New Wave Chapter II | Four Strategic Upgrades of the 42nd Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition

01. First-Launch Model

China’s home furnishing industry has long moved beyond competing on price in an incremental market and has entered an era of competing on value in a stock-driven market. This value represents core competitiveness in new technologies, new business models, new products, and new systems. As a result, home furnishing exhibitions are no longer about quantity alone, but about quality—about the true strength of brands and the first-launch value of new products, new designs, new retail formats, and new business models.

In previous editions of the Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition, more than 80% of exhibitors have debuted new products, technologies, and business models in Shenzhen. In 2027, the 42nd edition will further increase this proportion, with a stronger focus on:

· Brand First Launch

· Design First Launch

· Technology First Launch

· Business Model First Launch

For all future participants of the Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition—from brands to designers, from technology companies to commercial innovators—only those with leadership and originality will capture buyers’ attention and bring new possibilities to China’s home furnishing industry.

In March 2027, Shenzhen will showcase an even more exciting “Shenzhen Design Frontier” exhibition, featuring the “New Wave Gravity Field” and “Co-curation Pavilion” for emerging business models, as well as the “I Am a Brand” Pavilion highlighting new products and technologies.

02. Smart Home First-Launch Port S-Dock

A defining feature of the 41st Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition was the rapid emergence of smart home technologies. Leading brands such as KUKA Home, CHEERS, ZUOYOU, Serta, King Koil, MLILY, Airland, Stareep, SleepDesigns, CBD Home, Softide, Restonic, Musterring, Asnug, Limanli, SheHome, Satori, KOMBAT, and DREAMOK all debuted smart technologies and products.

The Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition has become the Smart Home First-Launch Port (S-Dock).

In fact, from the 36th edition in 2021, which explored whole-home smart solutions in collaboration with the HUAWEI HiLink ecosystem, to the launch of the first SMART Smart Home Expo at the 38th edition in 2023, and the consecutive Shenzhen International Smart Home Expos in 2024 and 2025, the exhibition has continuously transformed smart technologies—including 5G communications, OpenHarmony, AI large models, artificial intelligence, and IoT—into real commercial applications.

 

In 2027, the 42nd edition will further expand the scope of smart home innovation beyond smart sleep, smart healthcare, smart lighting, smart sensing, and smart control to include smart appliances, whole-home intelligence, smart offices, smart communities, as well as semiconductors, modules, AI interaction technologies, and cloud platforms across Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area. This will position the Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition as a full-chain smart home innovation launch platform.

03. Healthy Living Ecosystem Exhibition

In March 2025, the Government Work Report first proposed the “Good Housing” initiative. On March 31, 2025, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the national standard “Residential Project Code,” which officially came into effect on May 1. Centered on safety, sustainability, and intelligence, it marks a shift from extensive development to refined operation—making “good housing” a national strategy and healthy living a fundamental societal demand.

In recent years, the Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition has worked with the design, materials, and business communities to explore sustainability and healthy living. In 2024, the first “Net ECO” environmental project was launched, bringing together cutting-edge eco-friendly products and technologies across furniture, interiors, and commercial spaces. In 2025, “Net ECO 2.0” debuted, supported by Matrix Design & Strategy, Matrix Research Institute, innovative material platforms such as NANOxARCH® and Wuzhi Form, and seven sustainable material brands, showcasing the broad application of sustainable design in business contexts.

In 2026, the 41st edition will present the “Sustainable Living · Health · Habitat” Exhibition, curated by Xie Peihe in collaboration with FRAME, AD Architectural Design, Xinghe Third Space, SGS, WELL Certification, Carolin Cork, recycled ceramics brand Xun, STUDIO MUYAN, and 18 Paper. Using Shenzhen as a testing ground, the exhibition will develop a perceptible, quantifiable, and replicable “healthy housing solution” for the future of “good housing” and sustainable business.

In 2027, the 42nd edition will continue partnerships with organizations such as Xinghe Third Space and Matrix Design, bringing together Greater Bay Area design forces and global sustainable brands to build a benchmark healthy living ecosystem exhibition in Shenzhen. This will reshape perceptions of traditional furniture exhibitions and connect the industry directly to public health and national wellness strategies.

04. Design in Shenzhen

In 2023, Shenzhen released the “Action Plan for Building a World Design Capital (2024–2026)”, setting its first clear three-year roadmap with the goal of becoming a world-class “Design Capital” by 2026 and a globally influential hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity by 2035.

In recent years, Shenzhen’s design sector has experienced rapid growth. The number of design enterprises has increased from over 6,000 in 2015 to approximately 38,000 today, with around 150,000 professional designers. The city’s design service trade volume exceeds RMB 20 billion, and it now hosts 72 creative industry parks. Shenzhen is actively advancing “AI + Design,” with artificial intelligence penetration in design tools exceeding 60%, leading in areas such as green design and intelligent design.

Design thrives in Shenzhen—and innovative design thrives at the Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition.

Since 2015, the exhibition has continuously built platforms for design innovation: from the “Design Dome” showcasing local furniture design; to the 2016 International Designer Matching Exhibition; to the 2021 “Design East-West” IP curating emerging Chinese designers; to the 2022 International Public Space Design Art Exhibition; to the 2023 “WISE” incubator for designers under 30; and the 2026 debut of the “Shenzhen Design Frontier” exhibition, gathering leading Greater Bay Area designers including Liang Jinghua, He Zongxian, Xie Peihe, Li Rihong, Chen Chi, Zhong Xinru, Zheng Xiaoguan, and Pan Yue to curate four new living scenarios.

In 2027, the 42nd edition will use Shenzhen as a hub and the Greater Bay Area as its center, inviting designers from China and around the world to focus on industry, economy, living, and societal development. With design as the starting point, it will build a diverse, curated exhibition platform that amplifies the voice of great design.

Shenzhen Leads the Future of Home Living

First-Launch Model + Smart Home First-Launch Port S-Dock + Healthy Living Ecosystem Exhibition + Design in Shenzhen

From March 15–17, 2027, the 42nd Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition & Shenzhen Creative Design Week will take place at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center (Futian). With four strategic upgrades, it will once again open a new chapter.