Next year’s January Furniture Show is to see a brand refresh, a series of new show features and an updated show layout for its 33rd annual edition.
While the event undergoes a revamp, 74% of last year’s exhibitors have already committed to return for the 21-24 January event, including Birlea, Global Furniture Alliance, La-Z-Boy, Global Home, Softnord, Celebrity Motion, Wiemann, Rauch, VIDA Living, At the Helm, Alpha Designs, Baker Furniture, Bontempi, Forte, Incanto, Pacific Lifestyle, Mindy Brownes, Premier Housewares, Scatterbox, Tetrad, Westbridge, Whitemeadow.
‘The new branding introduces a clean and contemporary muted colour palette of teal, terracotta and earthy tones that represent the lifestyle and interior design aesthetic that the show’s community of retail buyer attendees and their design-savvy consumers aspire to. Teal is the colour of rejuvenation, education and clarity of thought, giving a feeling of peace during turbulent times,’ says Zoe Bonsor, Clarion Retail portfolio director.
‘The minimalist branding reflects this move towards design and trend-led home furnishings, with the aim of appealing to a wider base of buyers and manufacturers of modern design interior products. The rebrand as combinines a mix of current interior design styles that will position January Furniture Show as being at the forefront of modern furniture and interior design.’
She says a tranche of new event features further demonstrates the show’s renewed focus on design trends and commitment to enhancing the visitor and exhibitor experience. A programme of social events will take place over the four-day event to facilitate business discussions and networking opportunities between exhibitors and buyers.
The ‘JFS Social’ is being billed as the main event when visitors and exhibitors will be invited to network with clients and colleagues. A daily ‘happy hour’ at the end of each day will provide further networking opportunities and a new champagne bar will offer a more high-end setting for client meetings and private networking. ‘The social element of tradeshows cannot be understated and based on feedback from our exhibitor community, it’s where many of the important show conversations happen, whether in a business or relationship-building context. So, we’ve designed a comprehensive programme of social events to make sure exhibitors make these valuable connections and have more meaningful interactions at the show,’ says Bonsor.
Building on the trends installation feature that debuted at this year’s January Furniture Show, an enhanced trends feature will showcase design innovations from the show’s most cutting-edge brands forecast for retail success. Natalie Alexander, co-founder and creative director at the Better Trends Company, the show’s official trends partner says: ‘We are delighted to have the opportunity to provide exclusive trend and forecasting insight to Clarion Retail for a second year running and can’t wait to share plans for an even bigger curated trend forecasting installation at January Furniture Show 2024.’
The new show layout will replace the original layout comprising three sector zones of premium design; interiors; and living, dining and bedroom with four areas: premium design; cabinet; upholstery; and interiors and accessories, with this fourth zone rebranded as the Home Interiors Show.