Design Shanghai reported over 47,000 visitors between 27th February and 2nd March, 65% of which were architects, interior designers, developers, dealers and affluent design-conscious consumers. The event was co-organised by award-winning Media 10 and Shanghai Art Fair.
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 presented 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.
Overnight, Design Shanghai 2014 has become a leading trade platform for design professionals in China.
Lee Newton, CEO of Media 10 (100% Design, Grand Designs Live, Clerkenwell Design Week and Ideal Home Show), says: “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.”
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 amongst the exhibitors at the show.
Design Shanghai also boasted an impressive, curatorial content. AD China Design Forum featured five daily seminars, with prolific Western and Eastern designers meeting for the first time to discuss The Rise of Contemporary Chinese Creativity. In total, the seminars attracted more than 5,000 visitors over the four-day period. Furthermore, award-winning Wallpaper* Handmade with Jaguar, and curated space of Carpenters Workshop, Downtown Francois Laffanour and Jousse Enterprise presented by Perfect Crossovers, were brought to China for the first time at Design Shanghai.
Meanwhile, artists from both China and Europe created art installations across the show.
Mike Dynan, director at Media 10, who was instrumental in organising the event in China, adds: “This has been an unbelievable journey with plenty of obstacles, but we remained positive and found a way through them. The support we have received from the design industry over here and in China has been overwhelming. The majority of exhibitors and sponsors have already rebooked for next year, and we have already had a lot of enquiries from other leading brands.”
Design Shanghai will be held at the same time in 2015.
