From 9-12 September, the 56th China International Furniture Fair (Shanghai CIFF) and the concurrent “Design of Things” exhibition at SNIEC opened their doors in Hongqiao. Although BG Office Furniture attended purely as a trade visitor, we covered more than 30,000 m² of aisles, documented 6,000+ brands and summarised six macro trends that will directly feed our 2026 desk collection.
Compared with 2024, overseas pre-registration jumped roughly 18%. Buyers from the Middle East and North America re-occupied the central lounge area. We spoke with 13 long-time suppliers of panels and hardware; eight revealed that their Q3 enquiries had already exceeded last year’s total. Inside the “Global Dialogues” corridor at SNIEC, a red-and-blue task chair co-designed by Russian and Italian studios drew a constant queue of Middle-Eastern purchasers, proving that “colour + ergonomics” will be a 2026 export hit.
Eco-credentials moved from poster copy to booth structure. Rongzheng built a 120 m² “Office Oasis” entirely out of bamboo-nanolaminated timber, recording formaldehyde emissions ≤0.012 mg/m³. U-Senna moulded chair back-shells from straw and coffee-ground waste, both 100 % recyclable. On the smart side, Novah’s Dyna2 desk-booking system and Mofang’s “Quick-Cabin” Mini pods allowed visitors to experience “one person, one space” in seven seconds. BG’s R&D filmed the workflow and will localise the algorithm for our premium SOHO line.
Curated by Zhu Xiaojie, the Design of Things exhibition framed 2025 around the theme “Breathe”. Twenty young studios showcased curved edges, micro-perforated aluminium and low-saturation textiles to soften the corporate feel. We distilled three actionable cues:
a) Rounded profiles that reduce visual aggression;
b) Modular aluminium frames that assemble in 30 s—perfect for flat-pack export;
c) Ocean-recycled Camira Oceanic fabric (100 k Martindale) for extra green points.
BG’s upcoming “Air-Lift” height-adjustable desk will adopt the same fabric on privacy screens, scheduled for launch Spring 2026.
CIFF remained in the National Exhibition & Convention Center while Design of Things stayed at SNIEC, a 30-minute metro ride linked by a free shuttle. Catering, cloakrooms and Wi-Fi speed all improved year-on-year. A We-chat mini-program let us pre-select 42 target brands; our team completed 38 in-depth meetings in four days, 18 % faster than in 2024.
Having visited for five consecutive years, we can clearly trace the pivot:
Pre-2019: price-driven OEM booths;
2023: eco-material upgrades;
2025: whole-machine brands and indie studios occupy prime locations, leveraging IP collaborations and limited colourways to attract footfall.
For BG, differentiation and quick response are now the only viable export formula. We will expand our in-house design squad and have already signed NDAs with three independent designers spotted at the show. A co-branded desk collection will debut before Cologne 2026.
The trip reaffirmed our three-year roadmap: green materials and smart functions aesthetics. We will return to Guangzhou CIFF next March—not as walkers of the aisles, but as exhibitors unveiling our own collaborative creations. See you there with desks that look global, feel human and ship sustainably.
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