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Taipei, Taiwan March 24, 2006 – It was the show that turned eyes, the one experts checked out for indicators of the trade being back on track after the chills of 2000. And TIFS 2006 (the Taipei International Furniture Show 2006) did not disappoint! After a pause of six years this show returned to rave reviews. The joint effort of TAITRA (the Taiwan External Trade Development Council) and TFMA (Taiwan Furniture Manufacturers’ Association) joined 211 exhibitors who used 964 booths to profile the latest trends.
Over 600 foreign buyers pre-registered for the event, who were joined by an additional 1060 foreign pros who signed in at the show. With them came nearly 20,000 Taiwanese visitors – many from Taipei’s dazzling furniture wholesale and retail shops to collect the hottest trends. And though this fresh upstart show still lags the scale of other related events in Malaysia and other places, it still put in a strong showing in terms of creativity, selection, quality, and the volume of foreign representation.
“Through the staunch support of the Taiwanese furniture industry and the promotional efforts of TAITRA and TFMA, attendance at the 11th Taiwan International Furniture Show even surpassed that of TIFS 2000. Taiwan’s agent for Furniture Today states that TIFS’06 emerged from the shadow of the 2000 market downturn to successfully pull ahead of local shows by offering a world-class exhibition.”
Taiwan’s INTERNATIONAL Furniture Show!
Bringing home the far-flung business of hundreds of Taiwan crafters was no easy task. But professionals flooded the gates from these furniture producing regions.
It’s here where the Malaysian Furniture Industry Council came out in full force to sign sizable orders, ink deals for its members, and get a head-start on joining TIFS 2007. The prominent Taiwan-based firm Collins Taiwan harvested the huge growth potential offered on the local market and there’s now no need to convince them of TIFS glowing future across this dynamic island.
For four days from 15th to 18th this was global venue for professionals. The largest number of buyers hailed from Japan with a total of 174 in attendance. TAITRA statistics show that the top five countries represented were Japan (16% of total attendees), America (9%), Malaysia (9%), China (6%), as well as Hong Kong (4%). Representation by continent (region) is as follows:
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Continent (Region)
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Number of Buyers
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Proportion of Total
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1. Asia
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481
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46%
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2. Middle East
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22
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2%
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3. Europe
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125
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11%
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4. Africa
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15
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1%
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5. North America
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122
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12%
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6. Central and South America
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28
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3%
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7. Oceania (New Zealand and Australia)
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55
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5%
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8. Other
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212
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20%
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Total
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1060
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100%
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Taiwan’s strengths!
It’s here where Taiwan delivered high quality, unique designs that was rendered in metal and glass furnishings and in a world-class of freshly designed products. One of the stars of TIFS 2006 was Euro American Industrial Co., who staged some of the most original concepts of the show. From opening day, their booth was packed by admirers. This well-deserved attention came mostly from European buyers who especially favored their upbeat designs. The general manager of Euro American, Ms. Kiyoko Chen, said the high quality dining sets, bar stools, and stools on display were positively received by several important international companies, such as Sweden’s IKEA. For E.A. that admiration inspired many buyers to place sizable orders.
Crystal Palace?
Meanwhile ten glass manufacturers linked up for their own joint exhibit at the Glassworks Pavilion. Together, they successfully developed markets for their products in the UK, Japan, Mexico, and the Philippines, to name a few, with many buyers showing placing large orders and show interest in long-term cooperation. Among the products on display was an oval shaped dining table suite, a bent-wood computer table, and an oval vanity table. .
Office furnishings were another high point of the exhibition that were topped off by Kuo Ching Furniture Decoration’s ingenious office chairs. The special features and unique designs of these works were greeted enthusiastically by European and American buyers.
Meanwhile, well-known Taiwanese office chair manufacturer Camel King Int’l maintained its reputation for winning hearts at the show by capturing the Award for Excellence in Furniture Design. Camel’s company’s president, Mr. Wang admitted that while it is currently difficult for Taiwanese products to compete with China in terms of price, it is obvious at the show that Taiwanese furniture is moving towards refinement and high quality. There is an obvious demarcation developing between the quality levels of diverging markets for which Taiwan and China are competing. He can already see a significant difference between TIFS and its counterpart in the People’s Republic of China.
A Buyer’s Perspective:
“I’m impressed by the wide array of unique pieces with strong individual style and design and believe Taiwan furniture is finding its own way in creating distinctive fine design and function in steel and other metal furnishings.”
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Mr. Huang Yi-jun, Representative from Index Furnishings, Indonesia’s largest furniture chain
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Two lively interactive seminars!
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Two key seminars came to this year’s show. They were Global Market Trends: Europe, America, and Japan and The Complete Kagan: A Lifetime of Avant-Garde Design. These were all booked out even before the show began and the organizers had to scramble to provide additional seating for respective 95 to 205 visitor audiences.
Exhibitors Puts Taiwan on the Map
A full slate of outstanding manufacturers proudly carried the Made in Taiwan label to the show. These included the aforementioned Euro American Industrial Corporation and the ten exhibitors in the Glasswork Pavilion led by Taiwan Mirror Glass Enterprise. They underscored the nation’s strengths in glass, metal, DIY, office, and high quality wood furniture while increasing their international market profile.
With all the advantages of a global furniture hub, shouldn’t you get set to dovetail it all at Taipei International Furniture Show 2007 next March 3 through 7, 2007.
TIFS Press Contact: William Shih Publicity Manager
TAITRA Taiwan External Trade Development Council
Tel: 02-2725-5200 x 2872
Website: http://www.taipeitradeshows.com.tw/furniture/
Fax: 02-2729-1191
E-Mail: William@taitra.org.tw
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