Three months of events

From January to March, the international stage for fairs and events offers a lot of action. Here are the most important appointments, for professionals and curious visitors

CES, Las Vegas
CES, Las Vegas

For the first three months in 2023, the international trade fair calendar is packed with appointments covering almost all the bases of interior design: from decoration to surfaces, consumer electronics to collectible design. The events take place on many different scales: some are essentially regional, while others have worldwide impact.

Maison&Objet, Paris

January
The first is the Consumer Electronics Show (CESLas Vegas, 5-8), an international showcase of technologies that often have to do with the décor sector as well. This is followed by Heimtextil (Frankfurt, 10-13), the fair of furnishing fabrics. Lifestyle is the theme of Top Drawer (London, 15-17), the biannual gathering for fabrics and accessories; while the whole world of the home is addressed by Maison&Objet (Paris, 19-23), which in this winter edition is joined by Paris Déco Off, an annual focus on fabrics and wallcoverings.

Homi, Milan

More or less in the same period, on the other side of the Atlantic it’s the moment for IDS Toronto (19-22), flanked by DesignTO: a fair and a festival where design is the main protagonist, and a double attraction for the area of Canada/North America. The January Furniture Show (Birmingham, 22-25) examines classic and contemporary décor, followed by the Oslo Design Fair (25-27), a biannual event with a contract area, and Homi (Milan, 23-26), the fair for tableware, objects and furnishing complements. The month concludes with another fabrics fair, Belétage (Salzburg, 29-30).

OBJECT, Rotterdam
OBJECT, Rotterdam

February
Ambiente (Frankfurt, 3-7) offers an overview of products divided into four main themes: Dining, Living, Giving, Working. The spotlight then shifts to the Stockholm Furniture Fair (7-11) and its parallel Design Week: the most important platform for Scandinavian creativity. From 7 to 9 February, London welcomes the Surface Design Show, an event for architects and designers with an eye on innovation in the field of surfaces and claddings, while from 10 to 12 February Object Rotterdam presents an overview of collectible design.

Discover Boating – Miami International Boat Show
Discover Boating – Miami International Boat Show

Discover Boating – Miami International Boat Show (16-20) is the year’s first yachting event (the world’s largest for this sector), while in New York the fair-event I Am You Are (17-19) brings together over 100 creative talents and companies from Ukraine. Collectible design is also featured at Nomad Sankt Moritz (23-26), while in London the Workspace Design Show (27-28) is entirely dedicated to offices and workspaces.

ISH, Frankfurt – Photo © Pietro Sutera courtesy of Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

March
In Cairo, the traveling event Hi Design (1-3) brings together key figures of the hospitality industry for networking and business initiatives; while from 8 to 12 March the Dubai International Boat Show is the biggest event in the yachting sector in the UAE/Middle East area. The migration returns to Europe for Collectible (Brussels, 9-12), on experimental and collectible design, followed by ISH (Frankfurt, 13-17), the main biennial for the HVAC and water sectors, returning after a long break caused by the pandemic, with the slogan “Solutions for a sustainable future.”

MIPIM, Cannes – Photo © S. d’Halloy / Image&Co
MIPIM, Cannes – Photo © S. d’Halloy / Image&Co

In Cannes (14-17) visitors arrive for the 2023 edition of MIPIM, with its focus on the international real estate market, setting out to create connections between international operators. The month concludes with the Palm Beach International Boat Show (23-26), on all types of vessels: from 2.5-meter inflatables to superyachts.