Design Shenzhen - 27th February - 2 March 2023, at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center

Design Shanghai, billed as Asia’s largest design fair, will this year present a new addition to its event portfolio: Design Shenzhen, set to host some 200 curated brands tailored to architects, interior designers, property developers and the design-savvy public. 

The event will take place from the 27th February - 2 March 2023, at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center (SZCEC), an architectural landmark of Shenzhen in the heart of the city. 

Above: Yum Ziya, the Chief Experience Officer of Design Shenzhen 2023,
is the first Virtual Human that was released by the designer toy brand Underverse. 

Organisers believe Shenzhen, just across the border with Hong Kong, will become the third city to host Asia's leading design exhibition and will be the largest curated event of its kind ever seen in the city. 

Home to the biggest architecture and design, cultural and creative communities in China, Shenzhen is a hub of cutting edge and future-focused innovation. Dubbed the ‘Silicon Valley of China’, Shenzhen is home to leading tech company HQs, alongside vibrant art, culture and design businesses and institutions. 

Shenzhen

The city, once a fishing town in South China’s Guangdong province, is one of China’s best known economic miracles of the past 40 years. Design Shenzhen will bring new perspectives to design in China, creating a focal point for brands and designers within China’s most successful and fast expanding commercial and geographic region. The show will provide a journey into the future, spotlighting cutting-edge design and technology through global product launches, immersive installations, feature areas and a talks programme that will be led by minds shaping the future of design. 

Zhuo Tan, Managing Director of Clarion Events Shanghai Limited, says "Design Shenzhen will join Design Shanghai and Design China Beijing to create Asia’s largest network of annual design shows. The combined events will create a continuous and comprehensive design platform and promote the vigorous development of China's design industry!”

Raymond Wang, Show Director of Design Shenzhen, says “Our aim for Design Shenzhen is to launch an exhibition in the Greater Bay Area that has an impact within Asia and on the international stage. As China's first 'City of Design' designated by UNESCO, Shenzhen is undoubtedly the best place to host the cutting-edge design event. The first 'Design Shenzhen' will continue the professionalism of our series of exhibitions. As a brand-new exhibition, we invite industry pioneers in the fields of design, culture, creativity, etc., and look forward to bringing the vitality of design to Shenzhen this December.”

Design Shenzhen’s Features strive to partner with leading design and creative studios, luxury fashion brands and influential media titles to create unique and thought provoking experiences. Expect trend forecasts, one-off installations, stand-out projects and collaborations, that will encourage people to engage and question their understanding of design and the possibilities within this field.

The Design Shanghai Forum Programme has carved a reputation as the leading global platform for design thought leadership, hosting presentations from world-renowned designers, such as Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola, Paola Navone, Tom Dixon and Chi Wing Lo. Design Shenzhen will build on this platform to shine a light on the unique environment of Shenzhen, focusing on more forward-thinking design topics and the adoption of technologies in the design industry. Sponsored by PPG and Duravit, the 2023 Design Shenzhen Forum invites over 40 prestigious architects, designers and tastemakers to share their insights around the forum theme "Regenerative Design – Design for Wellbeing: Humanity, Sustainability, Technology". 

Images from Design Shanghai/Design Shenzhen.

Design Shanghai postpones 2022 event to June 2023 when it will celebrate 10th anniversary

Design Shanghai, billed as Asia’s largest and leading international design event series, announces its postponement of the much anticipated global show to June 2023. Due to take place on 13 – 15 October 2022 the show has now been rescheduled to take place on 8 – 11 June 2023. This will coincide with the 10 year anniversary of Design Shanghai and is set to be a monumental event. 

The decision has been made in response to the continuing uncertainty and challenges to events during the on-going Covid-19 outbreaks in China. 

Organisers say Design Shanghai will return next year to the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre.

To mark the 10 year milestone the show will see a major expansion including additional features and attractions. 

Design Shanghai showcases more than 500 international brands from 30 countries and regions. It is a platform where the global design community can unite, converse and present solutions about today’s cultural topics and challenges surrounding design, architecture and technology, say organisers/

Design Shanghai 2020 fair moved to 26 – 29 November

In response to the Chinese government’s latest advice and restrictions on events during the COVID-19 outbreak, Design Shanghai has made the decision to reschedule the 2020 event to November 26 - 29, 2020.

The venue - Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre - will remain the same; specific arrangements and details of our programmes and initiatives will be released in the coming weeks.
The event was originally slated to take place in March, then changed to May, and now to late autumn.

While its mandate is to showcase the best design brands and galleries from across the globe, Design Shanghai is known as Asia’s leading international design event that provides a unique platform to network, exchange and establish long-term business relations with Asia’s top architects, interior designers, property developers, retailers, collectors and private buyers.

Design Shanghai aims to explore how eastern and western design philosophies can work together synergistically across the six design sections: Contemporary, Classic & Luxury, Collectibles, Kitchen & Bathroom, Workplace and New Materials & Applications. The event also features bespoke installations, an inspirational design forum and exciting networking events.

Design Shanghai reports over 47,000 visitors to its first edition.

As China is rapidly developing as a market for affluent designs, the recent launch of a new exhibition had given the organisers much optimism to the event's future prospects.

Organisers at Design Shanghai has reported that its inaugural event held in Shanghai February 27 to March 2 was an overnight success recording more than  47,000 visitors to the four-day show, 65% of which were architects, interior designers, developers, dealers and affluent design-conscious consumers.   

Design Shanghai was co-organised by Media 10 (organisers of UK fairs:-100% Design, Grand Designs Live, Clerkenwell Design Week and Ideal Home Show), and Shanghai Art Fair Ltd.

Design Shanghai featured some of the UK’s most prestigious design brands exhibiting at the newly renovated Shanghai Exhibition Centre for the first time. The show included more than 50 UK and over 100 international design brands, most of which have never been showcased before in China.

Furthermore, over 600 media representatives from across South East Asia attended the opening day, resulting in 104 television reports on Design Shanghai.

Referring to  Design Shanghai 2014 as the leading trade platform for design professionals in China, with greater numbers of trade visitors than any other design event, Lee Newton, CEO of Media 10 said: “We're absolutely thrilled by the success of Design Shanghai; in particular, by the overall number of visitors.

"We, as Media 10, always wanted to stage a high-end design event in main land China, and when the opportunity arose, we seized it with both hands. China, especially Shanghai, is developing rapidly, but until now, no one has taken major Western design brands to the country.

"We're so pleased with the overall response to Design Shanghai, and we believe that this event is going to grow and become a key global platform for design. We would like to give a special thanks to all the exhibitors who have supported us in achieving this goal, and we look forward to seeing them again in China in 2015.”

Leading design brands including Magis, Flos, Fritz Hansen, Alessi, Boss Design, HAY, Cole & Son and Design Republic (Moooi, Tom Dixon and BD Barcelona Design) were among some of the exhibitors at the show.