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show & tell | Mar 11, 2020 |
COVID-19: Industry cancellations and postponements

Updated August 11, 2020

There’s a lot going on, no question. Here at Business of Home, we hope that everyone is safe and well. In light of the global impact of the COVID-19 virus, we’ve compiled a list of the industry’s canceled and postponed events. Check back in for updates and additions.

CANCELLATIONS

AD Design Show
The 2020 Architectural Digest Design Show planned to feature more than 400 brands at New York’s Pier 94 in March and was later postponed till fall. Now, after consideration for the health of its exhibitors, attendees and staff, the event is canceled.

A&D Spring Market Day
New York’s A&D Building's inaugural Spring Market Day will now take place May 11, 2021.

Apartment Therapy Small/Cool
When he founded Apartment Therapy, one of the first series Maxwell Ryan launched was Small/Cool—this year’s edition was originally planned to run April 4 and 5. Out of concern for the health and safety of those involved, the event was moved online May 15 to 17.

Black Interior Designers Network Conference
The BIDN’s annual conference has been canceled and will return in July 2021.

Boston Design Week
Following the cancellation of its spring edition, the producers of Boston Design Week have launched a virtual series of events for the fall season—Wednesdays through Saturdays from September 20 to October 18. The festivities will also include live programming in compliance with city and state requirements.

Boutique Design New York
BDNY, the trade fair for the boutique and lifestyle hospitality sectors, has been canceled. The organizers of the event, which was scheduled to run November 8 to 9 at the Javits Center, made the decision after closely monitoring the development of the coronavirus pandemic.

Casual Market Chicago
The International Casual Furnishings Association announced that it would cancel September’s annual Casual Market Chicago, citing both safety concerns and state and local restrictions.

CEDIA
Emerald Expositions announced last week that it would cancel the in-person CEDIA Expo 2020, originally scheduled to take place at the Colorado Convention Center this fall. The now virtual event will launch in September.

Cersai
The world’s largest exhibition of ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings has announced the cancellation of its 2020 show, which had previously been postponed until November. The next edition will be held in Bologna from September 27 to October 1, 2021, accompanied by an immersive digital experience.

Chicago Antiques + Art + Design Show
The fourth annual Chicago Antiques + Art + Design Show, which benefits the Woman's Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, has been canceled—the event was originally scheduled to take place at the Merchandise Mart in May. The next iteration will return in spring 2021.

Clerkenwell Design Week
The organizers of the U.K.’s leading independent design festival has announced that it will cancel its annual show and return in spring 2021 (May 25 to 27).

Coverings
The tile and stone conference, which was scheduled to take place April 20 to 23 in New Orleans, has been canceled. It will move online during those same dates, with the digital showcase Coverings Connected. Three events will take place beginning on August 26, including educational webinars, CEUs, on-demand content, and an online showcase of international tile and stone exhibitors. (Coverings 2021 will take place April 13 to 16 in Orlando, Florida.)

DDB Spring Market
New York’s Decoration & Design Building announced that it would cancel its Spring Market, which had been scheduled for May 20.

Design ADAC
The Atlanta Decorative Arts Center has made the decision to cancel Design ADAC, the spring market that was to take place April 21 to 23. ADAC is working with co-sponsor Veranda to organize a summer event in lieu of the market.

Domotex USA
The floor coverings show, scheduled for March 2021 in Atlanta, was postponed by its German organizer. No new date for the U.S. event has been announced.

Field + Supply Spring MRKT
New dates have been announced for the Field + Supply Spring MRKT—the spring/summer in-person event at Hutton Brickyards in Kingston, New York, was canceled and replaced with an online version.

Frieze New York
Frieze New York has made the decision to cancel its 2020 fair, per New York City’s coronavirus containment measures. The event was scheduled to take place May 7 to 10.

HD Expo + Conference
Hospitality Design announced that it would cancel the 2020 HD Expo + Conference, scheduled to take place May 7 to 10 at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas.

High Point Spring Market
After initially postponing its Spring Market until June, the High Point Market Authority has announced that it will cancel the event. High Point at Home, the free web platform created by High Point Market Authority and designer sourcing platform Steelyard, has been extended through May 30 due to high demand and traffic. The digital platform provides designers with High Point exhibitors’ new introductions and seasonal bestsellers; new content, products and video interviews will appear throughout the month.

ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan
The International Contemporary Furniture Fair and WantedDesign Manhattan was to take place at the Javits Center in New York City from May 16 to 19—its organizers have canceled the fair, and will return in May 2021. WantedDesign Brooklyn is canceled as well.

The Inspired Home Show
Out of consideration for its global audience, the Inspired Home Show 2020, originally scheduled for March 14 to 17 in Chicago, and hosted by the International Housewares Association, was canceled. Its board of directors and staff cast an official vote following a wave of cancellations by many exhibitors.

The International Textiles Alliance June Showtime Market
The ITA has made the decision to cancel its spring Showtime market. Originally pushed until June 12 to 16, the event will no longer take place. The next Showtime market remains scheduled for November 15 to 18.

Legends of La Cienega
The La Cienega Design Quarter’s board of directors voted to cancel their annual Legends festival, a program that historically featured three days of events in the L.A. Design District surrounding La Cienega Boulevard. This year’s event would have taken place in May, and been the festival’s 12th installment. Legends intends to return in 2021, with smaller events planned for the coming months.

Lightovation
Dallas Market Center announced today that it would cancel June Lightovation amid continuing coronavirus concerns. The lighting show was scheduled to run from June 24 to 27.

London Design Festival
Though the London Design Biennale and the London Design Fair are canceled this year, the London Design Festival will go on as the Virtual Design Destination, from September 12 to 20. Hosted by digital gallery and e-commerce platform Adorno, the site will serve as an online venue for designers to discover the festival’s curated collections. Adorno will present the 14 country pavilions online, launching two collections per day over the course of the event’s duration.

Marburger Farm Antique Show
The spring edition of the Marburger Farm Antique Show, as well as its accompanying programming, has been canceled due to coronavirus. The show was scheduled to run in Round Top, Texas, from March 29 to April 4.

Market Art + Design
1stdibs has announced the 10th edition of Market Art + Design—the Hamptons’ longest-running contemporary art and design fairw—will take place online. This August, passionate art and design aficionados will be able to find an exclusive showcase of over 200 artworks and objets from an international array of creatives on the 1stdibs marketplace. The fair will run from August 2 to September 7.

National Hardware Show
The in-person September show in Las Vegas (which was originally scheduled for May), will be canceled in favor of a virtual event.

NeoCon
The 52nd edition of NeoCon has been canceled. The annual show for the commercial design industry was originally going to run from June 8 to 10 in Chicago.

New York Tabletop Market
After extensive discussion with community leaders and New York City government officials, 41 Madison has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Tabletop Market. The event was scheduled to run March 31 to April 3.

NY Now/Shoppe Object
The biannual wholesale design trade show NY Now has canceled its 2020 Summer Market, which had originally been scheduled for August and then was postponed until October. The event was to team up at New York Market Week with local biannual independent home and gift show Shoppe Object, which has also been canceled.

Orgatec
The trade fair for office furniture concepts has canceled its 2020 edition—the fair will return as part of IMM Cologne from January 18 to 24, 2021, and the following iteration will take place October 25 to 29, 2022.

Salone del Mobile
The nation of Italy has been hit with one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus. Announced on March 27, Salone del Mobile will be canceled this year, and will return April 13 to 18, 2021.

Selvedge World Fair
The London-based Selvedge World Fair, which celebrates textiles and makers, has announced that it will carry on in a virtual format this year’s event, which will take place September 3 to 5.

Spring Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair
The spring fair in London’s Battersea Park was canceled, out of respect for the health and safety of the exhibitors and visitors. This is the first time in the event’s 35-year history that it has been canceled. The autumn edition will take place in Battersea Park from October 22 to 25. Tickets will have scheduled times in order to moderate the flow of visitors, and a filmed walkthrough of the fair will be made available for virtual attendees. The organizers are also launching a personal shopping service for the trade, handling the shipping and export of items for U.K. customers unable to attend in person.

SXSW
The City of Austin made the decision to cancel the SXSW conference and festival, which was slated for March 13 to 22, as well as SXSW EDU, the education and innovation initiative that was to be held over the three days leading up to the show.

TEFAF New York
TEFAF New York 2020 has been canceled. This year’s show, originally postponed from spring to fall, will instead take shape in the form of a digital initiative, the details of which will be announced in the weeks to come.

WantedDesign Brooklyn
The fair, set to take place in New York’s Industry City this May, has been canceled. (See also ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan, above.)

WestEdge Design Fair
The 2020 edition of the WestEdge Design Fair has been canceled due to COVID-19. The contemporary design event, scheduled for October 22 to 25 at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar, will run virtual programming, with plans to return to its physical format in October 2021.

Westweek
The two-day event, scheduled for March 18–19 and hosted by the Pacific Design Center, announced on March 12 that it would cancel this year’s Market, titled “2020 Vision: Design in Transformation.”

The Philadelphia Show
The annual showcase of antiques, art and design, hosted by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has been canceled. The event was scheduled to open April 23 and conclude April 26.

POSTPONEMENTS

ADAC Sample Sale
For consideration of the health of attendees, ADAC’s annual Sample Sale, originally planned for May 6 to 8, has been postponed. “We are exploring the best time frame that addresses the needs of our guests while ensuring a safe and secure environment,” ADAC wrote in its release.

Affordable Art Fair NYC
Affordable Art Fair NYC, originally scheduled for March 25 to 29 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, sent out a press release announcing its postponement. Will Ramsay, the founder of the event, said in the release: “These are challenging times, and we are committed to the health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors and staff. We believe that postponing the New York spring fair will give consumer confidence a chance to recover, and we can’t wait to share our next edition this fall.”

Art Dubai
Art Dubai announced that it would postpone the 14th edition of the international art fair until 2021 (March 17 to 20).

Aspire House
Aspire Design & Home magazine has rescheduled its McLean, Virginia, showhouse from spring to summer. It will be open August 23 to September 14.

DIFFA Art
While the scheduling of New York’s Art Week went relatively unaffected by the coronavirus, the inaugural DIFFA Art auction, originally planned for April 29, has been rescheduled for the fall, to be held at the New York Design Center.

DIFFA By Design
The leaders of DIFFA By Design announced on March 10 that their annual fundraiser would be pushed back from late March to July 9 to 11, with all tickets and sponsorships to be honored for the new dates.

Frieze Sculpture at Rockefeller Center
Organizers have made the decision to postpone this public art initiative until the summer.

The International Wallcoverings Expo
On March 12, the International Wallcoverings Expo announced that it will be postponing the event, as North Carolina governor Roy Cooper announced that all gatherings exceeding 100 persons should be strictly limited. Dates to be announced.

Kips Bay Decorators Show House New York
Due to the mounting concern in New York City surrounding the COVID-19 virus, the board of the Kips Bay Decorators Show House has decided to postpone the event, originally scheduled to open May 8, until later in the season (date TBD).

LA Design Festival
The LA Design Festival has been postponed from its original June date to September 2020. While new dates and programming have yet to be announced, the festival will boost its digital programming beginning in May.

Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens
The annual Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens in Illinois, which was originally scheduled to run from April to May, has been postponed and will run daily from July 13 to August 9. In accordance with the state’s safety guidelines, ticket sales will be restricted and divided between morning and afternoon sessions.

Light + Building
Messe Frankfurt announced that it would postpone Light + Building, the world’s leading trade fair in lighting technology. The show will run from September 27 to October 2, pushed back from the original March dates.

Miami Home Show
The original dates for the Miami Home Show would have seen the event running from March 27 to 29—but in response to Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Giménez’s wish to suspend events that exceed 250 attendees, the dates have been pushed to Labor Day weekend.

Milieu Showhouse
The Milieu Designer Showhouse and fundraiser was first pushed from late April until mid-May, and now it will take place from June 6 to 7 and June 13 to 14. The showhouse will be open to small groups of guests to ensure safe social-distancing.

NYCxDesign
On March 17, NYCxDesign announced that in accordance with the CDC’s recommendation pertaining to large-scale events, the May edition of the show will be suspended. While programming has been pushed from its original May dates until October (specific dates to be announced shortly), the NYCxDesign Awards will continue on the same schedule, to be held virtually in May.

Object & Thing
The second edition of Object & Thing, the platform that focuses on object-based works of both art and design, has been postponed. The show will now run from November 13 to 15 (instead of May 7 to 10).

PAD Paris
For the past 24 years, PAD Paris has been showcasing art and design pioneers. This year’s iteration, originally scheduled for early April, will now open on May 12.

Pasadena Showcase of Design
The Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts announced it they would postpone the 2020 edition of the Pasadena Showcase of Design, which was set to open in late April. The event will now take place from June 7 to 28.

Salone del Mobile Shanghai
The organizers of Salone del Mobile have announced that the fall Shanghai edition will be postponed until 2021.

San Francisco Decorator Showcase
The 43rd edition of the San Francisco Decorator Showcase has announced that it will not host in-person tours this year. Instead, starting on August 29, virtual programming will include filmed tours, a virtual press preview, an interactive 3-D self-guided tour, and links to designer interviews. Tickets for the virtual tour are $25, and proceeds will benefit the San Francisco University High School Financial Aid Program.

Shoppe Object
See NY Now.

Showtime Market
The International Textile Alliance announced that it would reschedule its spring Showtime Market to coincide with the new dates for High Point Market. Now, from June 12 to 16, designers can attend both major events in the same trip.

The Southeast Designers & Architect of the Year Awards
ADAC announced that its annual awards gala would be postponed out of concern for the health and safety of those planning to attend. The event was to take place on April 23—new dates will soon be announced.

Texas Design Week
PaperCity announced that Texas Design Week would be postponed until May—new dates will be decided upon shortly. Entries for the PaperCity Design Awards will accepted until April 20.

Venice Architecture Biennale
Instead of beginning in late May, the 17th international architecture exhibition will run from August 29 through November 29, featuring pavilions and exhibitions from more than 60 countries. The show, titled “How Will We Live Together?” was curated by architect Hashim Sarkis.

The WELL Conference
The Scottsdale, Arizona, WELL Conference is the first major conference to address the topics of health and well-being in design. The event has pushed its dates—it will now take place August 16 to 19 (instead of March 29 to April 1).

MODIFICATIONS

Asia Week New York
The event will undergo significant schedule changes, as most galleries are operating by appointment only, while others are in the process of closing.

High Point Fall Market
In order to minimize crowding in showrooms and allow for social distancing, High Point Market Authority has expanded the Fall Market schedule from five days to nine days: October 13 to 21. Attendees are asked to pick a three-day period within those dates to attend.

IDS Charlotte Showhouse
The 2020 IDS Charlotte Showhouse closed its doors on March 15, just one day after opening to the public.

TEFAF Maastricht
In the Netherlands, TEFAF Maastricht shut down its annual show four days earlier than originally scheduled, after a dealer tested positive for the virus, reported Artnet.

Homepage image: Shutterstock

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