationships," says a spokesperson from Federlegno-Arredo.
A variety of Italian products from stylish furniture and beautiful textiles to high quality fixtures and fittings such as door handles will be on display this year. Florence-based interior design company, Art Emporium, will display a wide range of products including furnishing, made-to-order paintings, sculptures and decorative features in marble, bronze and copper, crystal, candles and a unique range of linen.
Leading Italian exhibitor Valli&Valli will also be present at Index this year with a range of handles, pull handles and knobs that combine materials such as Murano glass, porcelain and ebony with the richness and durability of brass. The company's product range includes coordinated accessories such as escutcheons and door keys, privacy sets, inset handles, hooks, coathooks, switch-covers, door stops and door knockers.
Market trends
The Dubai commercial interior design and product market has seen phenomenal changes over the last few years. From a limited number of players and choices, the market has grown with the availability of brands from all over the world.
"The choice of products available in the market has increased dramatically over the past few years as a number of furniture, lighting and soft furnishing retailers have opened new outlets. There has also been an influx of interior design and furniture package companies in the market," says David Rees, Managing Director and Founder, Luxe Interior.
Products from China and Malaysia have introduced price pressure to the market. "We have experienced a flood of inexpensive products from the East, but the quality of these can be unpredictable. There are some excellent manufacturers from these regions producing quality furniture at very reasonable prices, which has helped gain an edge in price competitiveness. However, not all of the material is of best quality and these products may not last as long as what traditional markets would produce," says Rees.
The demand for interior design services is on the rise as well. "Since our launch in June 2007, we have experienced a huge demand for our interior design services and have trebled our workforce over the past three months to cope with the ever increasing number of enquires and commissions," says Rees.
Khurshid Vakil, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Marina Home Interiors Retail Network, says companies are now manufacturing furniture that is eco-friendly, with the increasing use of sustainable wood and wood products. "Very few manufactures take their corporate responsibilities seriously. Marina is perhaps the only retail chain that boasts using recycled hard wood and also ensures that all the sourcing is done in compliance with the afforestation programmes in various countries from where such products are sourced."
With the opening of more hotels, malls and offices, the demand for commercial interior designers is as high as for the residential ones. "The demand for residential designers is more than that for commercial designers because the number of residential projects, either being handed over to owners or in the process of being built, is high. However, there are a large number of commercial towers coming up as well," says Vakil.
The residential interior design market in the UAE is maturing as the divide between the buying and decorating habits of locals and expatriates is being blurred. "As more products come into the market, locals are beginning to embrace design ideas from other parts of the world, while expatriates are starting to embrace the Arabic design influences," says Rees.
According to Vakil, with the region, and the UAE in particular, becoming a global hub in all aspects, there is a great deal of international influence on the new generation of locals across the region. "Lifestyles have changed and so have the way living spaces are decorated," he says. |
