Index, the Middle East’s largest interiors exhibition, is set to host a compact edition of its design showcase in September, under the Silk Road theme.

Following on from March’s annual flagship event, the autumn Index will offer a show different to its usual buyer experience as it explores one of the most significant historical design routes of all time, said a spokesman for the organiser dmg events. It is set to welcome 400 furniture and décor design and supply companies from across the continents, all specialising in fit-out and interior products for commercial, hospitality, retail and residential design projects.

With a focus on ‘East Meets West’, the show is presenting itself as a modern-day Silk Road; the famous cross-continental design pathway that opened up new markets for Asian and European design philosophies, said Samantha Macdonald, Index event director.

An exhibit at the Index held in March.

“The Silk Road started over 2,000 years ago, and through its many routes became the first way that Europe and the West was introduced to the likes of silk, dyes, precious stones, porcelain, spices and perfumes. In return, the route took western goods like glassware, woollen textiles, rugs, carpets, animal furs and skins to a new market in the East, making it the world’s first and then premiere trade route – at the heart of which was design and creativity,” she explained.

She added: “Its path ventured through the deserts of the Middle East. Two millennia on, the region – the UAE especially – plays equally as central a role now as being the hub between the two continents.

Macdonald said Index September will focus on individual designs and value-driven products from Asia, alongside premium products from Europe.

“Together, they will allow the show to present a wide selection of interior products to suit the taste and budgets of all our visitors, covering every buyer’s needs as the design industry heads into the final quarter of the year,” she said.

Index takes place alongside dmg events’ latest exhibition, FIM – dedicated to showcasing materials, fittings and technology used to manufacture interior products – and follows the lead event in March, which gathered more than 27,000 creative minds together for four days of interior design exhibiting and networking.

Index will take place from September 16 to 18 at Dubai World Trade Centre, alongside The Hotel Show Dubai, and together these will offer a complete insight into the Middle East’s surging design and hospitality industry.