Mid East’s mega projects create heavy demand for innovative flooring
Competition amongst Middle
East real estate developers to complete
signature landmarks is spurring high demand
for innovative flooring to help
differentiate interiors, according to the
Dubai-headquartered Association of
Professional Interior Designers (APID) -
which is fast on track to becoming the
region's regulatory authority for interior
design standards in the next three years.
According to APID, regional property
developers are increasingly looking for ways
of differentiating their product by creating
greater interest in flooring, hard surfaces
and the materials, colours and finishes that
contribute to versatile interior designs.
"As region-wide projects reach the interior
design stage, there is now heavy demand for
all types of innovative flooring solutions
to keep pace with the diverse range of wall
and ceiling elements, not to mention
lighting and audio visual applications,"
according to Kenneth Laidler, President,
APID.
"The concentration of mega projects in the
UAE is strong and has placed emphasis firmly
on design. The region is rich in creative
talent, and this boundless imagination
combines with visionary clients to produce
some of the most fascinating interior spaces
. It seems that in design terms bigger is
often regarded as better, which may result
in huge interior spaces. The bigger these
spaces get, the more they become a critical
design component, and to fill those spaces
correctly the more innovative flooring
solutions are sought. The next markets to
witness this rapid growth will be Qatar,
Oman, Kuwait and Morocco."
Laidler was speaking as APID lent its
official support to DOMOTEX Middle East -
the specialised carpets and flooring
exhibition - which runs at the Dubai World
Trade Centre (DWTC) from June 11-13. APID's
members are being actively encouraged to
attend the show and absorb all that's new in
the world of flooring.
"As interior designers, we require a very
up-to-date palette to work with and are
always hungry for new and unique materials
and concepts. Regional demand for
aspirational and functional interior design
is extremely intense so we need to keep
abreast of new products and techniques,"
said Laidler.
The APID President believes increased
regional interiors activity also means the
Association needs to press for best practice
standardisation through the Middle East -
beginning with the UAE - to ensure quality
standards. "Vertical industry events, such
as DOMOTEX Middle East are integral to the
standardisation drive", says Laidler.
"Although still young, the Middle East
markets are maturing at an astounding rate,
and the time is right for the regional
interior design profession to learn from,
and align itself with, best practice as
recognised by other professional interior
design associations the world over," he
said.
Surging Middle East flooring demand has
helped fuel huge growth in DOMOTEX Middle
East - with the 2007 edition expected to
take up 30% more exhibition space than last
year's highly successful inaugural event.
New-to-market exhibitors feature strongly in
an exhibitor profile which now spans
companies from 36 countries.
Among show newcomers is Ideal Legno SRL, an
Italian leader in pre-finished and
traditional wood flooring, which has
fashioned new products specifically for the
region to launch at DOMOTEX Middle East.
"We have taken regional tastes into
consideration in engineering wood flooring
with gold, silver and bronze leaf on top,"
explained Martina Lando, the company's
Export Officer. "The level of this
investment is in line with our belief that
the Middle East could be a promising and
thriving market for us.
"The Gulf in particular is, and will be, an
attractive market for a lot of producers if
we consider the rapid growth and development
of the last five years. I do think the
future will bring big opportunities for many
- it all depends on how you stand out and
become competitive."
Meanwhile, another DOMOTEX Middle East
newcomer, Green Vision International of
Saudi Arabia will launch itself into the
market with a new range of sports and
landscaping artificial grass flooring.
"We will be demonstrating these products and
will have our top management on hand to gain
brand exposure and introduce ourselves as a
new player in a very important market," said
Khalid Jaberah, General Manager. "We
anticipate our key markets will be the
entire GCC with particular emphasis on Saudi
Arabia."
The powerful DOMOTEX brand, which now
operates in Germany , China and Dubai , has
a compelling reputation as a window to the
world of flooring. Angela Schaschen,
representative of Deutsche Messe in
Hannover, Germany, one of the world's top
three trade show organisers, which is behind
DOMOTEX, said the 2007 event in Dubai will
live up to the brand promise.
DOMOTEX Middle East, the largest and most
successful trade show launch in the history
of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), is
set against a background of surging
construction activity throughout the Middle
East. According to industry analysts, over
US$ 1 trillion worth of projects are
currently planned or underway throughout the
six Gulf Co-operation Council States of the
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain , Oman,
Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
DOMOTEX Middle East has the official support
of the UAE Contractors' Association, the
Association of Professional Designers, the
Government of Dubai, the Department of
Economic Development and the Dubai Chamber
of Commerce & Industry. It is held under the
patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin
Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Department of
Civil Aviation, Government of Dubai and
Chairman of the Emirates Group.
About Deutsche Messe
Achieving annual revenues of over EUR 220
million, around 790 employees, 60 agencies
abroad and an exhibition centre with a
superb infrastructure totalling over 1
million square metres of space, Deutsche
Messe - based in Hannover, Germany, is among
the world's foremost trade fair companies.
Deutsche Messe develops, plans and runs
approx. 50 trade fairs and exhibitions in
Germany and abroad.
The main emphasis continues to be on
flagship international trade fairs for
capital goods. The aim of these trade shows
is to represent the latest markets and
highlight international market trends. They
are also a forum for applications-oriented
demonstrations of the latest technology, as
well as new launches of cutting-edge
technologies and presentations of the latest
research findings.
From Australia to Brazil , from the USA to
the People's Republic of China, from
Singapore to Turkey : in all these regions
Deutsche Messe and its six overseas
subsidiaries, plus more than 60 foreign
representatives, will continue to open up
new sales opportunities for their customers
in the future. This global network,
supported by experienced project teams from
Hannover, is responsible for overseeing
preparations in the run-up to the event,
organising and staging the event itself and
providing communications support throughout.
At present there are 116 members of staff
working abroad for Deutsche Messe.
Apart from its competence in running
international trade fairs and the unique
capacity of its exhibition centre, Deutsche
Messe offers exhibitors an excellent range
of quality services, ensuring the best
possible support before, during and after
the show.
Contact Details
Name Nick Langmead
Job Title Account Executive
Company MCS Action
Telephone 971 4 3902960
Email
nick.l@actionprgroup.com