Architectural and design students from the UAE win trip to the Frezza facility in Venice.

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6 Feb 2008

Office Exhibition has always been an event that has promoted the future of the industry, and this year a few students from the region got the opportunity to get one foot into the door of this lucrative field. Mariam Hassan and Nausheen Baig from AUD were declared the winning students of the 'Inspire Us' challenge, put forth by Frezza SpA in association with The Total Office.

The winners now get a once-in-a-lifetime tour of the Frezza facility in Venice, Italy to meet their world class designers. Siddharth Peters, the Managing Director of The Total Office, commented saying “We are thrilled to be working with Frezza on this project as ‘The Total Office’ is committed to supporting the designers of tomorrow. The merger of commercial design and youthful innovations will surely bring about something unique.”

Dr. Linda Nubani, Assistant Professor of Interior Design, American University in Dubai, was also full of praise for the collaboration. “The Office Exhibition 2008 is an important landmark for our students: not only will it give them international exposure, it will also offer them a unique opportunity to participate in the design and production of an important range of office furniture in Italy.

I am delighted to see that international companies are opening doors for students to get involved in their design activities through this competition, and more importantly, by dedicating some of their busy time in critiquing their design projects” she said. Her thoughts were echoed by Mariam Hassan and Nausheen Baig, the two winning students at the School of Architecture and Design,

American University of Dubai who confirmed that the opportunity to compete for a chance to visit the home base of Frezza in Italy has added an extra incentive to all the participating students’ efforts this semester. They added that the possibility of having their projects evaluated by representatives of an internationally respected furniture manufacturer is the greatest prize they can ask for.

The 2008 version of the event proved to be bigger and better than ever before, with over 250 exhibitors from across the region taking part. Trade visitors streamed into the Dubai International Exhibition & Convention Centre over the last three days. Besides the best designers and suppliers from across the world, including Germany, the UK, the USA, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Cyprus, the event also played host to a series of seminars and conferences featuring some of the most prominent names in the office interior design business.

A Business by Design Workshop by Fred Burns, one of the leading lights of the design industry, a series of free seminars known as the Workplace Freedom seminars and other industry-relevant features ensured that both the exhibitors and the visitors got much more than they bargained for at the event.