Industry seminars at PALME 2005 offer a unique opportunity to meet world-renowned experts

Having rapidly grown into a unique, comprehensive showcase, featuring major international manufacturers, key regional suppliers, installers and integrators from the professional entertainment and project installation industries, organisers IIR Middle East continue to build on the event's success by continually adding extra value for exhibitors and visitors.

"To further increase the benefit to the regional industry as a whole, PALME 2005 will feature a series of master classes and industry seminars that have been specifically designed to help those involved in AV installation and event management keep up to speed with the latest products, services and solutions available" said Darren Brechin, Project Director, PALME. "Held over the three days of the event, these will be hosted by some of the world's leading experts - it is a major coup for PALME that this year we welcome Jonathan Speirs and Paul Gregory, both of whom are world class experts in the field of architectural lighting".

Renowned for international lighting design projects that include the Burj Al Arab and Golden Gate Bridge, the participation of Speirs and Gregory is further evidence of the credibility of PALME as a global event.

Jonathan Speirs is a Lighting Architect with over twenty years experience as an independent lighting consultant and designer. Following his training as an Architect, he co-founded the Lighting Design Partnership in 1984, and in June 1992 left to form Jonathan Speirs and Associates in Edinburgh. In 1993 he formed a working association with Mark Major which developed into Speirs and Major - the London studio of the Lighting Architects Group. Speirs and Major Associates was formed from the merger of the two companies in 2003.

Jonathan's masterclasses at PALME 2005 will focus on three RIBA Stirling Prize (the UK Building of the Year award) projects, profiling the Swiss Re Tower by Foster and Partners, London - The Gateshead Millennium Bridge by Wilkinson Eyre Architects and The Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham, also by Wilkinson Eyre Architects.

Speirs and Major Associates were the Lighting Architects for these highly prestigious, important UK projects. Jonathan's presentation will give a unique insight into the creative thinking behind the projects, featuring excerpts from the client presentations along with details, and of course images, of the final projects.

Jonathan has worked internationally on projects in over 38 countries - these range from the Millennium Dome and Bluewater Retail Park in the UK to the Jumeirah Beach Resort (interior and exterior), exterior of the Burj Al Arab tower and the Bur Juman Centre - all in Dubai.

Recently completed projects include the Swiss Re Tower, London, the new Copenhagen Opera House in Denmark and the Museum of World Cultures, Gothenburg, Sweden. Current projects include The Eden Project (Cornwall, UK), Dresden Main Railway Station (Germany), the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque (Abu Dhabi), St. Paul's Cathedral, Terminal 5 Heathrow and Her Majesty's Treasury (all in London).

Among his many industry accolades are the Lighting Dimensions International - Architectural Lighting Designer of the Year Award, twelve IALD Awards and Citations including the 2002 Award of Excellence for the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, four International Illumination Design Awards of Excellence and two IIDA Awards of Distinction. He regularly lectures and tutors internationally as well as acting as a Creative Consultant on the annual Architectural Lighting Master Classes held in New York.

Recently inducted into Architectural Lighting Magazine's Hall of Fame, and with projects that have been featured in Architectural Record, Archi-Tech, Interior Design, Interiors, Architecture & Light, Lighting Dimensions, Metropolis, Hospitality Design, Design Week, New York Magazine and the New York Times, Paul Gregory's presentation will look at the crucial first principles behind a successful lighting design.

This will include analysis of details, budgets and the all important final results for diverse projects such as the Nobu Restaurant (New York), Toys R Us (Times Square, New York), Le Cirque 2000 Restaurant (New York), Sushi Samba Restaurant (Chicago), Morimoto Restaurant (Philadelphia), FAO Schwarz (New York) and Tourneau in The Forum Shops (Las Vegas).

Paul's designs reflect the belief that a sense of drama and theatre is inherent in successful architectural projects. A primary goal is to ensure that when a patron enters a showroom, hotel, or restaurant, or when a passerby first looks at a lit façade at night, the initial impact is as stunning and memorable as the moment the curtain rises on a Broadway stage. Projects designed by Paul Gregory and his team at Focus Lighting may be seen all across the United States and in other major cities around the world.

Paul trained in theatrical lighting at the Goodman Theatre School of the Art Institute of Chicago and in Architectural Lighting Design at the Parsons School of Design in New York City. He spent a number of years designing lights for regional theatres such as the Alley Theatre, StageWest, and the Goodman Theatre. In 1975, he founded and headed Litelab Corporation, where he was responsible for major design projects in museums, restaurants, theatres, and entertainment facilities. Paul has been an Illuminating Engineering Society member since 1982, and also serves as the Creative Consultant for the Architectural Lighting Master Classes Program, a 2-day seminar focused on exploring the creative uses of light.

Internationally acknowledged as the key forum for the industry in the Middle East, the event is supported by PLASA UK, the professional lighting and sound association (one of the few shows in the world to receive their official endorsement). Other major industry associations such as APIAS (Italy), Secarty's (Spain) and ILDA (U.S.) are also enthusiastic supporters.

This year's event, already a sell-out, is set to build on the outstanding success of PALME 2004, which attracted 30% more exhibitors than the 2003 event, 134 companies from 25 countries, from as far away as the US, Australia, Korea and Belgium, participating - this exceptional growth is the result of the high quality of the event, which has proved a great success for exhibitors. This year sees a 100% increase in occupied floor space, with over 400 companies represented.

A highly focused B2B event, PALME is dedicated to putting key regional decision makers in contact with the world's leading manufactures and suppliers. Clear evidence of this continuing commitment is the launch of three brand new vertical arenas at PALME 2005, expanding the profile of the event to comprehensively cover AV Installation, events and musical instruments.

PALME 2005 takes place from April 24-26 at Dubai International Exhibition Centre.