A new modular programme of dialogues and design stories highlighted UAE's creative talent and thought leaders, offering insight into the work carried out by key stakeholders of the community.

Curated by Fatma al Mahmoud, the daily ‘Meet the UAE Creatives' programme provided designers and creatives based in the UAE with a platform to explain their work in the local creative scene with sessions throughout Dubai Design Week.

The programme hosted dignitaries and leaders from within the local creative scene in a platform of knowledge exchange and informative public engagement, inspired by the traditional ‘Barza’ setting - this form of majlis, or gathering is where generations are traditionally raised and people’s needs are discussed and differences are resolved - has a contemporary twist, through means of new venue selections throughout the week at the festival’s main hub Dubai Design District (d3).

By topic, assigned moderators based on their expertise in the field of each individual session’s subject established a platform for the renowned and emerging creatives to share their experiences, in order to suggestively enhance and develop the setting of topics relevant to the local, regional and international design scene.

‘Meet the UAE Creatives’ hosted esteemed creatives from the design led community, who pioneered and impacted the local creative scene such as Abdalla Almulla and Layth Mahdi alongside emerging creatives entering the scene, the likes of graphic designer Ayesha bin Haider.