Seen was recently invited to talk at Brighton University about careers in the Design industry and the subject of networking at trade fairs came up. As there’s so many to choose from we thought we’d put together a list for the students of key dates to add to their dairies:

January

Top Drawer

13-15 January
Olympia London
www.topdrawer.co.uk

Large trade only buyer event, encompassing nine lifestyle sectors of Home Accessories, Gift, Fashion, Greetings & Stationery, Craft, Kids, Food Emporium, Spotted and Tableware from around 1000 brands.

IMM Cologne

14-20 January
Koelnmesse GmbH, Cologne
www.imm-cologne.com

Key International Furniture and interiors trade show with around 1200 brands across 14 halls.

Maison&Objet

18-22 January
Parc des Expositions de Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris
www.maison-objet.com

January version of this huge interior design fair in Paris, key for new season launches and trends. Sectors include Furniture, Home Accessories, Textiles, Giftware, Kitchenware and Craft across 5 halls.

Paris Deco Off

18-21 January
Saint-Germain-des-Près, Paris
www.paris-deco-off.com

Around 90 showrooms will present new textiles and wallpaper collections in the heart of Paris.

Architect@Work

30-31 January
Old Truman Brewery, London
www.architect-at-work.co.uk

The two-day Architect@Work trade fair in London is aimed at architects, designers and specifiers.

February

Stockholm Design Week

4-10 February
Various venues around Stockholm
www.stockholmdesignweek.com

Stockholm's annual design week consists of around 200 events and installations all across the city, as well as the key Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair at Älvsjö.

Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair

5-9 February
Stockholmsmässan, Stockholm
www.stockholmfurniturelightfair.se

World’s largest meeting place for Scandinavian furniture and lighting design.

Ambiente

8-12 February
Messe Frankfurt
www.ambiente.messefrankfurt.com

One of the largest consumer goods trade fairs. Showcases Home Accessories, Giftware, Tableware and Kitchenware from 4000+ exhibitors.

Collect

28 Feb - 3 March
Saatchi Gallery, London
www.collect2019.org.uk

International Art Fair for Modern Craft and Design showcasing exclusive work from over 30 galleries, selling the work from over 400 artists. Alongside the galleries, Collect Open returns providing a platform for 15 individual artists to show ambitious and conceptual craft-led installations.

March

Design Shanghai

6-9 March
Shanghai Exhibition Centre
www.designshanghai.com

Asia’s Leading International Design Event.

Affordable Art Fair

7-10 March
Battersea, London
www.affordableartfair.com

Discover a diverse and inspiring collection of contemporary art from 1,000s of stunning artworks from an array of national and international galleries.

Ceramic Art London

22-24 March
Central Saint Martins, London
www.ceramicartlondon.com

Contemporary showcase of current ceramic art, with exhibitors drawn from the UK, Europe and worldwide.

April

Milan Design Week

8-14 April
Various venues around Milan
www.fuorisalone.it

World's most important design fair. Leading design brands introduce their new collections and host special events across the city. The main hub is the Salone del Mobile furniture fair at Rho but there are also a number of design districts all over the city hosting exhibitions, showrooms and parties.

Salone del Mobile Furniture Fair

8-14 April
Milan Fairgrounds, Rho
www.salonemilano.it

One of the world’s largest Furniture Fairs across 20 halls showcasing more than 1100 brands.

HARU stuck-on design at Milan Design Week

May

London Craft Week

8-12 May 2019
Various venues across London
https://www.londoncraftweek.com/

Annual Craft event showcasing exceptional and innovative British and international craftsmanship across London’s hidden craft workshops, open studios, galleries and shops.

NYCxDesign

10 - 22 May
Various venues around New York
www.nycxdesign.com

New York City’s official citywide celebration of global design includes the major design fair ICFF and exhibitions, installations, trade shows, panels, product launches, open studios, and more.

ICFF

19-22 May
Javits Centre New York
www.icff.com

Global design showcase from 900 exhibitors. Sectors include Furniture, Lighting, Home Accessories, Textiles, Bathroom, Materials and Wallcoverings.

Pulse

12-14 May
Olympia London
www.pulse-london.com

Boutique design-led trade buying event for new product, trends, brand launches and retail inspiration across living, fashion accessories and giftware.

Clerkenwell Design Week

22-24 May
Various locations across Clerkenwell, London.
www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com

Concentration of contract furniture showrooms, architecture and design studios host an annual design week. Includes exhibitions, installations and talks at various hubs.

June/ July

London Festival of Architecture

1-30 June
Various locations across London
www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org

The London Festival of Architecture celebrates London as the global hub for architecture with a lively and diverse programme of public events across London exploring the theme of ‘boundaries’.

Birmingham Design Festival

6-8 June
Various locations across Birmingham
www.birminghamdesignfestival.org.uk/

Launched in 2018 to celebrate the city’s long design history of creativity, craft and industry.

NeoCon

10-12 June
The Mart in Chicago
www.neocon.com/

America’s leading platform for commercial design, this three day fair serves as an incubator and catalyst for the future of the industry.

Free Range

12-18 June
Old Truman Brewery
www.free-range.org.uk

The season of graduate art, design and photography exhibitions, held every summer at the Old Truman Brewery, London. 3,000 students take over 3 floors of warehouse space showcasing their work, with exhibitions changing weekly. Free Range includes workshops, talks, and awards, forming the largest creative graduate showcase in Europe.

Design Miami /Basel

14-19 June
Messe Basel Switzerland
www.basel2016.designmiami.com

The European fair of the global forum Design Miami. Each fair brings together the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics from around the world in celebration of design culture and commerce. Occurring alongside the Art Basel Fair, it’s the premier venue for collecting, exhibiting, discussing and creating collectible design.

Handmade Oxford

27-30 June
Waterperry Gardens, Waterperry, Oxford
www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk/events/handmade-oxford

Craft Fair featuring craft and design, sculpture, artisan food, interiors and lifestyle, print and photography, workshops and demonstrations.

New Designers

26-29 June & 3-6 July 2019
Business Design Centre, London
www.newdesigners.com

A two week exhibition celebrating and showcasing over 3,000 graduating designers. Week one focuses on Fashion, Textiles and Craft, while week two is the pick of furniture, product design, graphic art, animation and digital arts.

Masterpiece Fair

27 June - 03 July
Royal Hospital Chelsea, London
www.masterpiecefair.com

Masterpiece has established itself as the world's leading cross-collecting fair, offering the finest works of art, design, furniture and jewellery, from antiquity to the present day. It provides an unparalleled opportunity for new and established collectors to discover exceptional works for sale from 160 international exhibitors.

September

Maison&Objet

6-10 September
Parc des Expositions de Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris
www.maison-objet.com

September version of this huge interior design fair in Paris, key for new season launches and trends. Sectors include Furniture, Home Accessories, Textiles, Giftware, Kitchenware and Craft across 5 halls. Runs alongside Paris Design Week.

Top Drawer

08-10 September
Olympia London
https://www.topdrawer.co.uk

Smaller version of the January edition. Trade only buyer event, encompassing lifestyle sectors of Home Accessories, Gift, Fashion, Greetings & Stationery and Craft.

London Design Festival

14-22 September
Various locations across London
www.londondesignfestival.com

London Design Festival celebrates and promotes London as the gateway to the international design community and the world’s leading stage for design innovation. It attracts the greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators to the capital, in a citywide celebration.

London Design Fair

19-22 September
Old Truman Brewery
www.londondesignfair.co.uk

Located in the creative heart of East London, the London Design Fair is a four-day industry event that brings together 550 exhibitors from 36 countries, including; independent designers, established brands, international country pavilions, features and exhibitions As the most international trade destination during the annual London Design Festival over 29,000 influential; retail buyers, architects, interior designers, press, designers and design-savvy public attend to see and specify the very latest; furniture, lighting, textiles, materials and conceptual installations from around the world.

Design Junction

19-22 September
Kings Cross, London
www.thedesignjunction.co.uk

Located in the heart of Kings Cross, Design Junction presents more than 200 world-class international brands and smaller cutting-edge design labels to an audience of design professionals as well as consumers.

100% Design

18-21 September
Olympia London
www.100percentdesign.co.uk

A central design destination for architects and designers at the London Design Festival, 100% Design features talk programmes, bespoke installations and a curated selection of leading international brands.

Tresor

19-22 September
Messe Basel, Switzerland
www.tresor-craft.com

Global contemporary craft fair featuring leading international galleries presenting works by leading artists as well as up-and-coming names in the industry. Working in disciplines such as ceramics, glass, textiles, metal, wood and jewellery.

PAD London

31 September - 6 October
Berkeley Square, London
www.pad-fairs.com

London’s leading fair for 20th Century art, design and decorative arts.

October

Decorex International

6-9 October
Olympia London
www.decorex.com

New dates and location for 2019. Over 400 international exhibitors, Decorex is London’s leading luxury interior design event. It showcases the finest furniture, lighting, textiles, craft and home accessories.

Dutch Design Week

19-27 October
Various locations across Eindhoven
www.ddw.nl

Dutch Design Week Eindhoven is the largest design event in Northern Europe and presents work and concepts from more than 2,600 designers to more than 335,000 visitors from home and abroad. In more than 110 locations across the city, DDW organises and facilitates exhibitions, lectures, prize ceremonies, networking events, debates and festivities.

SOFA

31 October - 3 November
Navy Pier, Chicago
www.sofaexpo.com

The Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design (SOFA) Fair in Chicago is the premier gallery-presented art fair dedicated to three-dimensional art and design.

November

Handmade in Britain

9-11 November
Chelsea Town Hall
www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk

Annual contemporary craft and design fair celebrating the best in high-end design and craftsmanship from over 100 highly-skilled, UK-based designer-makers.

Dubai Design Week

11-17 November
Various locations across Dubai
www.dubaidesignweek.ae

Dubai Design Week is the largest creative festival in the Middle East, reflecting Dubai’s position as the regional capital of design. The six-day programme is made up of +200 events covering design across a range of disciplines including architecture, product, furniture, interior and graphic design.

Downtown Dubai

14-17 November
Waterfront, Dubai
www.downtowndesign.com

Downtown Design is the leading platform in the Middle East for the region’s trade professionals to discover original, high-quality design from all over the world. Held in partnership with Dubai Design District. The fair will present a carefully edited roster of brands across a range of product categories; including furniture, lighting, bathrooms, kitchens, textiles and accessories.

December

Design Miami

4-8 December
Beach Convention Center, Miami
www.miami2018.designmiami.com

The US fair of the global forum Design Miami. Each fair brings together the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics from around the world in celebration of design culture and commerce. Occurring alongside the Art Basel Fair, it’s the premier venue for collecting, exhibiting, discussing and creating collectible design.

Want to be included? Email us at info@seenpr.com

Dates and location subject to change, please check individual websites before attending.

Compiled by Seen PR | @seen_pr

| Banner Image: Salone del Mobile Furniture Fair