Current Issue

To Gather Again In March

Every March, the international furniture community gears itself up for a jam-packed calendar. Starting with MIFF in Kuala Lumpur and to finish with the CIFF-Office Show at the end of March, buyers and suppliers gather in Asia for the latest products and designs the region has to offer. This is in the form of more than a dozen exhibitions running back-to-back.

These shows are typically good indicators of the state of the world furniture business. When the global economies are doing well and consumers are spending, most shows would be bursting at the seams with an ever-growing number of exhibitors and buyers. Through the years of rapid growth, all of these fairs have had to physically expand again and again to accommodate the strong demands. CIFF Guangzhou is now the largest of all with a staggering showground space of 660,000 sq m. It now holds the title of the world largest furniture exhibition (non-permanent show).

With the sharp downturn in 2008, the global furniture industry suffered heavy blows. So have the exhibitions. Many of these events saw a decrease in participation and size. However, organisers have been doing all they can to improve competitiveness and help their exhibitors tide over the crisis. Although the Chinese fairs were not spared, backed by the strong domestic market, they held strong. Traditionally export-oriented, 3F, CIFF and SIFE have since realigned themselves to give equal importance to their local market.

Our magazine was at the recent IMM Cologne and Interiors Birmingham shows. Despite the reduction in many areas such as exhibition space, number of exhibitors and attendance, the general feedback we received was rather optimistic. Exhibitors reported receiving lots of returning orders. If the positivism of these shows is anything to go by, we should expect a return of international buyers to the Asian shows with significant orders.

A point to consider: With Chinese consumers going worldwide for shopping choices, I am wondering if Chinese wholesalers and retailers will do so too – by sourcing outside of China for greater variety.

Anyway, we at Furniture & Furnishing Export International (FFE) are exhibiting at Asia’s 7 largest shows this March – MIFF, EFE, IFFS, 3F, CIFF Home, SIFE, CIFF-Office Show. Besides the magazine, we will be promoting our first DESIGN & INNOVATION AWARD (DIA) as well as the very popular FURNITURE LEADERSHIP AWARD (FLA). We hope you will come by our booths, be it to give feedback, have a chitchat or just to say hi.

I, and on behalf of my team, wish you a successful March 2010 at the shows.

Dr Casey Loo
Editor-in-chief, Publisher