Despite being postponed until 26–29 November 2020 due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, Design Shanghai is partnering with internationally renowned designers and brands to curate a special programme of digital events and initiatives, which will be broadcast across its social channels throughout May.

Starting on 1 May, the Digital Design Forum Talks will see luminaries such as Michael Young, Kelly Hoppen and Andre Fu take part in Instagram Live interviews each Friday, giving the design community exclusive access to ask questions in real time. In addition to Instagram, Design Shanghai will publish news on other popular social channels in Asia including Wechat, Weibo, Yizhibo and Tik Tok, as well as Facebook and Twitter, where it has over 373,000 followers. Organisers will also communicate news about the forthcoming show through regular newsletters, which are sent to over 200,000 subscribers worldwide.

Later in the month, Design Shanghai will partner with Xintiandi Festival for two weeks of design activity throughout Shanghai. The theme of this year’s festival, which will run from 25 May – 8 June, was chosen before the global pandemic but is now particularly timely and relevant. For 2020, the event will focus on the link between people and how they connect with one another. Designers have been briefed to realise the theme of ‘Together!’ and how communities can interact with each other within a rich and productive dialogue.

Design Shanghai’s sister show, Design China Beijing, will be held from 24–27 September at the National Agricultural Exhibition Centre. As in previous years, it will showcase products from leading design brands and China’s upcoming firms across three halls: Contemporary, Classic & Luxury and Accessories & Objects.