In an interview during his debut show in Shanghai, China, in mid-September, Zou Wenlong looked both tired and pleased that he was able to pull the whole thing off. Barely a year earlier, construction of the first 2 million square feet of the project was just getting under way, with workers pouring foundations and raising the walls of several buildings.

As president of show developer and organizer Jisheng Wellborn Furniture Group, Zou had a lot riding on the success of the first Shanghai International Furniture Fair.

Despite some unpolished aspects of the event, including some unfinished floors and some unfinished showroom space, the event accomplished what China is becoming more and more famous for around the world — getting projects completed in an amazingly brief time. One company official told us it took about two weeks to get his two-story showr...Read More