THE crème-de-la-crème of the interiors, design and furniture worlds come to Bahrain this month (April) as the widely-anticipated and acclaimed gulfInteriors exhibition makes a welcome return.

For the first time, gulfInteriors is being marketed independently from gulfBID guaranteeing a vibrant three days of networking and deal-making, with figures expected to surpass past shows.

This year’s show, which is already sold out, will be held at Hall Two of the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre in conjunction with gulfBID.

Top local, regional and international interiors, design and furniture specialists are set to participate. Exhibitors will this year include Bahrain’s top furniture and design houses such as ID Design, DWP and Home Centre.

Among the sectors to be covered at gulfInteriors 2012 are contract and residential furniture, interior design services and contracting, textiles and upholstery fabrics, beds and bedding, flooring and wall coverings, lighting, kitchens and bathrooms, art and accessories, ceramics, marble and granite, outdoor living, hospitality and office interiors.

Jubran Abdulrahman, managing director of the organiser Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE), says: “The interiors, design and furniture sectors are important from both a trade and consumer perspective, and attract great excitement among our visitors. Increased regional and national spending on hospitality and real estate projects generates huge business potential for interiors-related businesses of all sizes, and gulfInteriors is here to serve that pent-up demand.”

According to industry reports, the Gulf region’s interior design market will grow exponentially over the next few years, following an estimated $57 billion spending in the sector in the GCC in 2011. The resurgence of select GCC real estate markets as well as the announcement of a raft of new world-class development projects in the region means influential interior designers now consider this buoyant region one of the world’s most lucrative.

According to HCE, gulfInteriors 2012 will have something for everyone – for exhibitors and interiors professionals an opportunity to engage with clients in a tightly focused, business-conducive atmosphere to raise brand awareness; and for visitors an opportunity to experience what is currently making the interiors market tick, and meet with some of the industry’s most inspiring and influential players.

Abdulrahman adds: “gulfInteriors exhibitors are the epitome of style and design. They are shaping the future of the interiors, design and furniture sectors in our region, and their products and services appeal to discerning connoisseurs around the world, from buyers for large projects to individual home owners. For this reason, gulfInteriors is already one of the most talked-about, and most anticipated, events on the Northern Gulf’s exhibition calendar.”

In addition to Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Tamkeen Labour Fund and the German Arab Chamber of Commerce, gulfInteriors is also supported by the British Contract Furnishing Association.