Index, Mena’s largest interiors and design exhibition, recorded more than 27,870 visitors to its 2011 show at the Dubai World Trade Centre, marking an increase of 11.4 per cent as compared to the figures for last year’s event.

Trade visitors were the largest attendees group making up to two thirds of show visitors (18,719 people) with some non-trade visitors, media and students also attending. Over 11 per cent of attendees flew into Dubai from other GCC countries as well as from Europe, the USA, African countries, India and Pakistan.

Over 1,600 influential VIP buyers from ongoing projects with budgets totalling $102,500 million were present at the One VIP event.

“Index 2011 was a great success both from the exhibitors’ and visitors’ perspectives; we hit the mark with Index’s innovative profile for 2011 that introduced a new structure and additional show features to the event,” said Paula Al Chami, event director for Index 2011.

“During the event, professionals and design-passionate people had the opportunity to immerse themselves in new trends and innovations from the international design industry. Visitors packed the halls and all the features – from “Les Collections Exclusives” to the Design Talks and the Student Challenge – got an incredible response. We couldn’t be more satisfied with this year’s result.”

A total of 918 companies participated at Index 2011, showcasing their products across 10 halls and occupying 18,213 sq m of floor space.

The international nature of the exhibitions was also reflected in the origin of the exhibitors who came from 45 countries, 20 of which had dedicated national pavilions including France, Italy, Indonesia, Spain, Korea, Portugal, Turkey, Thailand and Singapore.

“The six product-specific shows - Furnishings, InRetail, Kitchen & Bathroom, Lighting, Outdoor Living and Textiles - that were introduced this year received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our visitors,” said Naomi Barton, who has been appointed as the new event director for Index 2012.

“We have already started working on next year’s Index event and we will keep improving its format and add to the content to cater to the design market’s evolving needs. New product sectors that will be part of Index 2012 include four new show areas: Inspire, Couture, Furniture and Surfaces & Finishes will next year be part of Index, making the 22nd edition of the event larger and even more memorable than the previous shows,” she added.

The new shows will continue to give the exhibition a more product-specific structure, making it easier for visitor to find what they are looking for.

Couture will be dedicated to high-end luxury furniture; Furniture will showcase contemporary and classic bedroom, living and dining furniture; Surfaces & Finishes will focus exclusively on surfaces, flooring and finishing products; and Inspire is a new high-end home fashion and lifestyle section of Index 2012.

Index 2012 will run from September 24 to 27, 2012 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.  For the first time, Index will also take place in Jeddah from May 29 to 31, 2012. – TradeArabia News Service