Premier Furniture Event Boasts the Highest Number of Country Participation in Asia
The International Furniture Fair Singapore 2010/27th ASEAN Furniture Show (IFFS/AFS 2010) opened today with renewed optimism and vigour with 434 exhibitors from 30 countries occupying a total 60,000 gross square metres of exhibition space at the Singapore Expo. Running for four days from 9 till 12 March, this year¡¯s fair features a strong and exciting line-up of debut and returning exhibitors from ASEAN, Asia and beyond, a testament of its reputation in the global furniture trade arena as the fair offering the best mix of the East and West. The opening ceremony was officiated by Singapore¡¯s Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang.
Indicative of the global economic recovery, IFFS/AFS 2010 registered an increase in participation from more than ten countries, with companies from Australia, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, UK and USA signing up for more exhibition space. Twenty per cent of the exhibitors are showcasing their product lines for the first time. Buyers and visitors will be enthralled by the sheer variety of furniture and furnishing products on display as IFFS/AFS 2010 is the fair with the highest exhibitor country count in Asia.
Mr Andrew Ng, Chairman of IFFS Pte Ltd and President of the Singapore Furniture Industries Council said: ¡°We are glad to see some of the world¡¯s top furniture companies gathered at our fair with a distinctively wide range of furniture in terms of innovative design and quality excellence. Through the enthusiastic participation and support by both exhibitors and registered visitors, we are heartened that IFFS/AFS remains an important event on the international furniture trade calendar.¡±
One of the highlights of IFFS/AFS 2010 is a new overarching umbrella for all design initiatives in Hall 3. Aptly named D¡¯Space, which is short for ¡®Designer Space¡¯, IFFS/AFS 2010 aims to raise the furniture design profile even more so as to encourage companies to constantly challenge themselves in this area as well as inspire and cultivate design talents.
¡°The industry is constantly evolving and the launch of this new design-focused exhibition zone - D¡¯Space, offers both local and international industry players who differentiate themselves through design as an added exposure option. We believe that D¡¯Space will be the coveted design exhibition zone that many of our developing and maturing designers will aim for. Its ability to draw participation from top international designers will set high design standards and will certainly help to raise the design ambitions of our local and regional talents,¡± said Mr Tony Pang, Chairman of the IFFS/AFS 2010 Show Advisory Panel.
Other than PLATFORM, where young talents are provided with the opportunity to launch new prototypes and forge partnerships for the commercialisation of their designs, other features of D¡¯Space are the exciting debut showcase by 13 companies from Design & Objects, an association from Thailand comprising local design talents who have been making waves on the international furniture scene. D¡¯Space will also be showcasing the novel designs from a collection of international design names including John Kelly Furniture (USA) and Sable Island (UK). Also under the D¡¯Space umbrella is the Furniture Design Award 2010 (FDA 2010), with the winners¡¯ and finalists¡¯ displayed at Foyer 1.
The fair has been growing its scope and content steadily through the years and a brand new component will be added to IFFS/AFS 2011. In months to come, Hospitality Asia 2011 will be launched as a show-within-show to expand the fair¡¯s market reach to the fast growing hospitality sector within the furniture industry. . This will be co-located with Deco Asia 2011, a segment on soft furnishings & home accessories which has grown from a modest area to one which can be rebranded as a show on its own. Both Deco Asia 2011 and Hospitality Asia 2011 will be held in conjunction with IFFS/AFS 2011 over the same period with an estimated exhibition space of 10,000 square metres in total.
With this addition, IFFS/AFS further establishes itself as the one-stop-shop for the world¡¯s furniture sourcing needs.
Added Mr Andrew Ng: ¡°IFFS/AFS is constantly evolving, growing and developing to serve more and more sectors within the furniture and furnishing industries. Hospitality Asia 2011 will provide the fair with more comprehensive product lines and offerings as it will address the furniture and furnishing needs of the international hospitality industry more holistically. Similarly, Deco Asia 2011 will offer innovative products to meet the rising demand for quality soft furnishings and home accessories. This is a timely decision based on the escalating growth of the hospitality and soft furnishings segments of the industry globally. We are confident that this new addition to our event it will attract a whole new set of visitors and give our exhibitors a new alternative market.¡±
