The Forum hosts leading global and regional design voices through live talks, panel discussions and keynotes, fostering dialogue and exchange within the international design community.

Situated within Downtown Design, The Forum brings together renowned speakers, designers and innovators from across the world. Each year, it presents a curated series of live talks, panel discussions and keynotes exploring the most relevant ideas shaping the global and regional design landscape.

Opening Keynote
Tristan Auer in conversation with Sara Hamdan, T. Magazine
Date: Wednesday, 4 November
Time: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Thursday, 5 November

RIBA - Prompts + Pixels x the 4th Dimension = Architecture Still Takes Time
Speakers: Yahya Kaddoura (Atkins Realis), Alina Valcarce(Valcarce Architects), Hamza Farooq (AECOM)
Moderator: Maya Cochrane (RIBA)
Time: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Keynote
Katharine Pooley
In conversation with Khemena Ahmed, The Kurator
Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Raw and Refined: The Materials Shaping Premium Living
Speakers: Ralf Steinhauer (RSP), Pooja Shah Mulani (LW Design), Mohammad Adib (Dewan Architects), Ellen Søhoel (XBD Collective)
Moderator: Agata Kurzela (Agata Kurzela Studio)
Time: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Luxury, Unseen: The Future of Living Well
Speakers: Laura Hammett, Karine Obegi (Obegi Home), Jonathan Ashmore (ANArchitect), Mauricio Clavero Kozlowski (Mauricio Clavero)
Moderator: Paolo Bleve, IFDM
Time: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Al Dakkah: Rethinking Placemaking from the Ground Up
Speakers: Omar al Gurg (MODU Method), Saad Boujane (Gensler), Mohammed Orfali (Orfali Bros)
Moderator: Nadia Verjee (Fitted, An Expo City Dubai Subsidiary)
Time: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Make Yourself at Home!
Speakers: Elisa Bruno (Level Shoes), Frederick Trzcinski (Lutron), Alia Centofanti (Kristina Zanic)
Moderator: Allegra Salvadori Loni, Marie Claire Maison
Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

One Size Fits No City: Designing Distinction in a Global Market
Speakers: Tom Crute (DHRE), Fatma Al Khayat (ARKAT), Samer Charara (Woods Bagot)
Moderator: Inzamam Rashid, Monocle
Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Friday, 6 November

AIA - Written in Code: Sculpting the City and Spaces Between
Speakers: Carlos Barea Sandoval (IRTH Group), YaLun Li (Dunes Workshop, AUD), Adela Askandar (Studio Bikin Architects), Yann Follain (WY-TO).
Moderator: Lisa Teo (AIA ME Board)
Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Made to Measure: Adapting Without Compromise
Speakers: Valerio Soldani (Italian Trade Agency), Marco Mangili (MMA), Luca Mazza (HMA Living), Jaime Terrades (H&H)
Moderator: Camille Dubuis-Welsch, Commercial Interior Design
Time: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

RIBA - Sustainability: Built to Last or Designed to Disassemble?
Speakers: Vladimir Jovanovic (AECOM), Lia Ronez (Woods Bagot), Hala Nahas (Dabbagh Architects)
Moderator: Philip Dudley (AtkinsRéalis)
Time: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM

The Big Idea: Keeping the Creative Vision Alive
Speakers: Carlo Magistretti (Sobha Furniture), Seema Al Mansouri (Eva Interiors), Milica Didic (Ele Interior), Rim Guirari (Mustard & Linen)
Moderator: Aneesha Rai
Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Saturday, 7 November

AIA - Dubai: By Design
Speakers: Emily Mottolese (SOM), Sameer Grover (Rove Hotels), Todd Pilgreen (Gensler), Christian Vasquez (National Engineering Bureau)
Moderator: Li Ren, AIA ME Board and 2025 President
Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM

New Traditions: Translating Cultural Memory into Contemporary Design
Speakers: Achraf Mzily (BONE Studio), Sumaya Dabbagh (Dabbagh Architects), Alzaina Lootah (Architect & Designer, UAE Designer Exhibition 2026), Marco Maximus (KEANE)
Time: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Close to Home: Local Materials, New Directions
Speakers: Xeina Malki (Slo Ceramics) , Helen Voce (Tanween by Tashkeel), Salma Aboubida (OKSAN Group), Ahmed Bayashout (Studio A)
Moderator: Yashna Balwanth, editor of Identity
Time: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Sunday, 8 November

RIBA - Is the Future Female?
Speakers: Loukia Voultsaki, (AECOM), Maryam Al-Irhayim (AECOM), Maya Cochrane (RIBA Gulf Chapter Chair)
Moderator: Matthew Utley (NOWMA Studio)
Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM