SINGAPORE, Dec 5 — Maison&Objet (M&O) turned 20 this year, but even the most seasoned of visitors to the biannual trade show would have been surprised at the changes seen in its September edition in Paris.

Held at the Parc des Expositions Paris Nord Villepinte over five days, and inspired by current consumer trends and the zeitgeist of retail offerings categorised by lifestyle and concept, the organisers opted for a show experience that focused on atmosphere rather than specialised products.

Of course, you can say there’s no better time to reflect and make some changes to your look than when entering a new decade — and this could be a welcome shift when the mega fair rolls into Singapore next March.

Despite being into only its third year, the upcoming Asian edition at Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands will also undergo a reinvention, with a focus on interior tailored design and architectural solutions.

As Regina Chan, M&O’s director, Asia-Pacific, explained: “Buying habits and market needs are changing very quickly ... We wanted to organise the show from the visitor’s point of view, from the buyer’s point of view.”

So, what can one expect here? While organisers were coy about the details, the fact that they are drawing from the Paris event means there could well be the Maison hub, made up of interior decoration brands, from furniture to fabrics and even small accent pieces; the Objet hub, a gigantic concept store of sorts, where a curated selection of, well, objects, go on display, from kitchen tools to children’s playroom accessories; and one section on Luxury, Design and Interior Decoration, which celebrates creativity, innovation and cutting-edge expertise.

One new segment that was shown in Paris was the space dedicated to Maison&Objet’s Projets, which was all about interior designers, architects and/or property developers working together with specialised suppliers and service providers to come up with cutting-edge architectural, technical and decorative luxury solutions of their own for hospitality or residential projects.

Chan said: “The selection is unique; you won’t find anything like it in other shows. And because the feedback was so good, it (has) given us confidence to do the third show in Asia.”

It makes sense to make Projets the central tenet of M&O Asia next year. The first two editions of M&O Asia proved one thing — unlike M&O Paris, where the classic distribution model of buyers and retailers continues to dominate, the visitor profile in Asia reflects the region’s booming property development, real estate and hospitality industries.

This year, 50 per cent of the visitors were from these sectors, including property developers South Beach Consortium from Singapore and Wing Tai Properties from Hong Kong; and hoteliers Banyan Tree Group (Singapore), Oberoi (India) and The Peninsula Hotels (Hong Kong).

With this in mind, the 2016 edition of M&O Asia is set to focus on connecting the interior design community in Asia Pacific with a specially curated selection of 300 brands showcasing interior design and architectural solutions for hospitality, residential and F&B projects. This means visitors will be able to work with the experts on-hand to customise products, be it bespoke furniture or small accent pieces, based on their unique needs.

Of these 300 brands, up to 50 per cent will be exclusive to M&O Asia — these brands did not even exhibit in M&O Paris. This coup is the result of the efforts put in by the organising team, headed by Frederic Bougeard, M&O’s international development director, and Chan, who spent months travelling to key markets within Asia Pacific to meet with the extensive network of industry contacts, including designers and manufacturers

An important part of the M&O Paris experience, and further evidence of its keen interest in acting as a business platform, was the line-up of programmes and conferences, organised to help buyers and retailers understand the market and consumers better.

Similarly, the Asian edition will also provide networking opportunities for leading designers and key industry players from countries in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as lectures and talks by design personalities and thought leaders at its Lifestyle and Interior Design Summit.

As in Paris, fringe activities such as exhibitions in designer showrooms will work to extend the design and lifestyle elements beyond the salon in a seamless and creative manner alongside Singapore Design Week.

All that’s left to be seen is whether this new format will work, although if organisers take the response in Paris as a cue, they could well be clinking glasses of bubbly by the time the show is through. — TODAY

* Maison&Objet Asia will take place on March 8 to 11 next year at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands Singapore.