ICEX Setting up a Spain Space Again, at Dowtown Design Dubai

From November 8 to 12, ICEX and the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in Dubai, under the brand Interiors from Spain, organized a Spain Space at the Downtown Design Dubai (UAE) fair, for the second year. This space called "Interior Makers" and designed by Juan Roldán was located at Stand 10 and included the participation of eight Spanish interior design companies.

Downtown Design Dubai is an event aimed at home design companies held as part of "Dubai Design Week", which takes place in the emblematic d3 (Dubai Design District). This show has been held in person for 7 years and has become a key meeting point for Middle Eastern architects, interior designers and real estate developers looking for designer and high-end products. In 2019. The event included 180 exhibitors from 30 countries and was visited by 19,000 professionals, 85% of which came from the Middle East.

This year, the exhibition "Interior Makers" was designed and curated by Juan Roldán, architect, designer, and professor at the American University of Sharjah (UAE), and has been conceived to show exhibition visitors Spain's ability to create stunning interior designs through each of the pieces of furniture, lighting, carpet, porcelain, and other decorative items from participating Spanish companies: Böln, Cosentino, Kriskadecor, Lladró, Nani Marquina, Nomon, RS Barcelona, and Sol y Luna. At the following link www.spainisin.com/fair/downtown-design-dubai you will find information and catalogs for these brands.

Side activities at the fair included a working breakfast at the Cosentino showroom which was held on Monday, November 8 from 8:30 to 10:30. This event was moderated by Lena Marcuccilli from the digital platform Love That Design and was focused on the design concepts behind Juan Roldán's project and the selection of the eight companies exhibiting in the Spanish Pavilion. The renowned Chef Mariano Andrés was in charge of bringing flavor to the breakfast. That same Monday there was also a talk within the seminar forum at the fair from 16:00-17:00 by Micael Calatrava, CEO of the Santiago Calatrava architecture studio.

In this same forum at the fair (The Talks) on Wednesday, November 10 from 17:00 to 18:00, a round table discussion was held entitled: "Sustainable Environments.” Xavi Calvo (VWDC2022), Marisa Santamaría (Founder of Global Innovation Trend Unit), and Juan Roldán (moderator) participated. They presented their approach to sustainable models at different scales within the design industry: from the city to the object. The conversation explored areas of common interest in the field between subject matter experts from Spain and the United Arab Emirates.

This year, the fair also coincided with the celebration of Expo 2020 Dubai, which has just opened its doors a year late due to the coronavirus pandemic and can be visited until the end of March 2022. Spain was presented at this cultural event with a Spanish Pavilion under the slogan “Intelligence for Life.” The 5,800 m2 architectural project was created by the studio Amann-Cánovas-Maruri (Temperaturas Extremas Arquitectos) and is managed by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E).  "Its hallmark is its tall, colorful cones in which the atavistic memory of colors has been recovered to convey the character of Mediterranean culture and link the theme of sustainability with a message of optimism." Two events were organized in this Spanish Pavilion, aimed at professionals from the UAE, with the participation of Spanish companies, designers and institutions related to Spanish home and design.

On Sunday, November 7, a meeting was organized by the Leading Brands of Spain Forum between eleven Spanish companies in the field of architecture, design, and interior design, and about fifteen top architects and developers in the UAE. At this networking event , Sherif Anis, Director of Design + Development at LEAD Development , and Spanish designer Ramón Esteve presented several architectural projects with great potential in the region for the Spanish brands attending: Actiu, Andreu World, Arco, Cosentino, Gandía Blasco, Keraben, Lladró, Ondarreta, Onnera Group, Roca and Sancal.

On Tuesday, November 9, the "Design Day" was also held at the Expo’s Spanish Pavilion. This event was organized by the companies Cosentino, Roca, and Andreu World, sponsors of the Spanish Pavilion at Expo Dubai and y Acción Cultural Española. The day consisted of round tables on Spanish design. The first, set up by Cosentino, was focused on "Freshness and innovation for a global market. Success stories” and  moderated by Pilar Marcos, director of Diseño Interior magazine, were spoken Juli Capella and the Stone Design studio. The next table organized by Andreu World (AW) “Design as a Strategy” and moderated by Love That Design's content director spoke designer Alfredo Häberli, Xavi Calvo, director of Valencia World Design Capital 2022 and the AW's CEO.  After lunch there were two round tables: one on "Mediterranean design: a strategic value for a global brand" organized and moderated by Roca with the participation of architect Borja Ferrater, designer Andreu Carulla and representatives from the studio Elisava, from the design cluster "Barcelona Design Center", from Barcelona City Council, and Roca. Finally another on “Design and Gastronomy after which a cocktail will be served.

Also noteworthy are the two buildings created at the Expo by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava for the UAE hosts, which emulates a falcon in flight, and their neighbors Qatar, which pays homage to Qatar's coat of arms.

UAE is, after Saudi Arabia, the second largest export destination for our home products to Asia. In 2020, we exported lighting products worth 15.8 million euros, furniture worth nearly 14.8 million euros and ready-made home textiles worth more than 7.2 million euros.