What’s next in A&D
Three of Australia’s most significant A&D industry events come to ICC Sydney in June – and one free trade pass gets you into all of them.
From 11-13 June, Design Show Australia, Kitchen+Bath Show and Futurebuild Australia are co-located at ICC Sydney, creating the most complete snapshot of Australian design and architecture right now – and arguably the most efficient three days a design or build professional can spend all year.
Across the three co-located shows, visitors can explore more than 1,000 products from 250 exhibitors, attend over 60 sessions led by 90-plus speakers and earn continuing professional development (CPD) accreditation, all with a free trade pass. For architects, interior designers and specifiers, the value is unmistakable: everything needed to source, specify, learn and connect is in one building.
What immediately sets the event apart is the scale of product discovery. Design Show Australia remains one of the country’s leading destinations for furniture, lighting, textiles, surfaces and art, showcasing both established brands and emerging studios shaping the next wave of Australian interiors. The curated exhibitor mix on the show floor reflects the recent shift towards tactile, considered surfaces and locally resonant materials.
This becomes especially clear inside the Textile + Furnishings Village, where brands including Abode Living, In the Sac, Wautier Carpets and Designer Boys invite visitors to touch, compare and experience products in person. Elsewhere on the floor, Australia’s Next Top Designers shines a light on 30 emerging creatives presenting breakthrough concepts and products, while Discovery Lane introduces visitors to under-the-radar brands and studios.
The Design Talks Theatre, designed by ARTHUR, hosts important conversations around design trends, business growth, sustainability and innovation. Visitors can hear from leading names including Greg Natale, Darren Palmer, Meryl Hare OAM, Hans Galutera and Juliet Ashworth discussing subjects ranging from global design trend forecasting to practical business strategy, including a panel on building and scaling a profitable design practice.
Adjacent to Design Show Australia, Kitchen+Bath Show focuses on one of the most commercially active sectors of the market. As Australia’s only dedicated kitchen and bathroom trade event, it brings together the latest in appliances, fittings, fixtures, surfaces and smart technologies.
Finally, there’s Futurebuild Australia, the newest addition to the line-up. As Australia faces the challenge of delivering 1.2 million new homes by 2030 while reducing emissions from the built environment, Futurebuild Australia positions itself at the centre of that conversation. Its focus spans low-carbon materials, modern methods of construction, retrofit strategies, building performance and industrialised delivery.
The Better Buildings Summit and Future Homes Summit tackle the practical realities facing the industry now – from NCC compliance and embodied carbon to housing delivery at scale. Key speakers include NSW Building Commissioner James Sherrard, NSW MP Anoulack Chanthivong, Alex O’Mara, Professor of Practice in Urbanism at the University of Sydney, Alex Gurman of Hassell, Liam Wallis of HIP V. HYPE and Robbie Claase of Modscape.
What makes this co-location especially compelling is not simply the individual shows, but the way they connect: interior design decisions influence architecture; material choices affect building performance; kitchens and bathrooms are no longer isolated rooms but integrated systems tied to sustainability, technology and lifestyle outcomes. Instead of numerous separate supplier meetings, disconnected CPD sessions and fragmented research, Design Show Australia, Kitchen+Bath Show and Futurebuild Australia together deliver the entire design and build ecosystem in one visit.
Design Show Australia, Kitchen+Bath Show and Futurebuild Australia, ICC Sydney, 11-13 June, 9.30am to 5pm. Register for a complimentary trade pass before 11 June.
