The inaugural edition of FIND – Design Fair Asia, held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre from September 22-24, is an anchor event of Singapore Design Week 2022. It aims to catalyse the international interiors and furniture trade towards post-pandemic recovery
Event brief
Organisers dmg events and Fiera Milano sought to make the event a meeting point for the future of design. Fiera Milano, the first Italian PEO to set up its regional headquarters in Singapore, saw FIND as a channel for companies to expand their business beyond Europe. As a debut event, FIND had to make its mark. With that in mind, they teamed up with Dubai-headquartered dmg events, which organises more than 80 events worldwide.
“We worked hard to bring a broad variety of products from regional and international brands that would showcase a mix of innovative designs across furniture, lighting, textiles, bath, kitchen and more,” said Marcus Magee, vice president – Asia, dmg events.
The organisers also secured support from the Italian Trade Agency for the Italian Design Futures as the centrestage for panel discussions on sustainability, craftsmanship and design in the post-pandemic era, with leading Italian brands displayed concentrically.
Aside from Singapore, international exhibitors from Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam were also brought in to showcase their products on the global stage.
Event highlights
The circular Italian Design Futures Capsule featured exhibits such as bespoke faucets manufactured from high-purity 3D print metal, a wide assortment of paint varieties, intriguing wood and fabric furniture, lighting and glass ornaments.
Other stands included fittings, 3D renderings, laminates, furniture and fabrics, wall coverings, Czech crystal and glassware that piqued the curiosity and generated much discussion between visitors and exhibitors.
Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC), the organiser of the three-decade-long International Furniture Fair Singapore until 2019, presented Urban Living Showcase, its vision for the local furniture industry. Housed under the artistic, reusable cardboard dome structure were collections from the Design Innovation Programme which promoted new urban living concepts and innovative designs for urban lifestyles around the world.
Meanwhile, the large EMERGE @ FIND space afforded good exposure to young South-east Asian designers, some of whom presented interesting takes on sustainability in recycled materials for furniture and accessories.
Challenges
While dmg events is a leading event organiser with some of the biggest events in the energy sector, it is less well-known in the design world. “This meant some companies and organisations were hesitant to invest, and instead chose to wait and see how the first edition went,” said Magee.
Nevertheless, the team worked hard to secure leading world designers like Paola Navone to speak at the FIND Global Summit, and attracted more than 250 companies, brands, product designers, distributors and retailers to exhibit their exquisite collections at FIND.
As the event was happening before the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, this meant that travel to Singapore and accommodations were more expensive, which deterred a number of foreign participants. Despite that, 21 per cent of the total attendance were overseas visitors.
While some displays had copious space, the popular SFIC section was congested at times as visitors had to manoeuvre around the creative arrangement of exhibits.
Event FIND – Design Fair Asia
Organisers dmg events and Fiera Milano
Venue Sands Expo and Convention Centre
Date September 22-24, 2022
Attendance 12,347, including exhibitors and speakers
