Singapore show much like High Point
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, April 7, 2002
SINGAPORE — Of all the shows in Asia, the International Furniture Fair Singapore is the most like the one in High Point.
It is truly an international fair, and while not nearly as big as High Point's vast arrangement of showrooms, it is big enough to attract nearly 18,000 visitors to see the products of 645 exhibitors from 34 countries.
Singapore's total trade in furniture was US$426 million, up $44 million from 1999, but small nevertheless. So the market here gives them an exposure to external sources and broadens their opportunities with nearby countries like Malaysia and to emerging markets in China, the Middle East and South Asia.
That also has attracted growth in the form of other countries that want to do the same thing. Bert Choong, president of the Singapore Furniture Inds. Council, said in his welcome address here recently that these factors have helped the show do well despite the worldwide economic slowdown.
Alison Kwok, a member of the council's executive committee, agreed. "We have a much fuller perspective since the show has been since 1982," she said. "We have seen the market go in both directions (up and down). Most of our manufacturers come from outside Singapore, so we try to make this a quality show."
The Singapore show serves as a gateway for worldwide exhibitors, including a few from the United States. This year there were 13 international pavilions, including first-time appearances by the Czech Republic, Norway, Spain and Turkey.
They join the pavilions of Belgium, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Choom called the mix of countries "collective synergy" and said that Singapore exhibitors don't see their presence as a threat because Singaporean companies are not price competitive against Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese producers.
"We can compete with a Thai company only if we are on a level playing field — if we have a factory in Thailand," he said. Choong said that about 60% of Singaporean manufacturers have factories abroad.
The United States is represented at the show, but its presence includes only a handful of exhibitors. Lane, Sauder and Stanton all maintain spaces at the show, and office makers like Steelcase and Herman Miller exhibit in the new office exhibition area. Kwok noted that the show attracts buyers like J.C. Penney but added that many of the show's exhibitors may not operate in volumes large enough to satisfy American interests who are now going to China.
Nonetheless, U.S. executives said they were writing business with people they wouldn't see in High Point and picking up new customers — particularly from the Middle East. "It's kind of crazy that more (U.S.) people aren't here," said Loren Roth, director of international sales for Sauder.
This year the show expanded from being a showcase for furniture by adding new sections for office and kitchen furniture. Those two shows were put together in conjunction with KolnMesse Group, which runs the furniture show in Cologne, Germany.
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