Singapore furniture show invites Phl manufacturers

CEBU, Philippines - Organizers of a Singapore-based international furniture show were in Cebu recently to invite local furniture makers and related industries to take part in their event.

At the official launching of International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS) 2014, sales and marketing executive Candice Chiang urged Cebuano exporters in the furniture and furnishings sector to showcase the ingenuity of Filipino manufacturers and designers to a worldwide audience.

IFFS 2014, organizers said, will be staged on March 13-16 after they have replaced the previously announced dates of March 9-12 to help facilitate travel plans for their exhibitors and visitors.

The event, also called Asean Furniture Show, will also incorporate the holding of two other major expos:  The Decor Show, a fair on the latest products and trends in furniture accessories and the Hospitality 360, which will put to the table the latest in the hotel industry.

Chiang said IFFS has been running for more than three decades now.

In a statement to the press, organizers said the 2013 show ended on a positive note, giving the furniture industry much to look forward to in 2014.

This year, IFFS converged about 466 exhibitors from 26 countries and was visited by over 20 thousand wholesalers, distributors, retailers and end-users from 102 countries which included, among others, 118 buying delegations.

Spot orders transacted during IFFS 2013 were reported at US$297 million with follow-on sales being expected to reach a staggering US$3.3 billion.

The yearly fair capitalizes on its "solid exhibitors appeal to the right crowd" in pooling an extensive portfolio of exhibits that helps to draw buyers, making it a well-attended show, organizers said in a press statement.

Last March was the first time that local companies went in full force through their own Philippine pavilion at the IFFS 2013 where 12 Filipino companies occupied over 300 square meters of exhibition area.

However, for Philexport Cebu president Venus Genson, while this is a welcomed invitation, she observed that not many buyers walked in to actually buy at their booths.

Genson said organizers must this time move to assure that participating Philippine companies get the foot traffic, especially buyer traffic, at the fair.

There was also a call from the local sector to match IFFS customers to the right products.

Chiang, meanwhile, recognized that there are still areas of opportunities where IFFS could improve on to address this concern from the Cebuano exporters.

A biometrics system will be run for the companies which intend to join next year to make sure that organizers are able to document pertinent information that will be helpful for visitors in identifying key company profiles.

Chiang also pointed out that they will be extensively engaged in meeting and discussing these issues with the exhibitors ahead of time so they could together come up with arrangements on how to maximize their participation.

The Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation, Inc., meanwhile welcomed the invitation from the Singapore-based show but admitted it might be hard to reconcile the expo dates as they also intend to put up an international furniture show here in the country around the IFFS dates.

Still, the Worldwide Exhibitions Linkage Services, which represents the IFFS in the Philippines, remains optimistic to hit bigger and better exposure for the next year as the local industry prepares to once again take its spot as the "Milan of Asia". (FREEMAN)