CIFF Guangzhou 2024: A record-breaking edition and a major boost to international furniture trade

An extraordinary edition of CIFF Guangzhou has just concluded, recording the highest number of exhibitors and visitors ever.

This success rewarded the strategy of CIFF, an ever-evolving exhibition event with a key role in the development of the global furniture industry, promoting design and innovation, boosting consumption, and fostering international furniture trade.

A total area measuring 850,000 square metres; 4,700 exhibitors, 11.8% more than the all-time pre-pandemic peak in 2019; 363,449 trade visitors, 22.06% more than in 2019, including 51,205 international visitors from 178 countries, an increase of as much as +43.11% compared to 2019.

Record-breaking numbers were recorded last March at the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou, further solidifying CIFF’s position as the world’s largest furniture fair and the most important and comprehensive business and product research platform in Asia.

The 53rd CIFF Guangzhou 2024 showed four major improvements in terms of scale, product range, offering quality, and business opportunities, providing a unique opportunity to learn about the latest trends in design, discover the novel aspects of furniture Made in China and its business potential, and create solid, profitable business relationships between professionals from all over the world and increasingly qualified exhibitors.

Divided into two phases for an exhibition event lasting a total of eight days, the 53rd CIFF Guangzhou 2024 represented the entire supply chain of the furniture industry.

We witnessed an increasingly international event, both in terms of the impressive visitor and exhibitor attendance figures and in terms of trends and quality standards. The exhibition comprised even better-designed booths offering products of growing sophistication in terms of materials and details, responding perfectly to recent market demands. An event tailored to the needs of influential buyers from all the world’s major markets, CIFF also attracted countless interior designers interested in discovering new trends and the highest quality standards for both the home and the workplace.

Visitors were met with an extremely wide range of exhibitions, lectures, and forums involving famous designers, journalists, and curators. This not only created an efficient communication platform positioned to lead the development of new trends but also provided important networking opportunities, facilitating fruitful exchanges and forging valuable collaborations.

CIFF’s first phase, dedicated to Home Furniture, took place from 18^th to 21^st March, showcasing home furnishings, decorations and textiles for the home, and outdoor and leisure furniture systems. A wide range of contemporary design solutions were featured to promote the advancement of increasingly smart homes—covering everything from the cosy and functional aspects of living and dining areas to the comfort of upholstery for living and sleeping areas, with a focus on new ‘smart sleep’ systems, from decorative elements to the configuration of outdoor leisure spaces—to meet the varied needs of interior designers, dealers, and companies looking for production partners.

The second phase, 28^th to 31^st March, focused on office furniture and commercial spaces as well as machinery, materials, and components for the furniture industry. 

Office Furniture and Commercial Space has become the world’s largest platform for workplace systems and seating, smart office solutions, solutions for public, school, and commercial spaces, and furniture for providing medical care and meeting the needs of older people. It has established itself as the ideal place for developing trends that integrate aesthetics, function, technology, and sustainability, featuring new products, and offering the best solutions for workspace and commercial projects.

CIFM/interzum Guangzhou 2024 was a high-level event focused on the supply chain, presenting cutting-edge solutions in the production of machinery, materials, and components indispensable for the increasingly smart evolution of the furniture industry.

The Materials section placed special emphasis on original surface design, proposing new trends in furniture and interior design. The Hardware section set new standards in the production of high-end furniture for ever smarter homes. With a focus on the use of artificial intelligence and integrated solutions, the Machinery section became the benchmark for innovation and digital transformation in the furniture industry.