NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--North American global design fair ICFF celebrated its 30th edition on May 20 – 23 at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. With nearly 900 exhibitors and more than 36,000 industry professionals, the event saw increases in every key category of attendance; more architects, interior designers, developers, and luxury retailers- plus exhibitors saw more international visitors and greater concentrations of senior designers from North America’s top 100 architectural and design firms. The leading platform for International design, ICFF is recognized as the anchor event of NYCxDESIGN, an annual celebration of the city’s design community.
“The feedback from attendees and exhibitors alike has been overwhelming positive—this year’s event was an exceptional combination of high-end international design, educational topics and industry networking,” said Kevin O’Keefe, ICFF show director and senior vice president, Emerald Expositions. “We plan on using this positive momentum to drive planning efforts not only for ICFF 2019, but also our ICFF South Florida event in December 2018.”
Global Design Pavilions
A cornerstone for the past several years, the Luxe Interiors + Design pavilion featured curated designers and brands known for their elevated sense of style and elegance. The British European Design Group (BEDG) celebrated their 25th year with ICFF showcasing 37 designers based in the UK. Handmade in Germany, an exhibition featuring contemporary hand-made items from 180 German manufacturers, craftsmen and designers, offered another look into international design. ICFF also hosted VIA French Design, a four-year exhibition traveling the world and featuring 40 designs promoting the French furniture industry. Collective Concept @ ICFF was a new partnership born out of the need to provide a platform for independent designers during NYCxDESIGN with the Collective Design Fair’s move to March. Major new country pavilions included the Swedish Cluster, Romania, Lithuania and 40 new design groups from Poland.
ICFF Gallery and ICFF Studio
ICFF continued its commitment to supporting next-gen talent and boutique art collectives with ICFF Gallery and ICFF Studio; two high-profile forums for showcasing new concepts and emerging designers. After an overwhelmingly successful debut in 2017, the ICFF Gallery returned and provided an area for independent galleries to showcase emerging talent, unique pieces, and art collections. The ICFF Studio, a 13-year partnership with Bernhardt Design, featured designers with less than five years of industry experience and working prototypes not in commercial production. ICFF Studio participants were selected through a highly competitive process where designs were judged on aesthetics, the ability to be mass produced, and commercial viability.
Educational Programs and Sessions
From sustainability to decorative lighting to color trends, ICFF featured top-of-mind subjects in 33 conference sessions and presentations over the four-day period. The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Metropolis magazine offered a wide variety of CEU-approved sessions, while the ICFF Talks stage featured a full slate of design visionaries and leaders sharing insight and knowledge.
Anna Hernandez/Luna Textiles Education Fund Award
ICFF, along with media partner Contract Magazine, was pleased to host the IIDA Foundation’s inaugural presentation of the Anna Hernandez/Luna Textiles Education Fund. Tina Barnard, of Tina Barnard Designs in Morrisville, NC, was awarded a $5000 grant, with funds matched by ICFF. The awards were established to honor the legacy of Anna Hernandez, founder of Luna Textiles, design visionary and industry advocate. The review committee included Jennifer Busch, Hon. IIDA, Vice President, A&D, Teknion; Karen Donaghy, Publisher, Contract Magazine and Felice Silverman, FIIDA, Principal, Silverman Trykowski Associates.
“Tina has created a remarkable balance between doing excellent design work for her clients while creating a company culture that truly supports and fosters her team,” said Cheryl Durst, Executive Vice President and CEO of IIDA.
About ICFF®
ICFF® is the global design platform for North America presenting what’s best and what’s next in furniture, seating, carpet and flooring, lighting, outdoor furniture, materials, wall coverings, accessories, textiles, kitchen and bath and fabricators, attracting nearly 900 exhibitors and more than 36,000 attendees from around the world. The next ICFF global design event, the third edition of ICFF® South Florida, is scheduled for December 4-6, 2018. Visit www.icff.com and icff.com/florida for more details.
ICFF® is owned by Emerald Expositions, a leading operator of business-to-business trade shows in the United States. The company currently operates more than 55 trade shows, as well as numerous other face-to-face events. In 2017, Emerald’s events connected over 500,000 global attendees and exhibitors and occupied more than 6.9 million NSF of exhibition space.