CBD DESIGN ASIA CONFERENCE FOSTERS VIBRANT INTELLECTUAL EXCHANGE, REGIONAL COLLABORATION AND VALUABLE BUSINESS NETWORKING

Guangzhou, China

In an era shaped by rapid technological advancement, sustainability, and evolving lifestyles, the role of interior designers has become more significant than ever. Today’s users seek spaces that are not only aesthetically compelling but also purposeful, inclusive and emotionally resonant. The challenge for designers is to create human-centred environments that tell stories, evoke emotions and enrich everyday life.

Against this backdrop, the CBD Design Asia Conference 2026 was held on 9 July 2026 in conjunction with CBD Fair (Guangzhou) 2026 in hall 1.2 Forum Zone, Area A at the Canton Fair Complex. The conference served as a platform for design professionals to explore how meaningful design can respond to the changing needs of society.

Held under the theme “Space Matters: Designing Meaningful Human Experiences,” the conference examined emerging trends in Southeast Asian interior design, high-end building materials, and international import and export trade. The event attracted more than 150 professionals, including architects, interior designers, building decoration specialists, home furnishing distributors and industry leaders from across Asia.

The conference opened with a welcome address by Ms Cherry Fang, Marketing Director of CBD Fair (Guangzhou). In her speech, she emphasised the fair’s commitment to leveraging the entire building and home furnishing industry value chain to support the development of Southeast Asia’s design and building materials sectors while fostering warmer, higher-quality living environments.

Ms Fang also outlined the key highlights of this year’s fair, which has undergone a comprehensive upgrade centred on three strategic themes—New Development, New Momentum and New Trends. The exhibition places particular emphasis on emerging sectors such as urban renewal, age-friendly design and courtyard aesthetics, while introducing the “Good House+” series of featured programmes to accelerate the industry’s transformation from scale-driven growth to quality-focused development.

She further reaffirmed CBD Fair (Guangzhou)’s long-term vision of expanding beyond domestic markets into the international arena, broadening its reach from residential to commercial applications, from indoor to outdoor living, and evolving from a four-day exhibition into a year-round industry platform that explores the future of human habitation together with global partners.

The conference’s opening keynote was delivered by Malaysian IDr Lai Siew Hong, Co-founder and Chief Executive Designer of the award-winning interior design practice Blu Water.

Titled “A Journey Within: Designing Experiences that Unfold,” his presentation explored a design philosophy that extends beyond aesthetics to reveal how stories, heritage, culture and human connections shape meaningful hospitality experiences.

Drawing on a portfolio of acclaimed Malaysian hospitality projects—including The Edison George Town, Sheraton Johor Bahru, The Millen Penang, Grand Mercure Bukit Bintang and EQ Kuala Lumpur—IDr Lai demonstrated how authentic design emerges through a deep understanding of place, people and memory.

Rather than creating spaces simply to be admired, these projects were presented as carefully crafted experiences that inspire belonging, evoke emotion and leave lasting impressions long after the journey ends.

The keynote session was followed by product presentations from three leading Chinese companies—SEZAO, SINOWOLF and SENGCUCINE. The companies showcased their latest innovations and shared best practices in integrating design with manufacturing and supply chain collaboration. Their presentations demonstrated how stronger partnerships between designers, manufacturers and suppliers can create new business opportunities, facilitate cross-border collaboration and promote mutually beneficial growth across China’s and Asia’s design and building materials industries.

The second keynote speaker was ID1 Tung Ching Yew of Singapore, Founder and Managing Director of S.O.D.A. (Spirit Of Design Analogy), a multidisciplinary design consultancy renowned for its human-centred, narrative-driven approach to spatial design.

His presentation, “Spatial Intelligence: Designing Spaces from the Inside Out,” examined how spatial design can transcend aesthetics to create meaningful human experiences. Through the introduction of S.O.D.A.’s Spatial Intelligence Framework and a series of commercial and experiential case studies, ID1 Tung illustrated how thoughtful design can foster emotional connections, strengthen brand identity and deliver lasting value.

His keynote also reflected on the future of the design profession in an increasingly AI-driven world, highlighting that emotional intelligence, empathy and human relevance will become even more critical differentiators for designers in the years ahead.

The CBD Design Asia Conference 2026 concluded on a high note, fostering vibrant intellectual exchange, regional collaboration and valuable business networking among design professionals from across Asia. The conference was moderated by Luthfi Hasan, Founder and Director of Jakarta Vintage, and Head of International & Foreign Relations of HDII, Indonesia’s national association of interior designers.

By bringing together leading designers, industry experts and manufacturers from across the region, CBD Design Asia Conference 2026 reaffirmed its role as a premier platform for advancing design excellence, strengthening regional partnerships and shaping the future of meaningful, human-centred spaces across Asia.