Earlier this year, Love That Design hosted a Roundtable discussion focused on the payment-related hurdles in the Middle East and how the Architecture and Interior Design industry copes with the various challenges they face. By looking at all stakeholders (Project Managers, Designers, Contractors, and Suppliers) across the board, we embarked on a path to find if any players in the market had it the ideal way…
Location: Interface Showroom, Dubai Design District (d3)
While the end result of an interior project might look stellar, often, the payment processes behind it are anything but. There’s a tussle when it comes to receiving and handing over fees in the interior world that creates an unpleasant experience throughout the construction network – from clients to the suppliers. Withholding finances incurs significant losses to individual companies and destroys industry relationships. Where does this delay and communication gap start, and how can the interior design industry come together and mitigate these hurdles?
Payments in the interior design world have always been a source of conflict, and with the pandemic, it became even more apparent. The cash flows (or lack thereof) had everyone going the extra mile – not only to land projects but also to finalise payments. Like any other crisis, the pandemic brought to light faults in the system and spotlighted precisely where there were fractures in communication and procedures.