Design Shanghai: Lessons for Trade Shows in China

For many smaller foreign brands in China, it's not been possible to exhibit at a trade show in China since early 2020. For bigger brands, exhibiting has largely been handled by China-based employees. But with trade shows being an important piece of the China puzzle for many brands selling in the market, it is worthwhile understanding how they are evolving in China in a post-Covid world.

We visited Design Shanghai last week to see how the most successful brands are exhibiting at trade shows these days, and also to keep up with the latest in design trends in China. Design Shanghai is Asia's biggest design event, showcasing brands, designers and galleries both from China and globally.

The video below shows you footage from the exhibition floor, with pointers for brands. As a teaser, the most successful brands didn't have stands that were wide open to draw in the masses, rather they created limited access, with visitors having to scan QR codes to enter. This created a sense of exclusivity, helped ease concerns around covid infection through crowded spaces and also provided a more sustainable way to build and maintain a relationship with visitors.

Find out more about the show and what appeared to be working in the video below.

Edit credit: Melanie Zhou.