Dubai, April 16, 2014: The MECO Middle East Best Practice Guide for office spaces was launched today by the Middle East Council for Offices (MECO). The guide the first one of its kind to be published in the region- aims to establishing best practices in the specification of modern office buildings and ultimately toimprove the quality of office accommodation in the Middle East.

Developed in collaboration with engineers, architects, designers, agents and developers working in the Middle East, the guide addresses the current drivers for change in the industry.

We are thrilled to be launching the first MECO Best Practice Guide which we hope will benefit the entire industry and promote the advancement of the working environment, said Christopher Seymour, co- Chairman of MECO and Head of Property at EC Harris. The guide is the result of extensive research and collaborations between MECO members and industry professionals; I would like to thank each person who was involved in the project for their commitment and for the thoughts brought in to the guide.

The office market in the Middle East is seeing interest from a more sophisticated tenant and hence the quality of the office accommodation is becoming a key decision point.Moreover many of the Middle East markets face unique conditions which represent a challenge to those involved in the creation and management of the office stock in the region. Founded in 2009 MECO is committed to promoting all aspects of the office cycle in the Middle East, from design to occupation.

As part of its focus on promoting an open dialogue among industrys player, MECO will be participating to workspace at INDEX Design Talks with a dedicated day on Wednesday 21st May 2014. The speakers panel for the day includes Nick Nunnington, Academic and Author Corporate Real Estate; Richard Fenne, Architect & Regional Technical Design Leader at Woods Bagot; David Cockerton, Development & Asset Manager at SinoGulf Real Estate Investments and Lachlan Buchanan co -Chairman of MECO and Development Manager at Servcorp MENA

INDEX Design Talks is a free-to-attend seminar programme aimed at the regions architecture and design community that takes place at workspace at INDEX, the leading commercial interiors exhibition in the MENA region, which will run from 19th to 22nd May at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

For further information onthe workspace at INDEX Design Talks programme, visit http://www.workspace-index.com