Leading manufacturers to showcase award-winning and functional designs for the modern workplace at The Office Exhibition 2012

The Office Exhibition 2012, the Middle East's premier trade event for office fit-outs, taking place from 15 - 17 May at the Dubai World Trade Centre, promises to deliver an exciting product showcase of sleek, innovative and smart office designs for the modern workplace. With GCC interior design spend forecast to reach $56bn in 2012, according to Ventures Middle East, the 11th edition of the show is attracting participation from world leaders in office design as well as a host of first-time exhibitors. Among the new exhibitors are Canadian heavyweights, Global Group and Allseating, leading designers of office furniture and seating solutions. They are joined by British manufacturers Loft, JDD and Bisley. The show will also see participation from top UAE suppliers including Mobili Emirates Furniture, United Furniture and Ritmo Furniture with the "Doimo Office" range. With representation from almost every continent in the world, The Office Exhibition 2012 will reveal over 140 new-to-region products and a wide array of award-winning designs. In line with the growth in healthcare and education projects across the Middle East, The Office Exhibition 2012 will have an increased focus on specialised furnishings for these environments. Loft, exclusive manufacturer of celebrated 20th century British furniture designer Robin Day, will introduce some of the most iconic seating designs for large scale applications. Day is renowned for having seated more people in his low cost, functional chairs than any other designer in the world. Exhibiting in collaboration with its UAE distributor Human Space, Loft will bring back the classic "1973 Polo chair". Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2012, the Polo chair has remained a popular choice for healthcare and education spaces due to its bright colour palette, strong exterior and easy-to-clean surface. Allseating is another manufacturer targeting the healthcare and education sectors with its award-winning stacking chair "Tuck." Designed by Todd Yetman, "Tuck" features subtle curves in the seat and back to provide ergonomic support and, as the name suggests, effortlessly tucks away when not in use. The chair recently won the "2011 Good Design Award" from The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. For corporate environments, JDD will launch three thoughtfully designed seating ranges. The "Polly" range offers relaxed seating for casual brainstorming or breakout sessions while the "Norah" and "Georgia" ranges are individual seating solutions perfectly suited for moments of quiet reflection. Returning to the show for the first time since 2007, Japanese design house and manufacturer, Okamura will launch its award-winning "Luce" chair and "Alzata Spine System." Making its regional debut and winner of the "2011 Good Design Award" from the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization, "Luce" is a multipurpose ergonomic chair designed for active work settings where users are required to stand up frequently. Its "smart relaxation" mechanism quickly absorbs the impact of sitting and helps the body to ease into a relaxed posture. In addition to versatile seating solutions, manufacturers will showcase innovation in workstations and desking systems, along with a wide range of modular products that offer intelligent space-saving solutions for the office desk such as the More Space System, showcased by German office specialists, Novus. The Office Exhibition 2012 will also be the regional launch pad for leading German manufacturers, C + P's new range of acoustic and wireless office solutions. Combining creativity and functionality, the "Sonic Wall" range of workstation partitions are sound absorbing surfaces that can be printed with individual motifs to make the office space look aesthetically pleasing. As the first European manufacturer to integrate technology into standard office furniture, C + P will also display a variety of products that combine smart design and technology. While its "Monotop" partition system can be controlled using a tablet or smartphone, the "Cegano" and "Premio" desk systems are fitted with wireless charging modules to ensure smartphone devices remain fully powered. Commenting on the line-up of exhibitors, David Wilson, Event Director of The Office Exhibition said: "We are delighted to bring to the Middle East such innovative and intelligent products in office furniture and design that complement the evolving modern workplace. This year's show promises to be yet another exciting showcase of excellent design and offers fantastic opportunities for knowledge exchange and networking. The Office Exhibition 2012 is undoubtedly the leading platform in the Middle East for architects, designers and business decision makers to source inspiring design ideas and new products."