What Trends Are Emerging Across Key Tradeshows in 2026?
Philippe Malouin x Owari Shippo featured during Craft x Tech at the V&A. Photo by TrendBible September is a busy month in our intelligence-gathering calendar, with multiple influential tradeshows spanning key categories and industries.
Addressing the needs of buying and design teams, our annual calendar prioritises the most influential tradeshows, events and exhibitions across the sectors that matter most to our clients. With a focus on the future of life at home, our selection spans home, interiors, seasonal, celebration, baby and kids.
In this roundup, we take a closer look at two of the September tradeshows on our agenda, highlighting the key trends, insights and opportunities for retailers, manufacturers and brands looking to stay ahead.
Tradeshow Highlights: September 2026
IFA Berlin
IFA Berlin 2026 opened its doors at Messe Berlin under the theme “Future is Now,” kicking off five days of innovative product launches, engaging keynotes and insightful panels showcasing the latest in technology from September 4–8, 2026.
AI-powered gadgets and robotics took centre stage, alongside smart home, security and next-generation appliances. Computing and Gaming, The Beauty Hub and Audio and entertainment captured emerging lifestyle trends, while colour, material and finish research revealed a shift towards more fashion-led palettes even across everyday home products like coffee machines and air fryers.
“From smart and increasingly autonomous home technology to the emerging question of how people will trust, understand and ultimately adopt AI within the home environment over the next decade, this year’s innovations point towards a future where intelligence becomes more deeply embedded in everyday life.” Laura Jolly Yan, Head of Consultancy
What does this mean for brands?
The biggest shift is from connected devices to technology that anticipates our needs, but innovation only matters if it genuinely improves people’s lives. The key question shouldn’t be “can technology do this?” but “should technology do this?” Consumers will increasingly look for a balance between convenience and control alongside automation and human connection.
As our lives become more connected, the ability to consciously disconnect will become just as valuable.
London Design Festival
This festival saw craft and AI sat alongside each other, with historic techniques revisited through contemporary collaborations. Aziza Kadyri reimagined the suzani textile tradition through AI, art and craft, and Playfool explored the role of human labour in the age of AI acceleration.
On the other hand, visible craftsmanship and a shift towards the bizarre and unusual were heavy influences for makers on a quest to demonstrate uniqueness and artistry in their designs. Collectible, limited-edition pieces dominated the gallery shows. Much of it sat somewhere between sculpture and furniture. Brompton’s Perfectly Imperfect programme celebrated experimentation, and even failure. The line between art, craft and design is becoming increasingly blurred.
“AI isn’t replacing the human-made. It’s raising its value. The more synthetic and frictionless digital life becomes, the more people want objects that carry human intention: made by someone, somewhere, for a reason.” Naomi Pollard, Director of Trend Services
What does this mean for brands?
Collectable cues will filter down. Expect texture, irregularity, sculptural silhouettes and visible making to shape mainstream ranges. Function is another differentiator. As AI makes decorative image-making effortless, value shifts to objects that work hard and feel good in the hand.
If you can’t attend, we’ll do the hard work for you
Our series of tradeshow reports cover the world’s most influential events and highlight the key takeaways, so you won’t miss out. Our global trend experts will do the hard work for you with our comprehensive trend insight and event round-up reports for 2026, available as part of our Premium subscription My TrendBible.
Designed to inspire and spark ideas, give your teams confidence in actioning trends and provide validation from across the globe, My TrendBible is our trend subscription service dedicated to The Future of Life at Home.