Qatar’s newest interior design festival is returning for 2018 – as the countdown to the 2022 FIFA World Cup sparks a furniture and décor boom across the country.
Following its debut venture last year, INDEX Qatar is coming back to Doha this November for the second year running.
Aimed at uniting local interior designers, architects, buyers and project managers working on hotels, restaurants, homes and offices with international furniture and furnishing suppliers, the exhibition is predicted to welcome close to 10,000 visitors and more than 300 interior product providers.
Following its debut venture last year, INDEX Qatar is coming back to Doha this November for the second year running. Event director Jaafar Shubber (right) believes there has “never been a more exciting time” for the interior design industry in Qatar
With the football in Russia wrapping-up this week, it’s now just four years until Qatar takes centre-stage globally with its hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup – making the period the busiest in the country’s history for building design and interior decoration.
In line with that, an industry report commissioned by INDEX Qatar – and compiled by market analysts Ventures – has estimated the region’s spend on interior contracting and fit-out projects to now be worth a mammoth QR34billion (US$9.5bn) each year.
A spokesperson for Ventures said: “The interior design and fit-out industry is expected to flourish in the GCC as demand for new residential, hotels, commercial real estate, schools and hospitals continue to grow. Owners of existing structures, whether residential or commercial, will be under pressure to optimize the value of their projects by refurbishing them in order to maintain their market value.
“With the current oil prices soaring, there does not seem to be a slowdown in the project awards in 2018 with contractors having strong order books meaning they are now targeting works for 2018-19 completion.”
INDEX Qatar will gather hundreds of international product manufacturers and interior design firms at the Doha Exhibition & Conference Centre from November 13th to 15th.
The show is expected to attract thousands of interior designers, architects, project managers, importers and distributers from the full spectrum of retail, hospitality, residential and commercial design.
With Qatar’s Ministry of Finance setting aside QR200billion (US$55bn) for public expenditure in 2018 alone, INDEX arrives at an incredibly opportune time for designers looking to make the most of the country’s surging interiors market, itself valued at around QR5billion-a-year and growing.
Jaafar Shubber, INDEX Qatar event director, said: “Never has there been a more exciting time for the creative forces of Qatar and the wider region than now.
“The money being invested into the country as its international influence grows – and, of course, ahead of the 2022 World Cup – will transform an already constantly-modernising society. The current widespread construction and redevelopment across all sectors – hospitality, commercial real estate, retail, health and hospitals, and education – will define Qatar for generations to come; the opportunities at this time are almost infinite for designers and suppliers.
“For the second year in a row, INDEX Qatar will set out to cater to the needs of the thousands of interior designers, architects and buyers looking to fit-out and decorate the billions of dollars-worth of building projects underway across the country by connecting them with the latest trend-defining products from around the world. Our 2017 show was a huge success – returning this November is hugely exciting!”
Following their huge success at last year’s launch show, INDEX Qatar’s three-days of design-led conversation will return, with Design Talks panels featuring leading interior and architectural specialists.
