Four pillars for a better living model

A total of 4,000 exhibitors and an exhibition area of 700,000m2 made the 51st CIFF Guangzhou the world’s largest trade fair in 2023 dedicated to the entire furniture supply chain.

The fair took place over two phases, from March 18-21 and from March 28-31, at the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou Pazhou and comprised a number of individual fairs and display sections within the overall exhibition.

With the motto ‘Design trend, global trade, entire supply chain’, the 51st CIFF Guangzhou aims to build a better living model based on four key points.

The first relates to a high concentration of brands to promote the development of the high-end furniture industry by leveraging the advantages of the entire supply chain.

CIFF claims to be the only furniture fair in the world covering the entire furniture industry supply chain. It includes home, office and commercial furniture, home decor and textiles, and outdoor furniture, in addition to the materials, components, and machinery offered at CIFM/interzum Guangzhou.

BACKGROUND TO FAIR

During the past three years it has not been convenient for international buyers to visit their Chinese clients at fairs. Despite that, CIFF organisers said the accumulative export value of Chinese furniture and its parts exceeded 400bn yuan from 2020 to 2022. In 2021, the number hit a record high of 477.19bn yuan.

Looking back at 2022, China’s economy grew by 3%, maintaining stability in employment and prices. The total import and export value exceeded 40tr yuan for the first time, and reached 42.07tr yuan, with an increase of 7.7% year-on-year.

“Just as Liu He, deputy prime minister of the State Council, stated in his speech at the World Economic Forum 2023 in January, the Chinese economy will see an overall improvement this year, with a high probability of reaching a normal growth rate,” CIFF organisers stated.

“It can be projected that imports will increase significantly this year, enterprises will increase investment and residents’ consumption will return to normal.”

At the fair, Home Furniture was dedicated to creating ‘China’s best trade fair for original home furnishing products’.

A new concept and an exhibition layout distributed over three functional divisions was designed to optimise the presence of exhibitors, both Chinese and international (coming from 16 countries), called to propose new trends and showcase new solutions for complete, environmentally sustainable furnishings, integrated with artificial intelligence and dedicated to improving people’s quality of life.

Six pavilions in the exhibition complex featured 150 selected brands. Pavilions 2.1 through 4.1 focused on design, following the theme New Road: with visitors able to take an immersive stroll through the design offerings of exhibitors such as Ho Yan, HIK, Norya, Gainwell, Dash Casa, Debrah’s, B&G, Manitta, Gese, Innovation and Notting Hill.

The third edition of the Design Spring CIFF Contemporary Chinese Furniture Design Fair took place in pavilions 6.1 through 8.1, occupying double the floor space and featuring 80 more exhibitors compared to the first edition: 14 themed exhibitions, over 30 forums, and more than 1,000 innovative products were presented by influential Chinese design brands, including Haostyle, U+, Moreless, Zizaoshe, Tianwu, HC28, Rongshe, and Pusu Design.

Leading brands such as Manwah, Kuka, HTL, Landbond, Sleemon, Tempur, Sealy, and Kingsdown were among the main players in the upholstered furniture section in pavilions 1.2 through 5.2.

Area B is themed ‘Create the New’: Leading manufacturers of high-end dining and living room furniture, including Henglin, 33UE, Zoy, Evergo, J&C, Modern Home, Starway, G-life, Best, and Donjon, offer onestop services in sourcing, OEM, and ODM.

Demand for these services among international customers and partners has grown so much that, since last year’s edition, the number of exhibitors has increased from 150 to 450 and the dedicated pavilions from two to seven.

Meanwhile, The Poly World Trade Centre hosted Outdoor Furniture, Sunshade & Leisure, billed as the largest outdoor furniture exhibition in Asia. Themed ‘Boom’, this exhibition covered four pavilions, over 50% more than the last edition.

Higold, Arti, Ever Gaining, Alma, Derui, and Couture were just some of the exhibitors present.

Office and Commercial Space and CIFM/ interzum Guangzhou, occupied the entire Canton Fair Complex with the first-time addition of the newly built Area D for a record exhibition scale of over 7% more than the all-time high set in 2019, indicating not just the restoration of market confidence but even its improvement.

Office and Commercial Space covered an exhibition area of over 220,000m2 and 22 pavilions divided into areas: Leading domestic and international brands such as K+N, Royal Ahrend, Sunon, Victory, CJF, 33UE, Henglin, Quama, Saosen, Jongtay, Huasheng, Lmfu, and more created a onestop shopping platform offering trendy solutions for environmentally friendly work and commercial spaces. The exhibition space dedicated to school furniture increased by more than 50%.

For its part, CIFM/interzum Guanzhou occupied 18 pavilions in areas B and C of the exhibition complex and an exhibition area of over 160,000m2, offering a complete range of machinery, materials, hardware, and accessories for the furniture industry from the best international companies in the sector, including Homag, Biesse, SCM, DTC, Tutti, SH-ABC, OPK, Schattdecor, Rehau, Dilong, Furen, Huawon, Liamax, Nanxing, Hold Cnc, Hua Jian, KDT, Yaodonghua, Richfruits, Lianyi, and more.

BRIDGE BETWEEN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

CIFF organisers say they aimed at a high level of industry participation to promote the development of the high-end furniture industry using all channels. Effectively, the 51st CIFF Guangzhou was designed to act as a bridge between the domestic and international markets.

The CIFF Creative Community, CIFF Elite Community, Global Partnership Programme, Cross- border E-commerce Development Programme, and Ten Thousand Outlets in One Hundred Cities are events designed to develop new distribution channels and fortify connections in the industry.

This is designed to enable the engagement of 16 specialised furniture mall chains, 74 design institutions, 60 foreign consulates in Guangzhou, and 177 international business associations, as well as interior designers, distributors, traders, and companies specialising in international e-commerce.

The organisers’ efforts have allowed them to expand the target audience into other sectors. These other sectors include real estate, healthcare and care for older people, and homestay, and the intention is to integrate the traditional trade fair event with online activities, developing the ‘8+365’ project, enhanced with in-person meetings and negotiations during the eight days of the 51st CIFF Guangzhou and a service that will be available online 365 days a year for the most important buyers, importers, and distributors.

One hundred conferences, forums and 11 thematic exhibitions were also on the schedule.

There are also four series of special events – ‘Voice of Design’, ‘Elite Business Talks’, ‘Cross-border Elite Gathering’, and ‘New Product Launch’ – to promote an effective and high-quality dialogue platform for the home furnishing industry and address new trends.