Singapore fair aims to build reputation
Show draws exhibitors from 29 countries, visitors from 100
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, March 15, 2004
Singapore — Singapore— Coming off a strong show here last week, the International Furniture Fair Singapore hopes to place itself alongside High Point and Cologne as one of the top furniture shows in the world.
The March 1-5 show drew exhibitors from 29 countries and about 17,000 visitors from 100 countries, about the same attendance as was reported in 2003. Organizers attributed the show's popularity to the wide mix of product and design-centered focus of the show.
"The role and importance of design cannot be downplayed," said Simon Ong, chairman of the IFFS Design and Development Committee. "Design is an integral part of the creative economy, and it has a huge potential to enhance competitiveness.… That is why we are so focused on featuring furniture design in this year's show."
With a heavy emphasis on case goods, the show featured a wide range of designs and materials, which tapped the resources of many Asian exhibitors. As with Philippine shows the week before in both Cebu and Manila, manufacturers made good use of rattan, wicker, teak and abaca.
Some companies offered styles familiar to the U.S. market, ranging from transitional to contemporary bedrooms and dining rooms with clean lines and dark finishes.
Exhibitors also played off the appeal of bright colors, especially in upholstery.
Manufacturer DeCoro displayed leather sofas in bright red and orange. Red also was a key color in leather sofas shown by Four Hands, a U.S.-based importer showing in Singapore for the first time.
Orange, sky blue and even fluorescent green were among the striking palettes at Seray Group, which was making its second appearance at IFFS.
Seray's sales and marketing coordinator, Nermin Kocak, said the show was a vehicle to get new business. She said Seray currently draws much of its business from Saudi Arabia, but hoped to spark interest in its three new sofa and armchair groups from the wealth of other international buyers at IFFS.
"For me this is a better show for new business," said Kocak, noting that the company also shows in Cologne as well as smaller shows in Sudan, Egypt and elsewhere.
Jake Jabs, president and owner of Englewood, Colo.-based American Furniture Warehouse, said he had come to the show for about 15 of its 21 years. He said Singapore was an international fair before High Point incorporated the term international into its name, and is a particularly good resource for some traditional Asian styles and materials such as rattan, wicker, teak and mahogany.
"This is the place to find it," he said. "You see more solid mahogany here than anywhere in the world."
Ashok Chandra and his wife, Meena, have to come to IFFS for the past three years from New Delhi, where they operate a single store. They like the international and higher-end feel of the show, and believe that in many respects, Singapore has better offerings than what they have found at shows in Europe.
"The quality they bring in (in Europe) is nowhere near to what they bring in here," Meena said.
The prices, she said, also were competitive for their market, a factor the couple expects will keep them coming back.
