The Dubai gamble

For the great and good of the art and design world, the calendar of must-visit events in Dubai has become increasingly enticing in recent years. After last May’s art week, which saw events such as Art Dubai, Dubai Walls, the Global Art Forum and Design Days – an initiative specialising in design for collectors – all taking place, this May will see the turn on Index, the leading international event for the design industry in the Middle East and North Africa. In September, after the summer break, the hospitality sector will take centre stage in the form of The Hotel Show, with Downtown Design and Dubai Design Week to follow in late October. Yet Dubai’s vitality and vivacity are not just about its regular trade fairs and industry events. The city itself – the layout of which reveals a clear, strategic vision – has quickly realised the importance of creating a brand-new district entirely dedicated to creativity, design and fashion. Indeed, the first stage of the Dubai Design District – or D3 – was recently completed with the construction of buildings for the B2B sector. Two more phases are expected to be completed by 2019, in time for Expo 2020, for which the city has chosen an impressively ambitious title: Connecting Minds. Creating the Future.