Copyright © 2025 Motivate Media Group. All rights reserved.
identity's Editor spoke with the fair's newly appointed Managing Director.
Ruggero Ottogalli, Downtown Design’s newly-appointed Managing Director, reveals how he will be consolidating its operational model and expanding the fair’s offering ahead of this year’s edition in November.
Read more from this interview in our April issue, which you can read for free here.
Downtown Design is so much more than just a design fair. It is an ecosystem that nurtures the cross-pollination of ideas, cultures and talent. As an industry agent, it connects design with commercial opportunity. The fair’s curatorial approach – filtering brands for quality, originality and context – remains strong as ever.
We continue to build on that DNA with solutions that maximise the return on investment for exhibitors. We understand that the scale, offering, local presence, expectations and key objectives of exhibitors are different. So, we will have tailored packages designed around the specific needs of the exhibitor.
The Forum at Downtown Design is the intellectual heart of the fair and brings together global design leaders. Last year we had Dara Huang, Christian Louboutin and Greg Natale, among others, to discuss the industry’s most pressing matters. The team is working on an exciting theme that will explore future attitudes towards design creation and consumption. We will be announcing this year’s theme soon and will be announcing updates via Instagram and online.
Downtown Design’s visitor profile reflects Dubai’s position as Middle East design hub and gateway to the GCC, Africa and Asia. Each year we collaborate with a regional designer to mastermind the fair’s look and feel, and the public areas. Together with specially commissioned installations, talks and networking events, it attracts top design firms, design investors, hoteliers and developers. Last year visitor numbers grew by 20 per cent. This included locally-based designers, many of whom service Europe and America as well as the region. In addition, Downtown Design welcomed regional industry decision-makers, as well as private clients. As a key event of Dubai Design Week, we see a deeper engagement with design enthusiasts and consumers as well. We also want to increase the wider regional participation, particularly from KSA and North Africa.
While there is growing appreciation and demand for contemporary design across the region, there are cost-efficiency pressures. Our industry players must increasingly share their requirements and expertise with transparency while being ready to listen, learn and adapt. I believe Downtown Design can be the ideal platform for a similar symposium. What is currently happening globally will have a long-term impact and we must create a better environment for the industry.
Downtown Design has proven itself to be an industry platform that continually responds to the design industry’s needs. We must support emerging talent, give visibility to design innovation from the region and the world, and foster meaningful relationships. Communication, engagement and collaboration are key. It is challenging and immensely exciting to evolve and offer tangible value to exhibitors, the industry, visitors and the community.
Downtown Design 2020 is scheduled to take place from 10 to 13 November at Dubai Design District (d3) waterfront. For more information visit downtowndesign.com.
IDST’s design invites exploration with a thoughtful blend of artisanal craftsmanship and contemporary style.
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and KCA International are collaborating to launch this new hotel
Roar crafts the PIF Daycare Centre in Riyadh with a calming, sensory-rich environment where design, nature and childhood development come together.
Brush and Switch by Sans Souci bend light in unexpected ways
We speak to Joanna Varettas, Senior Associate Designer at TGP International on the story of Seed & Bloom – a café designed to nurture connection and community engagement
For this year's Downtown Design, Finasi and Pallavi Dean will unveil a bold new installation that speaks the language of material honesty, exceptional craftsmanship, visionary design, and local identity.
This Palm Jumeirah home proves that luxury can be achieved with intention, rather than scale
Here are snippets from the evening.
You can now choose your favourite project from the identity Design Awards 2025 shortlist
The shortlist is revealed for the interior design categories
The Middle East’s leading platform for high-quality contemporary design will showcase a curated mix of international and regional brands, alongside independent designers and studios
Studio Marco Piva has designed the Eden Spa at Excelsior Palace in Rapallo, where architecture, landscape and luxury converge