The Association of Professional Interior Designers’ (APID) announced that it has launched the first Annual Contract Furniture Design Competition for students of interior design throughout the Middle East.
United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, May 23 – 2013 at 12:13 GMT+4
The winners of the contest sponsored by The Hotel Show will be announced during the event which is due to take place on June 4-6 2013, at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.
Dubai-based APID a new industry association and the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf, was formed with the support of some of the biggest names in the regional interior design industry such as Cinmar Design, Hirsch Bedner Associates, KCA International, Espacio Design, Intarch International Interiors, as well as Gulf Interiors magazine and the American University in Dubai.
Kenneth Laider, President, APID said, ‘I cannot stress strongly enough that we consider the education of students and graduate interior designers as paramount in promoting professionalism in our industry. This competition is an integral part of that process and by emphasising the commercial criteria students will gain a better understanding of balancing design concepts with economic viability, thus meeting the competitive demands of the market.’
The competition is open to students throughout the Middle East studying interior design. They have been tasked to design a range of case goods suitable for mass production specifically for the 3-4 star hotels. Furniture items will include bed headboards, night stands, TV stands, Desk or Dressing tables and wardrobes.
Participants will be invited to submit up to four sketch concepts, development drawings and detail drawings. Uniform presentations will be made on A2 boards with written descriptions of the concept and material specifications. To ensure anonymity during the selection process, no names or identifying marks will be displayed on the boards, merely a submission reference number that will be forwarded to the competitors upon registration.
Entries will be judged by appointed APID jurors consisting of prominent members of the regional interior design industry, reputable education establishments, The Hotel Show organising committee and other key sponsors. The judging criteria will focus on four key areas, innovative concept, practicality, adherence to brief and economic viability. In total there will be four prizes, the top prize being US$ 2,500 and a royalty agreement for the production of furniture designs, should that option be taken up.
Maggie Moore, Exhibition Director, The Hotel Show commented, ‘We want to support all aspects of the interior design industry throughout the Middle East. The APID competition invokes creativity and practicality. The designs have to be commercially feasible adding a sense of realism, which will not only benefit the students but the industry as whole. Today’s students are the industry leaders of tomorrow.’
The Hotel Show, the Middle East’s leading supplies exhibition to the region’s burgeoning hospitality and leisure sectors is organised by dmg world media Dubai Ltd one of the region’s leading exhibition companies based in Dubai.
