Clarion Retail’s January Furniture Show has announced a brand refresh, a series of new features and an updated layout for its 33rd edition, taking place from 21st-24th January 2024 at the NEC, Birmingham.
While the event undergoes a revamp, 74% of last year’s exhibitors have already committed to return for next year’s event – including Birlea, Global Furniture Alliance, La-Z-Boy, Global Home, Softnord, Celebrity Motion, Wiemann, Rauch, VIDA Living, At The Helm, Alpha Designs, Baker Furniture, Bontempi, Forte, Incanto, Pacific Lifestyle, Mindy Brownes, Premier Housewares, Scatterbox, Tetrad, Westbridge and Whitemeadow.
Looking ahead to the 2024 event, the new branding introduces a clean and contemporary muted colour palette of teal, terracotta and earthy tones that "represent the lifestyle and interior design aesthetic that the show’s community of retail buyer attendees and their design-savvy consumers aspire to", states Clarion.
The minimalist branding has been developed with the aim of appealing to a wider base of buyers and manufacturers of modern design interior products. Clarion Retail’s portfolio director, Zoe Bonser, describes the rebrand as “combining a mix of current interior design styles that will position January Furniture Show as being at the forefront of modern furniture and interior design”.
A tranche of new features further demonstrates a renewed focus on design trends and a commitment to enhancing the visitor and exhibitor experience.
A programme of social events will take place over the four-day event to facilitate business discussions and networking opportunities between exhibitors and the buyers in attendance.
The JFS Social is being billed as the main event, and will invite all attendees and exhibitors to network with clients and colleagues. A daily ‘happy hour’ at the end of each day will provide further networking opportunities, and a new champagne bar will offer a more high-end setting for client meetings and private networking. Zoe says: “The social element of trade shows cannot be understated, and based on feedback from our exhibitor community, it’s where many of the important show conversations happen, whether in a business- or relationship-building context. So, we’ve designed a comprehensive programme of social events to make sure exhibitors make these valuable connections and have more meaningful interactions at the show.”
Building on the trends installation feature that debuted at this year’s show, an enhanced trends feature will showcase design innovations from the show’s most cutting-edge brands. Natalie Alexander, co-founder and creative director at the Better Trends Company, the show’s official trends partner, says: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to provide exclusive trend and forecasting insight to Clarion Retail for a second year running and can’t wait to share plans for an even bigger curated trend forecasting installation at January Furniture Show 2024.”
The reimagined show layout promises to optimise the visitor journey, replacing the original layout comprising three sector zones (premium design, interiors, and living, dining and bedroom) with four areas: premium design; cabinet; upholstery; and interiors and accessories, with this fourth zone now rebranded as the Home Interiors Show.
January Furniture Show has been taking place annually since 1990 and is the largest and longest-running furniture and interiors trade exhibition in the UK, now showcasing more than 350 regional, national and international brands and attracting some 11,000 attendees. The 2023 edition saw a +25% increase in attendance from 2022, concludes Clarion.
For more information about January Furniture Show 2024, visit the website.
