Second edition of ’Meet d3’ Celebrates Creativity with over 50,000 visitors across three days
The second edition of Meet d3, Dubai Design District’s community event, saw thousands of guests enjoy three days of UAE-based, regional and international talent including must-see installations and experiences across fashion and lifestyle, food and beverage, family activities, music and entertainment, and a host of Emirati talent in a range of design areas.
Meet d3 has become a key symbol for Dubai Design District’s goal – that being committed to development of the design industry here in the region and supporting, as well as exposing, talent locally and internationally, will position Dubai as a truly global design hub as well as supporting the larger level goal of the Dubai 2021 vision. As a community, Dubai Design District celebrates creativity, not only exclusively within its own design community, but across the wider general public – Meet d3 demonstrated that creativity transcends everyone and can touch everyone’s senses, irrespective of age, ethnicity, demographic or background.
With over 31 participants from the GCC and 19 from the UAE, Meet d3 proved to be an important platform for the regions creative talent. The event programme also included 36 of d3’s own creative partners, alongside some of the most innovative activations for children, including TapeScape by Eric Lennarston, Ototo’s Playable Room, Audi Heroes in Training, HIPA’s Soorah Challenge and Sketch Aquarium by TeamLab.
“Meet d3, in its second year, demonstrated the diversity and innovation of Dubai as a primary destination for creativity from the UAE, the region, and the world,” said Chief Operating Officer of d3, Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi. “We have brought together some of the most creative minds in the Emirates, the wider region and all parts of the international design space to celebrate the collaboration and growth opportunities for both the business partners who call d3 their home as well as exceptional talent from across the globe. D3 presented Dubai and the region with something unique and a very different experience – not only just fun, but engaging, interactive and inspirational”
The feedback from Meet d3’s collaborators underscored the success of the event:
“Meet d3 2016 showcased a wide range of talent from the UAE and wider GCC, including architecture, filmmaking, furniture design, jewellery, and fashion – an entirely new audience enhanced its understanding of how the Gulf’s creative community is developing and breaking new ground,” said Rami Farook, an Emirati artist who collaborated with Kuwaiti designer Nanu Al-Hamad on the Khaleej 2016 exhibition.
“Meet d3 was a great experience! The atmosphere is very special. It’s amazing to bring all of these different people together and give this basket of delights –musically, visually, and sonically, and be able to touch and engage with a range of different things. It’s been enlightening and very progressive, and the audience are very up for it,” said Shane Walter, CEO and Creative Director at onedotzero.
Commenting on the event, Leon Jakimic, founder and president of Lasvit said, “Partnering with d3 we were very proud to unveil our two bespoke creations at Meet d3 while offering the Lasvit Glass Experience, giving the community across the UAE the opportunity to learn about the rich heritage of Bohemian hand-blown glass. Working with d3, we are proud to be part of growing the art & design landscape of Dubai year on year and bringing the design experience closer to the community.”
“Our fashion experience developed just for the second edition of Meet d3 -- Capture d3 – highlighted the breadth of design talent currently working in the region, from interiors to wearable pieces,” said Jolanta Jolanta Parlstam, Vice President of Merchandising - Luxury Fashion at Al Tayer Group. “The footfall, the enthusiasm of the shoppers, and the warmth of the community who attended made it a unique platform to increase awareness for regional designers.”
“Bringing to Meet d3 our range of quality chocolate, handcrafted in the UAE from bean to bar, has increased the awareness and reach of Mirzam with entirely new audiences, from families to corporate buyers,” said Kathy Johnston, Chief Chocolate Officer, Mirzam. “Because creativity, passion, and regional influences are at the heart of everything Mirzam does, Meet d3 was an ideal event for us as a brand.”
"Playing Meet d3 was a truly great experience - the energy of the Dubai audience was incredible! It's amazing to build bridges around the world through music, and help support the talented local artists, musicians, and designers in one of the world's up-and-coming cities of Dubai. I definitely look forward to returning to Dubai very soon." said Calum Scott.
“Meet d3 enabled Emirates to showcase our new collaboration with d3 business partner and designer Nadine Kanso – a range of Bil Arabi-designed gifts including jewellery, pouches, tableware and apparel celebrating the vibrant colors and spirit of the UAE. More than a thousand guests also took home a fun, memorable piece of Meet d3 from Emirates -- our bespoke emoji cube created just for this event,” said Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand for Emirates.
“We satisfied the sweet tooth cravings of guests from all ages at the second edition of Meet d3 with our handmade delicacies as well as keeping them caffeinated with select specialty coffee,” said Maitha Bin Byat, Founder, Nostalgia. “As a concept founded in the Emirates, we are so proud to support grassroots events like Meet d3, which celebrate the creativity and innovation in the region.”
“Given the growing number of fashion designers making d3 their regional headquarters, Faux Consultancy was delighted to again support Meet d3 by developing a new experiential concept for 2016 – the Bungalow by Faux. From luxurious eveningwear to swimsuits and accessories, Bungalow by Faux delivered a diverse selection of fashion and design from regional talents at Meet d3 2016,” said Firras Alwahabi, Founder and Managing Director, Faux Consultancy.
“I think Meet d3 is a great platform for participants to showcase their creativity and their talents within the District, our project Chic Sheep was a great success, not only did we give back to d3 but we also gave back to the greater community which was self-affirming for all of us and from last year to this year it’s more than 100% better in terms of the participants, the installations, the crowd – every year it’s getting better and I look forward to being a part of it next year” said Aya Nakkash, Marketing Manager of Nakkash Gallery.
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