March 2021 Asia Furniture Buying Season Remain Strong as Ever

KUALA LUMPUR, APRIL 19 – Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) has concluded its second edition of virtual exhibition, MIFF Furniverse which was held on March 8 – 12, 2021, in the absence of Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) physical event in March.

With improved overall look and features, the virtual trade floor brings together 67 exhibitors from Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Ireland, Taiwan, and USA – showcased extensive range of home and office furniture collection and the global buyers’ favourite, made-in-Malaysia wooden furniture through the live platform.

Show organiser, Informa Markets Malaysia, reported MIFF Furniverse 2021 attracted 1,703 buyer’s visits from 101 countries and regions, an increase of 35.5% from the last edition in August 2020, contributing to a total of USD4.55 million sales generated over the five-days live event. Strong numbers of buyers from Asia attended, followed by buyers from Europe and North America.

40% of buyers logged onto the platform more than one day and 31% among the registered buyers are the new visitors of MIFF physical event. Through digital, it made possible for new buyers to experience source furniture from MIFF exhibitors.

Throughout the live five-day virtual event, total 100 pre-scheduled business meetings were successfully conducted.

“The responses from buyers towards the live event were much active compared to the previous edition. We were impressed with the commitment level of some buyers from countries such as Ukraine, USA, etc to attend the business meeting despite the huge time differences. They strictly followed our Asia business operating hours in order not to miss the pre-scheduled meetings,” said MIFF General Manager, Karen Goi.

Karen Goi further added that the exhibitors came back stronger. “This year, we have witnessed the level of seriousness shown by our exhibitors as they get more creative to promote their brand and interacting with the buyers on virtual space through our platform. We will continue supporting the industry and place our customers and their business priorities first.”

“Buyers found the platform is helpful and convenient to fulfil their sourcing needs during this difficult time. They were positive towards the platform and supporting MIFF towards the advancement of our digital journey. Our buyers also expressed they are looking forward to attend MIFF physical event as MIFF is one of their preferred furniture sourcing hubs in Asia,” said Karen Goi.

From Philippines, Rowena Ramirez of Igo Digital High Technology found MIFF Furniverse is useful and a good avenue of network. Huge Praise from Alan Wogan of VIDA Living in Ireland said that “Absolutely the best show MIFF has put on in these difficult circumstances. It was great to have a shop window to look into - the first for such a long time.”

Tey Lay Hui, general manager of regular MIFF exhibitor, Malaysia’s Home Best Enterprise Corp, said MIFF Furniverse is a great opportunity to find new clients. “This is our second year participating in MIFF Furniverse as we find the platform can support our business in the new normal. This platform helped us to promote our product offerings and find new buyers.”

Mark Lim, Marketing Manager of Malaysia’s Reliable Trend said that “The virtual exhibition allows us to showcase our latest development to the world. It is an important platform for us to expand our business leads and reach out to more buyers across the world.”

MIFF Furniverse will return in September to facilitate the sourcing needs of global furniture community.

For more information, visit http://www.miff.com.my email: info@miff.com.my. To get latest news and insights, follow Furnish Now by MIFF (FB) | ubmMIFF (Youtube) | Furnish Now MIFF {LinkedIn} | Furnish Now by MIFF (IG).

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About MIFF (www.miff.com.my)

MIFF is the largest and leading export-oriented furniture trade show in Southeast Asia and Malaysia showcasing the widest collection of made-in-Malaysia wooden furniture, home furniture and office furniture. Established in 1995, MIFF is now a one-stop sourcing platform with online and offline solutions connecting a wider community of 20,000+ buyers from 140 countries and regions with 600+ furniture manufacturers and exporters from 12 countries and regions. With various new digital offerings since 2020, it provides trade opportunities and connects the global furniture market all year round. MIFF is organised by Informa Markets which is a part of Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B event organiser in the world.