In 2024, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) will celebrate its 35th anniversary and unveil an even bolder approach to supporting design companies and their success throughout the year. The ICFF team is reshaping the core of its brand to remain the leading contemporary design fair in North America.
Based in New York, the fair is the gateway to the North American design market and will take place May 19-21, 2024, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
“Given ICFF’s 35-year history, we felt it was time to redefine and rebrand ICFF to solidify, clarify, and amplify our design messaging and content,” says ICFF Brand Directors Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat. “Since ICFF is the leading contemporary design fair in the U.S., we decided to concentrate on the most important products, technologies, and issues facing the industry and partner with global, high-quality brands that reflect ICFF’s ethos. Our long-standing collaborations with the industry increase our engagement year-round with the design community, allowing us to enhance ICFF’s brand visibility across design communities around the world.”
As part of its continued focus on sustainability, ICFF is making strides to decrease the show’s carbon footprint and lessen the amount of waste it produces. Efforts include removing most of the carpet from the show floor, renting walls instead of building them, using recyclable material for all signage, placing water fountains throughout the floor for refillable bottles, using low-energy lights, and asking the food vendors to avoid single-use plastic. ICFF is encouraging all participants to follow their lead and do what they can to lessen their carbon footprint at the fair.
With the ICFF Talks on the Mainstage and The Oasis, the main programming topics for the fair this year include:
- Sustainability and materials
- The best in making and producing, from hand-made and high-end craft to new industrial innovations and technology-related processes.
- Business and collaboration opportunities in the U.S.: how to achieve company goals, understanding the U.S. market better, design landscape, and needs.
- Education, including diversity in design, original design, and new tools
WHAT’S NEW?
The ICFF team is designing the fair to be more curated, accessible, and user-friendly. The show floor will include more spaces to explore, lounge, network, and have conversations. New dedicated areas have been created for complementary products such as Materials, Outdoor Living, and Kitchen & Bath. The latter will also feature a lounge area for dedicated programming. The newly designed spaces will offer activation and communication opportunities for attendees.
- Bespoke: The Art of Making: Celebrating craftsmanship, this feature will showcase the skill and expertise of high-end artisans. Emphasizing the unique techniques used to create beautiful handmade furnishings, textiles, and architectural finishes, the 3,000-square-foot space will present companies creating one-of-a-kind works, responding to the need, specifically in the U.S., for sourcing materials.
- Design Schools Workshop: Produced since 2012 as part of WantedDesign, the Design Schools Workshop is a collaborative, 4-day course where a selection of 35-40 international design students work together on a creative solution to a brief. This year, the “Dream Driven Design” workshop will invite the students to imagine the future of mobility, with a storytelling and holistic approach. It will take place in a dedicated area adjacent to the WantedDesign area. Presented with media partner Core77 and conducted with Pratt Institute and Honda R&D Co., Ltd. Honda Design.
- ROOM + OFS Podcast Studio: New this year, ROOM, OFS, and ICFF will bring together the leading voices in global design to discuss the big ideas that are reshaping the workspace. ROOM with OFS’ Imagine a Place productions will activate a space on the show floor featuring live conversations with acclaimed speakers from the ICFF main stage. Explore the evolution of work through the voices, concepts, and products that are changing the workplace for good.
- The Library, in partnership with Phaidon: Global book publisher Phaidon will join as a partner in 2024, with activations for the new release Designed for Life: The World’s Best Product Designers and a curated Phaidon library adjacent to the Talks Mainstage.
Registration will be open in January 2024.
For more information about ICFF, please visit icff.com.
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