The 36th edition of China's CIFF exhibition, relocated from Guangzhou to be held for the first time in Shanghai, drew a reported 75,122 trade visitors (over 220,000 in all, including consumers) to the Shanghai National Convention & Exhibition Center in September.
The show featured 1471 Chinese and international exhibitors across an area of 400,000 sqm, offering home, office and garden furniture, plus furnishing fabrics, accessories, machinery and raw materials.
The first edition of the East Design event, designed and co-ordinated by Zhu Xiaojie, a leading Chinese designer, was based on the theme of wood, with a section devoted to seating, one to the major Chinese brands, one to young designers, five surveys, seven schools and universities from six different countries and regions of Asia.
Besides many leading Chinese and Asian brands, furniture companies from US, Italy, France, Great Britain, Belgium, Portugal, Australia and Turkey chose CIFF as their platform from which to enter the Asian market.
CIFF Shanghai also hosted a number of conferences focused on the themes of design, production and distribution, as well as international conferences such as the China-Italy Furniture Business Co-operation Forum, the second Chinese edition of the Global Furniture Outlook Seminar (organised in collaboration with CSIL) and the fifth Global Office Furniture Outlook.
