Two globally renowned figures in architecture and interior design have confirmed their participation as keynote speakers at the upcoming Interior Design Congress in Dubai, said event organisers.

The congress is set to take place October 22 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, added organisers Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID), an institution representing professional interior designers in the Gulf region.

David Trubridge, one of the speakers, is an innovative furniture designer based in Havelock North, New Zealand. His work is produced in New Zealand using only natural materials in order to reduce the effect on the environment.

He holds a degree in naval architecture (boat design) from Newcastle University in England and has exhibited his works around the world. He has had works commissioned for London's Victoria and Albert Museum, exhibited at the Milan furniture fairs as well as the International Contemporary Furniture Fair and taught at the Vitra summer design school in Milan.

“APID is heavily focusing on the preparations for the first ever Festival of Interior Design. We are honoured that David Trubridge and Rogier van der Heide have accepted our invitation to be speakers at the Interior Design Congress,” said Farida Kamber Al Awadhi, president, APID.

“We are sure that participants during the congress will learn a lot from the talks and discussions of these experts, who will also be joined by fellow industry professionals from the region’s Interior Design sector.”

“Learning from them reflects our commitment towards giving local designers the chance to improve on their skills and talent and work alongside internationally renowned design masters,” she added.

Rogier van der Heide, the other speaker, is a designer based in the Netherlands and has contributed to public and commercial places all over the world. He studied at the Institut Superieur des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium and the Amsterdam School of Arts.

In 1990, he joined the Amsterdam-based design practice, Hans Wolff & Partners (HWP), who specialize in architectural lighting design and theatre consulting. His most notable work in light design for the firm was the renovation of the Royal Flemish Opera in Ghent, Belgium.

Leaving HWP in 1994, van der Heide became a founding principal at Holland’s Licht Advanced Design, the practice that he would own, lead and direct for ten years.

“The Middle East region is rapidly emerging as a strategic global hub for interior design and is made even stronger with the influx of key major projects spread out across different places. The Interior Design Congress is being organized with the purpose of equipping our local designers with essential information like the latest trends and practices being used in the international interior design market,” Al Awadhi said.

“Moreover, the congress is part of FoID’s move to become a pioneering event that aims to bring together and strengthen interior design professionals from all over the Middle East region. Rest assured, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to provide strategic and gainful opportunities created by the festival,” she concluded.

The Interior Design Congress will run alongside this year’s edition of the Dubai International Design Exhibition (Index 2011) and will also feature two panel discussions that will touch on key topics in the design industry.

It will also take place during the inaugural Festival of Interior Design (FoID), which will run from October 22 to October 25 across Dubai. – TradeArabia News Service