Exhibitors are more than ready for the Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF), with 80% of the exhibition space already booked. Taking place between 5-9th March 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, the fair will cover 75,000m2 of display halls at the downtown Putra World Trade Centre and nearby Matrade Exhibition & Convention Centre.
The strong response from exhibitors follows the success of MIFF 2012, which saw record sales of US$830m. “MIFF remains outstanding as the one-stop source centre for furniture buyers and importers from all over the world,” says MIFF chairman Dato’ Tan Chin Huat. “It has proven itself over and over again as the place that offers more value and a wide selection with top quality.”
Overall, the organiser expects to maintain a steady turnout of 500 Malaysian and international exhibitors and 20,000 trade visitors, including 7000 international buyers from 140 countries. “These have been our numbers in the last few years, and we are very comfortable with them given our size and capacity,” he says. “The bigger challenge, as always, is providing buyers with more variety and new products to get them to increase orders.”
Rubber wood furniture, office and home furniture are MIFF’s top sellers, but one of the growing trends is the hiring of local and foreign designers by Malaysian manufacturers, resulting in greater innovation year-on-year.
In 2013, the show’s organiser seeks to draw more exhibitors from Asean countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar – which account for the biggest segment of international buyers attending.
The Malaysian manufacturers and exporters exhibiting include Hin Lim Furniture Manufacturer, Poh Huat Furniture Industries, Euro Chairs Manufacturer, SHH Furniture Industries, BJ Cabinet Enterprise, Oasis Furniture Industries, Green River Wood & Lumber Manufacturing, LY Furniture, Latitude Tree Furniture, Hup Chong Furniture and Sin Lian Lee Manufacturing.
Show highlights will include the opening ceremony, industry seminars and buyers’ night, as well as the presentation of awards to the winners of the Best Presentation Award, Furniture Excellence Award and Furniture Design Competition.
Admission is free for buyers that pre-register online before 31st January 2013. Special accommodation rates are also available through the website. MIFF is now owned by UBM Asia, the largest fair organiser in Asia.
