The Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN) has announced that its Guide Interior & Product Design Expo 2021 will take place from 17th-18th September from 10 am – 6 pm daily.
GUIDE will be the largest official Interior and product Design trade destination in Nigeria and the longest-running trade show dedicated to the interior, product and furniture design in the country. The show will be housed at Balmoral Hall, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Built on years of success, GUIDE is constantly evolving to ensure we remain the destination of choice for design-led brands and top buyers. Exhibitors will present their latest collections and showcase their brands to over 5000 industry professionals and visitors.
Themed, ‘THE EVOLUTION’; the expo is aimed at the gradual development and awareness of the design industry as it relates to interior design, product design and embracing form and function inbuilt environments where health, safety and welfare of the public are of foremost importance.
“Our purpose is to create a platform that educates, inspires, exposes and motivates designers in Nigeria as we showcase to the world at large,” IDAN stated.
The association in a statement said designers can connect with the top Nigerian buyers and decision-makers who recognise GUIDE as the only place to source bestsellers at discounted rates, adding that the show is perfectly timed for the peak buying season to maximise results.
“We bring together a curated edit of top brands and exciting new names across the design and lifestyle spectrum. The Expo is split into distinctive sectors showcasing various Furniture and Product Design, Art and Culture, Interior Designer’s Portfolio and Business / Career development seminars,” the association stated.
In an interview with BusinessDaySunday, Omon Anenih-Mordi, the National president IDAN, said before IDAN was set up, the interior design industry though thriving, was largely unorganised, adding that its founding members established IDAN to address the major problems that exist in the interior design industry in Nigeria.
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Speaking on some of the challenges IDAN set out to address, Anenih-Mordi said: “The absence of a voluntary association to stimulate and promote professionalism in the practice, the absence of a Legal regime, statute or regulation governing the interior design industry and the absence of institutions in the country offering comprehensive professional training in interior design.
“Having proper design licensing and regulation will bridge the knowledge and experience gap and although IDAN initiatives like Continuing professional development (CPD), our C.E.O round tables, exhibitions like GUIDE and seminars have improved these gaps drastically, much is still left to be done.”
She explained that as the sole body of Interior design in Nigeria, the herculean task is upon the association to make the industry better organised and in ensuring that members, clients and the general public are educated about the possibilities and limitations.
She noted that just being aware of problems is a great starting point because only then would solutions begin to emerge as its hope is that in the long run, these problems would be effectively resolved.
Speaking on the prospects and future of the interior design business in Nigeria, she said, “The industry is ever-growing. New homeowners are turning to interior designers, now more than ever. Decades ago, an interior designer was accessible only by the wealthy. The rest of the population enjoyed well-decorated homes only through magazines and catalogs.
“However, over the years, there has been widespread growth of service, accessibility and consumption, making interior design a necessity rather than a luxury. As such, there is an increased demand and appreciation for professional interior design and decoration services. The future is certainly looking bright for our industry.”
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