MILAN — Conflict and the threat of wider war are not stopping the Middle East’s design industry. Organizers across key regional design hubs — Beirut, Dubai, Doha and Riyadh — told WWD this week that major design events are still moving forward, even as the U.S. and Iran conflict impacts travel and security across the Gulf.
Here, a look at what the organizers continue to plan.
Beirut
We Design Beirut will return for its third edition from May 26 to 30, 2027, organizers told WWD Thursday. Founded in 2024, the event has risen as a platform for designers, artisans, architects and students across product design, interiors, architecture and craft — and a vehicle for positioning Beirut within the global design conversation.
“This will happen no matter what. If we ever have to postpone because of circumstances, we postpone but we don’t stop,” founder Mariana Wehbe told WWD.
