Arc Middle East 2024
1-on-1 with the Middle East's Leading Architects
February 9-12, 2024
Abu Dhabi, UAE
1-on-1 Meetings and Networking with the Middle East's Leading Commercial Architects
Arc Middle East is the event for manufacturers who want an edge in winning high-value construction projects throughout the Middle East.
Since 2010, it’s been chosen by some of the biggest names in the industry as their most effective way to connect with architects throughout the Gulf and beyond.
The pipeline across the Middle East over the next few years is mind-blowing. Saudi Arabia’s construction market alone is valued at $1.7 Trillion, with another $700million of projects in the pipeline across the UAE.
And in the thick of it all, the big architecture and construction firms are coming to Arc Middle East to find the right building product manufacturers who can help them deliver their clients’ visions. And that’s where you come in…
The Middle East's Leading Commercial Architects. Guaranteed.
Months of research and prospecting goes into building the guest list for Arc Middle East. Our dedicated search team identify and recruit only the most qualified candidates, following a three stage process:
Step 1) Pinpoint the largest, most high-profile projects in the Middle East in design stages
Step 2) Identify the architectural firms involved and the Principals leading the design and specification
Step 3) Invite those Principals to submit an application outlining their credentials. Accept and enrol pending final QC.
Arc Middle East regular attendees include:
Yoshiyuki Uchiyama
Design Director
Nikken Sekkei
Ala Hason
Vice President
HKS
Miled Fadel
Senior Architectural Specification Writer
Dar Al-Handasah
Khaled Al-Doghry
Principal Architect
Saudconsult
Arun Puri
Head of Architectural Tech Services
Gulf Consult
Matthew Utley
Principal
Grimshaw
Large-Scale Commercial Projects Throughout the Middle East
Whether it’s hospitality, healthcare, workplace, sports, education, public or government, Arc Middle East delivers the true commercial project influencers.
Every single architect and specifier you’ll meet has a winnable portfolio of major commercial projects and the clout to influence who gets specified and who doesn’t.
1-on-1 Meetings and Networking with the Middle East's Top Commercial Architects.
This is not a trade show.
You know exactly who’s going to be here and you will have a number of guaranteed, pre-scheduled 1-to-1 meetings with the ‘buyers’ of your choice. And this is just the start.
You are all together for 3 days and 3 nights at a luxury resort, so there’s time and space to meet everybody and it’s this abundance of natural networking that opens up a whole world of possibilities. Because there’s a real community feel here and everyone’s more relaxed and open and any number of conversations can light up the commercial project trail right in front of you – you’ll see!
BOND has been one of the best kept secrets in Specification Sales for far too long! As a long time attendee and believer, it excites me to see the word really get out there and BOND claim it’s reign as the greatest ROI conference for Materials Manufacturers on the planet.
Eric Atkins
Program
PLEASE NOTE: This is last year’s program. Check back soon for the 2024 schedule.
Seminar timings and/or content may be varied at our discretion.
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
Friday, February 9
Seminar - Masterpieces from the Louvre
Andrew Graham-Dixon
Synopsis
A free-ranging exploration of a select group of master paintings from the Louvre Museum, from the age of Louis XIV to the age of Revolution and into the nineteenth century. Examining the ways in which art reflects the values of culture and society and can be a medium for the expression of philosophical, ethical and political ideas and ideals.
Biography
Andrew is an expert on Italian Art and Architecture. In his home country, he is best know for a massively successful BBC series ”Italy Unpacked” which he presented with the Chef Giorgio Locatelli. In fact, he has presented more television documentaries about art for the BBC than anyone else in the Corporation's history. He is one of the world’s leading art critics with a weekly column in the Sunday Telegraph (one of the UK’s leading newspapers), having written more than a million words on all aspects of the visual arts.Saturday, February 10
Seminar - Building Civilization in the Age of Globalization
Marwa Al-Sabouni | Architect & Author, Sibat Architects
Synopsis
Throughout the history of human civilization, architecture has been the tool by which we have our left our mark on the earth. However, in a time when architectural merit is most often measured according to size, scale, and quantity, accompanied by our conflicting realization of the perils consumerism and global growth represent, we need to remember that the way we build not only marks human existence but also defines the way forward for our continued existence. With pandemics, conflicts, climate and economic crises, humanity is being forced to rethink its choices. Architecture must be at the forefront of this process. It’s not enough to merely build for shelter or to impress, the responsibility of building must address the key questions that led to the building of civilizations, the pinnacle of human achievement, without leading to it’s destruction that we are witnessing around the world. How do we find balance in an age that is notorious for its speed and connectivity which are surpassing all of our endeavors to tame their negative impacts on civilization? We realize that in order to reap the fruits of our globalized progress for humanity, we are placing too much on the alter of technology. What architecture can do about it, is the question.
Biography
Dr. Marwa Al-Sabouni is an award-winning architect, author and an international speaker from Syria. She has received the Prince Claus Award in 2018, and ranked in the BBC 100 Women 2019.
Her acclaimed book The Battle for Home was chosen in the Guardian as one of best architectural books 2016, and was named by the UK Prospect Magazine as one of the Top 50 thinkers around the World.
Her TED Talk was among the best of TED talks 2016 and was viewed over one million times. The Architectural Digest listed her as one of the top contenders for the Pritzker Prize 2018. Her second book Building for Hope was published in 2021. And she is a Fellow at Ralston College USA.
She took part on different platforms around the world such as the Sydney Opera House and the World Economic Forum.
Her writings have been published in RIBA Journal, Architectural Review, Financial Times, Standpoint Magazine, ICRC Journal among others.
She runs a private studio with her partner in their city Homs. And co-founder of Arch-news (www.arch-news.net) the world's first and only website dedicated to architectural news in Arabic and the winner of Royal Kuwaiti award for best media project in the Arab World 2010.
Sunday, February 11
Seminar - The True Essence of Upscale Design
Jeremy Heyes | Senior Vice President, Wimberly Interiors (WATG)
Synopsis
In August 2000 WATG welcomed an unexpected visitor to their London Studio. During the ensuing conversation the visitor represented the Abu Dhabi ruling family he described the vision of the UAE hosting the next GCC conference in a purpose-built palace at the end of the corniche in Abu Dhabi. The property was to be the ultimate luxury hotel and conference venue and WATG were invited to compete with two other architectural companies to submit design proposals. So began a 5-year design and process that redefined hospitality in Abu Dhabi and significant architectural gesture that together with the presidential palace next door define a response to a culturally sensitive campus of civic buildings.
• The evolution of the project brief to a conference venue for the UAE Emirs to meet as well
• Clear organisational clarity to meet protocol requirements
• Careful selection of material palette
• The intellectual rigour behind the selection of the Islamic decoration and pattern
• The procurement of the project, construction management/package contractors
and onsite design office
Today the hospitality landscape has changed significantly but luxury destination hotels are still playing a key role in the development and urban fabric of world cities and their architectural and design scene. We shall illustrate this two recent WATG projects within the region that opened in the last year. The Ritz Carlton Amman, Jordan, and the startling different Waldorf Astoria, Lusail, Qatar. Both projects have very similar area programmes and size of development, and both embody the true essence of upper upscale hospitality design.
Biography
With more than 35 years of global experience in planning and architecture, Jeremy has a wide-ranging background. His highly creative design and project management expertise spans hotels, entertainment and leisure resort facilities, and residential developments the world over.
Since joining WATG in 1992, Jeremy’s portfolio has grown to feature some of the firm’s most iconic legacy projects, including the major civic landmark Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, which encompasses more than 270,000 sqm in built area and a beachside elevation of over two kilometres. He was the senior project architect for the original US$65 million refurbishment of Claridge’s Hotel in London, and was design and development lead for LEGOLand Windsor Resort, England, which is renowned for its innovative design that continues to delight children and adults alike.
More recently, Jeremy has been at the helm of new openings including the Ritz-Carlton Amman and Chedi Katara, as well as the award-winning St. Regis Astana Hotel and Residences and Porto Montenegro.
Jeremy is currently serving his third term on the WATG Board of Directors.
Seminar - How to Design with your Ears
Julian Treasure | Sound & Communication Expert, The Sound Agency Ltd
Synopsis
Sound expert, author and five-time TED speaker Julian Treasure explores the huge opportunity to design sound that’s appropriate, delightful, and congruent with visual branding in hotels. He will viscerally demonstrate the four powerful ways in which sound affects guests and staff alike and show how our senses interrelate so that that design can never be truly complete if it focuses on the eyes alone. He will then explore the shocking extent of a global problem: noise, which adversely affects happiness, effectiveness and wellbeing in many environments – including hotels – and reveal the four simple steps to excellent sound design, including some tips on beneficial sound and a brand-new tool. He will end with an introduction to audio branding with some real-world examples, showing how to create sound that’s not only effective but also iconic and memorable.
Biography
Julian Treasure is a sought-after and top-rated international speaker. Collectively his five (yes five) TED talks on various aspects of sound and communication have been viewed more than 80 million times. His talk How To Speak So That People Want To Listen is in the top 10 TED talks of all time.
Julian's first book, Sound Business, is the seminal work on creating effective business sound, now in its second edition and also published in Japanese. His audio branding company The Sound Agency works with major brands worldwide proving that good sound is good business and pioneering the use of generative soundscapes instead of mindless music in spaces like airports, shopping malls and offices.
His second book, How To Be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening, is a practical guide to improving the vital personal communication skills of listening and speaking (both public and private), which have been eroded by our ocular culture, including our obsession with screens. The book includes many simple exercises; interviews with experts; and potent, transformational concepts gleaned from 30 years' experience as a speaker with a passion for listening.
Julian has been widely featured as a sound and communication expert in the world's media, including TIME Magazine; The Economist; The Times; and many international TV and radio stations and podcasts. He is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a long time musician, remembering with affection his two 1981 BBC John Peel sessions (the bands were Transmitters and Missing Presumed Dead). He lives in Orkney, Scotland with Jane and their daughter Holly.
Monday, February 12
BOND get us in front of the best contacts available in the most time and cost effective manner. It’s one of the most valuable resources that we have available.
