Malaysia fair international attendance dips slightly

Show still generates $778 million in sales

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, April 15, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The March 1-5 Malaysian International Furniture Fair drew more than 6,500 international buyers from 140 countries, a slight drop from the 6,800 who attended last year, officials said.

Still, the show managed to generate an estimated $778 million in sales during the event, up from $755 million last year and the largest on record dating back to 2000. The sales included both residential and commercial office furniture displayed at the show.

Officials attributed the increase largely to global growth in commercial real estate that is spurring a demand for new office furniture.

The show reported that 21.4% of the international buyers were from Southeast Asia, while Europe represented about 14.5% of the total. That was followed by 13.4% from the Far East and 11.9% from the Middle East.

Figures were not immediately available on the number of buyers from the United States and Canada.

The show featured about 500 exhibitors from Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Egypt and the U.S. They showed in nearly 800,000 square feet of exhibition space at the Putra World Trade Center and the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center.

The 2012 event will be held March 6-10. For more information on the fair, visit www.miff.com.my.