IFI accepts APID bid to organise 2009 General Assembly and Design Congress
In a major coup for the region, Dubai will host the International Federation of Interior Architects and Designers’ (IFI) 2009 General Assembly and Design Congress.
IFI currently boasts over 65,000 members worldwide, with some 45 countries represented via national design associations, universities and industry stakeholders. Senior IFI board members visited Dubai in January to sign an official Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID), and to partake in preliminary discussions relating to organisation and scheduling of the upcoming event.
Held every two years, the event incorporates a design exhibition, design competition and student workshop entitled World Interiors for the New Generation (WING), as well as the congress and general assembly. This year, the design fest will take place over a six-day period in November.
“The event will firmly establish the UAE at the forefront of IFI activities, which will be a real achievement for the region, especially considering that APID is the newest member of IFI,” Kenneth Laidler, president of APID, said.
Speaking exclusively to Commercial Interior Design, president of IFI, Shrikant Nivasarkar outlined the organisation’s reasons for accepting the APID bid. “There is a lot of building activity occurring in the Middle East and the region is an emerging place for the built environment. Various people are coming here to explore new design ideas,” he noted.
“There are certain issues we would like to promote through our association, such as socially responsible design. Rather than allowing someone to make mistakes and then having to correct them, we would like to share our experiences and give a new and different meaning to the built environment which is emerging in the Middle East,” Nivasarkar continued.
The event will promote the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences. “We are going to invite, through our association, around 150 to 200 delegates from around the world,” he added.
The 2007 edition of the IFI General Assembly and Design Congress took place in Busan, South Korea (pictured above) and presented a unique showcase of eastern design.
“Our association was initiated in Europe and for a good number of years its focus was concentrated more on the western part of the world. In the last 15 to 20 years, there has been a significant increase in the number of Asian members but there were a lot of people in the west who were still not aware of what was happening in the Far East. This was a great opportunity for a real exchange, on a large scale,” said Nivasarkar.
The UAE will aim to replicate this success in November. In the meantime, there is plenty of work to be done. “The UAE is definitely competent, but there is limited time available,” Nivasarkar stressed.
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