Gulf Construction Online - Index points way to design excellence

Events

The luxurious baby bed ... among the innovations on show.

Index points way to design excellence

01 March 2018

THE 28th edition of the Index, the biggest showcase of interior designing products in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, is gearing up to give visitors the ultimate design experience by providing them access to premium design content.

Among the innovations on show this year will be the world’s most luxurious baby bed – manufactured by a team of yacht builders and designed to mimic the feel of being in the womb – which will be launched in Dubai. Clad in 24-karat gold plating, lined with Swarovski diamond-encrusted quilting and costing a cool $60,000, the Luulu bed costs more than a year’s rent on a two-bedroom apartment in the Burj Khalifa, but its designers already have a waiting list of well-heeled families desperate to welcome their newborns into the lap of luxury.

With a total of 18 country pavilions and more than 1,000 exhibitors, the Index Design Series – co-located with Workspace and Surface Design Middle East – is expected to be attended by over 25,000 visitors over four days. The past exhibitions have been huge successes with more than 30,000 attendees and generation of sales worth over $630 million.

Being held this month (March 26 to 29) at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Index will provide access to over 48 hours of design content across the Design Talks, the largest free design conferences in the Middle East, along with a Trend Tour, Inspirational Trail and Trend Hub.

Visitors will also be treated to more than 2,000 of the best interior design brands on the planet, plus a design trail inspired by this year’s show theme, “Design for Expression”, which demonstrates how you can express yourself through design and interiors.

Among the highlights for this year’s event, Index will be hosting Ventura Dubai, the Middle East’s debut staging of the internationally acclaimed Ventura brand, curated by the Dutch design agents Organisation in Design. The dedicated area of the floor will feature 40 up-and-coming and established European designers, with four live installations.

Additionally, a new zone of the exhibition – Made in UAE – will be home to dozens of local artisans and craftspeople, including furniture-makers, glassblowers and upholsterers, all brought to the show to allow the design community to establish firmer local and regional trade contacts.

Index will also hold its annual Index Architecture & Design Awards on the second night of the four-day show, with 15 new categories on offer this year.

The longest running show of its kind in the region, Index has been connecting architects, interior designers, developers, artists, trend setters, start-up companies and the biggest international names in the interior furnishings and fit-out scene across all industries of the Middle East design community, according to a spokesman for the organiser.

“Index is the perfect sales and marketing opportunity to reinforce and increase your brand awareness and brand recall among an influential audience and to meet architects, designers, property developers and distributors along with other marketing professionals from the Middle East and North Africa design market,” he remarked.

Index comprises six market leading sectors including Architecture and Design City; Accessories and Homeware; Cabinets, Closets and Storage; Furniture and Furnishings; Lighting and Technology; and Sleep and Textiles.

The exhibition has been organised for the past 25 years, but no two Index exhibitions have ever been the same, says the spokesman. “After a proper research of the market and new design trends along with legitimate discussions with professionals from all corners of the design world, the Index event is formulated,” the spokesman said.

He added: “Each and every type of product, style and material that you can possibly imagine is available at this event. From luxurious wall coverings to quintessential lighting fixtures, from limited edition luxury furnishings to bespoke carpets and rugs, everything is demonstrated here on the show spread.”