- Design Talks speaker lists unveiled ahead of the largest design events in the region

- World-renowned industry leaders including spokespeople from APID, Herman Miller, Scarlet Opus and Intermetal, to meet in Dubai to discuss the future of design

- Sustainability, Holistic Wellbeing and Building Information Modelling in Design are just some of the subjects which will be discussed at Design Talks

Dubai, May 3, 2015: The programme of INDEX and workspace at INDEX Design Talks - the free-to-attend seminars and workshops aimed at the region's architecture, design, retail and hospitality communities - has been announced by dmg events. Covering a wide spectrum of topics related to the interior design and architecture industry, the line-up from each show will run from 18th to 21st May at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

"This year's programme of seminars and workshops will be led by some of the industry's thought-leaders and trend setters. Converging on Dubai, the speakers will provide valuable insights and deliver talks on thought-provoking subjects across the four day event," commented Frederique Maurell, Group Event Director for INDEX and workspace at INDEX. "We are hoping that our programme will foster communications and discussions for the future of design for attendees and exhibitors alike."

INDEX Design Talks brought to you by Aati

International architects and interior design trendsetters will headline the four-day programme and share their vision and valuable insights with the audience. Ranging from trends in overall interior design in 2015/16 and the future of yacht interiors to five-sense and light concepts: natural versus artificial, the discussions will focus around five main topic areas: architecture, interior design, project management, hospitality design, and retailing.

INDEX Design Talks is expected to feature more than 16 speakers including Matteo Bianchi, Founder and Director of Matteo Bianchi Studio; Kristian Krogh Partnre and LightingDesign Director at Lighting Design Collective; Theodora Kioussis, Managing Director of Esadore International; Victoria Redshaw Lead Futurist at Scarlet Opus; Samah Aloul, Owner and Chief Designer of SA Interiors; George Foster, Head Designer at Ethan Allen; Shayma Halawa, Managing Director and Head of Design for O'Design; Sophie Johnson, Assistant Professor at The Canadian University of Dubai; Juan Roldan, Assistant Professor at The American University of Sharjah; Rob Arthur, General Manager at Fabric Architecture ME and Dr. Iman Ibrahim, Assistant Professor at the University of Sharjah.

"We're delighted to present Aati for the first time at INDEX, amongst some of the world's most important brands.  As the region's leading luxury furniture retailer, participating in such a prominent industry event provides us with a great opportunity to connect with a wider audience," commented Dima Hallal, Vice President, Jewellery & Home, Al Tayer Group.  "Aside from showcasing our heritage of sourcing and introducing leading brands to the Middle East, we are excited to participate in 'INDEX Design Talks brought to you by Aati'.  This gives us an ideal platform to share with the audience our vision and valuable knowledge gained from our long term partnerships with some of the world's finest luxury brands," she added.

workspace at INDEX Design Talks

For those wanting to inject vigour into a current work environment and for designers of future commercial interiors, workspace at INDEX has a varied and engaging programme from 19 different speakers including Dr Annarita Cornaro, Assistant Professor of Architecture at AUD and Principal of COdESIGN who will present a scenario-based discussion on sustainability, identity and re-use in the UAE; Phil Pond, Trend Translator at Scarlet Opus will share detailed trends for colour palettes, materials, textures, patterns; Jennie Stallings, Dealer Support and Training Manager MEA at Herman Miller who will discuss ideas for a holistic approach to offices; Ben Corrigan, CEO and Founder of Bluehaus Group will unveil a business case for BIM in the context of interior design and Sandra Woodall, Design Director of TangramGulf will be joined by the company's Interior Designer, Laila Hankir to discuss work space design in regards to promotion of health and wellbeing.

In addition, the Association of Professional Interior Designers has confirmed a session to explore the key factors and design considerations which impact educational excellence. Speakers at this session include Indu Varanasi, Founder and Managing Director of IR Design; Haroution Klmijian, Design and Development Manager at Intermetal and Chris Morley, Head of Design at Herman Miller.

"To say that we are looking forward with enthusiasm and excitement about speaking at INDEX and workspace at INDEX this year would be an understatement," commented Phil Pond, Trend Translator at Scarlet Opus, "We have strong ties with the UAE design community and with some of the innovative suppliers such as Steelcase. It is such a crucial show on the global interiors events calendar that it feels like we're about to 'come home' to celebrate. We will reveal, in detail, the design trends for 2016; colour palettes, materials, textures, patterns. We won't be holding back as we want this to be a truly valuable connection between Scarlet Opus and the local design community."

For further information on the shows, its exhibitors and on the INDEX and workspace at INDEX Design Talks programmes, visit www.indexexhibition.com and www.workspace-index.com.

About INDEX:
The INDEX International Design Exhibition is the largest event for the architect and design industry in the Middle East. It attracts more than 700 exhibitors from 50 countries, taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary year, 18-21 May 2015 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, INDEX provides an unrivalled business and networking opportunity for buyers and sellers of residential interiors products and services from around the world to source an astounding array of the very latest design innovations, trends and techniques.

More than just an exhibition, the event provides attendees with unrivalled access to information, intelligence, contacts and hands on experience. Experts from around the world engage in the industry's most topical discussions, finding design solutions, facing challenges and seizing opportunities. The show is the gateway to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) providing both exhibitors and visitors with the opportunity to conduct serious business with like-minded professionals.

About workspace at INDEX
Formerly The Office Exhibition, workspace at INDEX is the largest commercial interiors fit-out and design exhibition in the Middle East. Co-located with the INDEX International Design Exhibition, workspace at INDEX is the premium showcase for high-end products and services which combine to create outstanding working environments. Organised by dmg events, the show attracts thousands of top tier architectural and interior design firms and end-users from the Middle East and beyond.

The 14th annual edition of workspace at INDEX, taking place 18-21 May 2015 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, will include a wider range of products and services to reflect the ever expanding market and different working environments across the general office/commercial, healthcare, and educational design, fit out, and upgrade sectors.

An international exhibition and publishing company, dmg events produces market-leading exhibitions and conferences for the global energy, construction, digital marketing, hospitality and interior industries, with events in the Middle East, North America, Europe and Asia.

As a leading supplier of face-to-face business information, with a customer-centric focus that localizes operations and relationships, our objectives are to keep businesses informed and connect them with relevant consumers to create vibrant marketplaces across multiple event platforms and communities.

Founded in 1989, dmg events has operated in the Middle East since 1995 and owns many leading brands such as The Big 5 construction events, ADIPEC the oil & gas exhibition and conference, INDEX the interior design exhibition and the Hotel Show. For more information visit www.dmgeventsme.com

dmg events is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT, www.dmgt.co.uk), one of the largest media companies in the United Kingdom. 

© Press Release 2015