60,697 trade buyers thronged the halls at interzum guangzhou 2009 sourcing for international suppliers for their woodworking and furniture production business.
interzum guangzhou 2009, ended on a positive note, along with the Office Furniture Show attracting 60,697 trade buyers from the DIY (Do-it-yourself) and BIY (Build-it-yourself); Furniture manufacturing; Furniture wholesale and retail; Interior design; Institutions; Wood and plastic processing; Wood and plastic trading sectors. This is an increase of 6 per cent over 2008’s 57,073 visitors. And despite the global economic slowdown, there was a general optimism among the suppliers and manufacturers at the fair.
According to the “World Furniture Outlook 2009" report from research and consulting firm CSIL, furniture demand is expected to grow moderately in 29 countries (with China, Egypt, Russia, India and Kuwait growing more than 3 per cent) and remain stable in 11 countries. This confidence in the future is reflected in the fact that this year’s trade fair was sold out, with a 10 per cent increase in exhibitor numbers and a 33 per cent increase in space. 761 exhibitors occupied 8 halls at an impressive 80,000sqm.
Exhibitors at the four-day trade fair registered a good response from the market, with many booths seeing a steady stream of enquiries and interest.
“interzum guangzhou is an established and renowned trade fair, which we participate in every year. We are very happy with this year’s results as it has far exceeded our expectations.” Blue-vent Pte. Ltd’s Chief Representative, Mr Wang Yao Gang was full of praise for this year’s trade fair. “We also took part in another similar trade fair in China this year, but the results were disappointing. interzum guangzhou has proven that it is possible to have outstanding results despite the economic crisis worldwide and this is due in no small part to the organizers. From the scale of the exhibition, the quality of the exhibitors to the quantity of visitors, these are areas which no other exhibition in China can rival. We will definitely be back next year.”
“Actually, the situation is better than what we expected. Although some of our customers are still adopting a wait and see attitude, we’ve already communicated with them and we are sure that there will be follow-up action after the show. We brought our Star product to China for the first time and it has attracted a lot of attention over the last few days. Chinese customers are more optimistic and they hold a very good view for the future.” commented Mr Marco Rampichini, General Manager, SCM Group.
“This year’s trade fair is very successful. The quality of exhibitors is very high, with many well-known companies participating.” Mr. Aduen Wang, the Marketing Manager for A&D JASMINE INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD said “This is the second time that we are exhibiting in interzum guangzhou and we feel that it is an excellent platform to showcase our products, as we received many enquiries from buyers in China and the Asia Pacific region.”
The Guangdong province is one of the most important furniture markets in the world. Experts estimate that within a few years China will become the fastest growing consumer market in the world for furniture. With more than 10 million new wealthy people living in China, it is further expected that up-market furniture sales will continue to show strong market growth.
As a result, interzum guangzhou’s strategic position as a gateway for international companies to sell to the China market as well as a springboard for China companies to sell to Asia, attracted many repeat as well as first time exhibitors. Some of the new exhibitors include Sitapan SRL, OFK (Ozersk Furniture Accessories Company), Fusoni Components S.L., TORREDA FRANCESC S.L, Bedax Trading Incorporation, Sanitized, Flexitex S.A., Matsushita Industrial Co., Ltd., Union Brother (China) Co., Ltd, Diamond Wood China Limited , Enbasa (Nantong) Textile Co., Ltd., J.D. Irving Limited and Refined Mechanics Hi-Tech Co. Ltd.
Ms. Suki Chan, GM Assistant, from Zahonero (Spain) was full of praise “This is our second time participating in interzum guangzhou. Compared to other trade fairs, interzum guangzhou is well-organized and provides us with a more international and professional platform to launch our latest product. Hence, we are quite interested to participate in the event in 2010.”
“It was a last minute decision to take part in interzum guangzhou. It is also the first time we are taking part. We are here because of the recommendations from our customers. We are pleasantly surprised by the excellent response and the overwhelming numbers of visitors.” Mr. Jacky Chen, Sales Director for Union Brother (China) Co., Ltd said “This year’s space is not enough as we were too late to secure a bigger space. We hope to reserve a bigger spot next year so that we can present a more comprehensive showcase to our customers.”
Visitors to the fair were impressed by the extensive product showcase on the exhibition floor, as well as the seminars and workshop by leading industry practitioners who shared their knowledge and experience in the area of Furniture & Bedding, Solutions, Innovations & Market Opportunities, and computer-aided design, sales software and manufacturing for the interior design industry.
According to Mr Dai Jin Hui from Changzhou, “It was a very enriching experience as we had the opportunity to pick up the latest information on the industry. At the same time, we were able to connect with many potential new suppliers.” Mr Ron Ziegler, an Australian materials buyer for wooden furniture added “We have been looking for a gateway to access the China market. It looks like interzum guangzhou is the ideal platform that we have been waiting for. The China market is in our development plans for the next five years and these past four days have been extremely fruitful for us. We will definitely be back again next year.”
“We are pleased with the good turnout for interzum guangzhou. It is evident from the active business discussions and networking on the show floor that as the annual meeting place for the industry in Asia, interzum guangzhou is indispensable to the future of the furniture production sector.” said Mr Michael Dreyer, Vice President Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse.
Organized by Koelnmesse and China Foreign Trade Centre (Group), the next edition of interzum guangzhou will be held from 27 – 30 March 2010 at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou.
For more information, please visit www.interzum-guangzhou.com
About Koelnmesse
As a world-renowned trade fair organizer, Koelnmesse has an excellent track record for organizing some of the world’s most successful trade events, such as the accomplished interzum and imm in Cologne, interzum Moscow/Interkomplekt and Orgatec. With over 80 years experience in organizing large-scale commercial events connecting buyers and sellers, Koelnmesse brings forth an unrivalled skill-set and expertise needed to develop interzum guangzhou into one of the premier international furniture production trade show in Asia.
About China Foreign Trade Centre (Group)
China Foreign Trade Centre (Group) is a highly qualified and experienced exhibition company. For more than 50 years, it has organized the China Import and Export Fair, the largest trade fair in China. China Foreign Trade Centre (Group) is also the organizer of CIFF (China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou)), Asia’s biggest furniture trade fair. Affiliated to China Foreign Trade Centre (Group), China Foreign Trade Guangzhou Exhibition Corp. (CFTE) is one of the most reputable exhibition companies with the longest history in China. Its main business scope consists of undertaking, organizing, co-organizing large-scale international exhibitions and facilitating Chinese participation in leading exhibition overseas.
