The Department of Export Promotion (DEP), is once again joining forces with the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and the Thai Furniture Industries Association (TFA) in organizing the Thailand International Furniture Fair 2009 (TIFF 2009).The event, which is set to be the 13th in this long-standing series, forms a significant platform for Thai furniture entrepreneurs to demonstrate their capabilities and creative ideas to potential buyers from within the country and throughout the world. The event, scheduled to take place between March 11th-15th, 2009, is nowopen for exhibitor registration from today until January 15th, 2009. Any registration before December 1st, 2008, is
entitled to a special 10% discount on exhibition fee. The event aims to feature as many as 250 furniture entrepreneurs from Thailand and throughout Asia in over 900 booths.

Mr. Rachane Potjanasunthorn, DEP Director-General, stated that, “The TIFF event is yet another major trade fair by DEP that always enjoys great responses from Thai and international visitors alike. Thai furniture products are world-famous for distinctive designs, attention to detail, and unique characteristics. The event in 2008 was indeed an overwhelming success with a total of 204 exhibitors manning 812 booths. During the trade negotiation days, the event was attended by as many as 7, 366 foreign buyers especially from Japan, the United States, Vietnam, India and Hong Kong. Additionally, on the public retail days, the event welcomed a total of over 27, 000 international visitors.”

Now in its 13th year, the TIFF 2009 is set to be an important platform for furniture entrepreneurs looking to introduce new products and to expand their businesses into foreign markets. Exhibition registration is open from now until January 15th, 2009. The three organizing partners – the DEP, the FTI and the TFA – have announced that the event will take place between March 11th-15th, 2009, on a grand venue of 35, 000 m2 at Challenger 2-3, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani. The event will be organized under the concept of ‘Imagine Green Living’, and is anticipated to feature over 250 furniture entrepreneurs in over 900 booths, from Thailand and key Asian markets including Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

“Furniture entrepreneurs of all kinds and sizes are encouraged to participate in this important event. They will have a chance to showcase their capabilities and creative ideas in creating furniture items that impress even the most discerning buyers. Potential customers will come from virtually all continents including Asia, Europe and America. It’s a very good opportunity to expand businesses to reach and make a presence in new markets, as well as, to introduce the latest furniture innovations to target consumers. Exhibitors registering before December 1st, 2008, are also entitled to a special 10% discount on exhibition fee.”, added Mr. Rachane.

International Famous Furniture Fair (Dongguan), commonly known as 3F, is a leading furniture fair in China since 1999. This semi-annual exhibition held in March and August, now shifted to September, is a leading trade event serving the global furniture and furnishing community. The 20th 3F will be on from 6 through 10 September 2008.

General Information
Every year, over 700 exhibitors from 10 countries gather twice in Houjie and display their latest products in 9 exhibition halls covering 240,000sqm. 3F and its concurrent International Famous Furniture Woodworking Machinery & Material Fair, Dongguan Home Furnishings Fair touch every essential category in the home furnishings/décor marketplace, including bedroom furniture, living room furniture, upholstery, wall décor, decorative accessories, lightings, textile as well as woodworking machinery and materials. It is the most comprehensive home furnishings event in China and the most efficient trading and exchanging platform for the world’s furniture industry. Held right in the center of China’s furniture industry, 3F is the only furniture event in China supported by Ministry of Commerce of China and Hong Kong Trade Development Council. It is the only furniture exhibition receives UFI Approved Event endorsement in China. It is the Excellent Furniture Exhibition in Intellectual Property Rights Protection in Guangdong.

Attendee Information
International furniture and furnishing retail and wholesale trade, furniture importers and exporter, interior designers, architects, designers, joiners, carpenters, interior decorators.

Exhibitor Information
International suppliers of furniture, woodworking machinery, furniture accessories and components, lighting, home accessories, decorative items, carpets and home textiles.

Show Organizer (s): Dongguan Famous Furniture Association
Event Date (s): Sep 06, 2008 – Sep 10, 2008
Hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Venue: Guangdong Modern Internatioinal Exhibition Center
Address: Houjie Furniture Road, Dongguan, Guangdong, China
No. of Exhibitors: 746 , History Record: 746(in 2008)
No. of Attendees: 110000 , History Record: 110000(in 2008)
Exhibition Floor Size: (sqm) 240000 , History Record: 240000(in 2008)
Phone: 86 – 769 – 85900111
Fax: 86 – 769 – 85585780

The first International Furniture and Interior Decoration Fair and Conference will be held in the IRIB International Conference Center from July 19-20.

Announcing this on Saturday, head of the employer association of furniture producers and sellers noted that the conference aimed to prepare the ground for cooperation among domestic and foreign companies engaged in this industry.

“Developing the furniture industry and getting a foothold on markets in Middle Eastern and Central Asian counties are among the other goals of the fair,” Ali Ansari Reisi said.

He also observed that some domestic and foreign companies and envoys form Turkey, Italy, England, Malaysia and Austria would be represented at the event.

The International Furniture and Design Exhibition, Conference and Awards (INFDEX), Qatar’s largest interior design and furnishing expo, has been fully booked, Qatar Expo, the organizers of the event, said yesterday.

Over 100 companies from 14 countries will participate in the exhibition, which will include a conference and awards ceremony for the first time.

The exhibition, to run from May 18 to 21, is to feature the latest designs, fashion and technology in the fields of office design, house design, furniture, landscaping, lighting and environment.

This year INFDEX is poised to set yet another record in terms of the number of exhibitors and size of national pavilions, led by Turkey with 350 square metres of display space, and the participation of prominent Swedish furniture designers for the first time. Other major exhibitors at INFDEX come from Italy, Spain, India, Lebanon, Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Taiwan, Malaysia and Qatar.

“INFDEX has doubled in size this year and through our marketing campaign that began a year ago it was very clear to us that leading companies from the international market are very keen in being part of the development Qatar is going through” Exhibitions and Events Director, Fernando De Guama said.

“This year we are maximizing the exhibition’s content with a showcase of special events as part of INFDEX 2008. The special features are designed to entertain and inspire exhibitors and show visitors, as well as providing extra networking and idea exchange opportunities.”

Singapore’s share of world furniture export market is expected to increase to 2 percent by 2015 from the present 0.7 percent, a Singapore government minister said on Sunday.

The outlook for Singapore’s furniture industry is clearly optimistic and buoyant, said Singapore’s Information, Communications and the Arts Minister Lee Boon Yang at the opening of the international furniture fair Singapore 2008.

The fair is held in conjunction with the 25th furniture show of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),

“As furniture manufacturers, you must continue to sharpen your competitiveness to grow the business and win new market share. This is where having distinctive branding and strong design capability could make a huge difference to the future of Singapore’s furniture industry,” he said. Read more »

Exports are expected to balloon to RM10 billion by 2010 from a minuscule figure in the 1990’s, particularly from Peninsular Malaysia as well as Sarawak and to a lesser extent, Sabah, according to the latest statistical projection by both the government and the industrial section at the recent Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) in Kuala Lumpur.

Presently, the annual exports of furniture by Malaysia have reached RM8 billion. What this indicates is the enormous success achieved by the policy introduced two decades ago to step up furniture manufacturing for the domestic and export markets using local timber resources, including rubber wood. Indeed, when old rubber estates gave way to the opening of land for oil palm cultivation, the rubber wood had not gone to waste.

Treating rubber wood for downstream processing such as furniture making, and introducing new manufacturing concepts and designs to add more value and finished product quality have won the day for Malaysia as evidenced by home-made furniture having won universal acceptance in spite of strong competition from the more established foreign manufacturers, especially in North Asia and Europe. Read more »

THE furniture industry is not all that different from the fashion industry, based on what SJI Industries Sdn Bhd managing director Benny Poh said.

Furniture makers have to work a few seasons in advance like the fashion houses. And they also have to predict what will become the next big trend.

“Furniture is no longer just a piece of wood. It has now become like fashion,” Poh told StarBiz. “Thus you have to be competitive and avoid pitfalls by selling at lower prices.”

According to him, players should offer higher value-added products rather than compete on pricing.

In addition, he said, they should learn how to market their products effectively. Read more »

The premiere edition of the China International Kitchen Furniture and Appliance Fair (CKFA) will debut in Guangzhou, China, from 27 to 30 March 2008 at the China Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex. Riding on the increased development of China’s furniture and appliance industry, CKFA 2008 is the only quality trade fair in Asia that offers manufacturers and suppliers a unique trading platform for greater business opportunities. CKFA 2008 is jointly organized by the China Foreign Trade Centre (Group) and international trade fair organizer Koelnmesse.

It is held alongside the China International Furniture Fair (CIFF), the region’s largest and most influential event in the furniture industry. With CIFF’s ten-year success, its reputation as “Asia’s Furniture Sourcing Centre”, as well as Koelnmesse GmbH’s expertise in organizing leading global shows such as imm cologne, interzum and Domotechnica in Germany, CKFA is guaranteed to provide visitors with a world-class product line-up. CKFA 2008 will cover the full spectrum of kitchen and appliance products, and is complemented by seminars on the latest trends and technology in the market. Read more »

The International Furniture Fair and the International Decoration and Accessories Fair are putting the finishing touches to the preparations for their next event to be held between 24 and 29 September at Feria Valencia. Already, buyers of a total of 300 firms from more than 50 countries have confirmed their attendance to do business at the forthcoming event.

Of all the companies which have confirmed their attendance, 43% are buyers from non European Community countries, which is a higher attendance rate than last year?s event of 100%. Read more »

Furniture makers and interior fit-out specialists from around the world will take part in an international hospitality furniture expo to be held in Bahrain next month.

The International Hospitality Furniture Expo (IHFEX) will be held at the Bahrain International Expo from September 3 to 5.

The event will be opened by Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr Hassan Fakhro.

The exhibition will target the fit-out of hotels, service apartments, commercial projects, cruise liners and other hospitality projects.

“The Singapore pavilion will combine trendsetting designs with fresh ideas, to provide visitors with a fruitful experience at IHFEX,” IHFEX director Tony Chan said. Read more »