The Best Furiture Fairs in Asia

February

Ambiente Frankfurt (Feb 12-16)
The passage sections of Ambiente feature suppliers and manufacturers from around the world.  A great show for home décor and housewares for those not planning on going all the way to Asia.

Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair (Feb 20 – 23)
The biggest furniture and home accent fair in India.  Fantastic products and great values for people looking to source in India with over 1000 suppliers.

India Carpet Expo (Feb 25 – 28)
Almost 200 carpet manufacturers and exporters will attend this fair in New Delhi.

March

MIFF Malaysia (Mar 2 – 6)
-More than 500 Malaysian furniture manufacturers and exporters.

Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition (Mar 5 –
-A smaller show with all the top local Cebu manufacturers and designers.

Manila Now (Mar 4 – 7)
-More than 100 furniture and home décor suppliers.

IFFS Singapore (Mar 9 – 12)
-One of the leading furniture fairs in Asia for good design.

TIFF Thailand (Mar 10 – 14)
-200 Thai home furnishings suppliers

IFFINA Indonesia (Mar 11 – 14)
-The largest furniture fair in Indonesia, this is also the best furniture show of the year for finding Indonesian home furnishing suppliers.

VIFA Vietnam (Mar 11 – 14)
-A smaller furniture fair with around 100 suppliers.  This fair has mostly furniture companies, but not as many home decor suppliers as the fall HCMC Expo.

3F – Dongguan Famous Furniture Fair (Mar 16-20)
-A huge furniture fair near the heart of furniture city in Houjie.  Also, there is a home accent and lighting section.

CIFF Furniture and Home Decor Guangzhou, China (Mar 18 – 21)
The  biggest and best furniture fair in China in the Spring.  Also running concurrently are sections for home accents and housewares.

SIFE Shenzhen (Mar 19 – 22)
Another huge furniture fair, not as large as the other two shows running at the same time, but still very big and lots of manufacturers at this show.

Premier Vision China (Mar 31 – Apr 1)
-One of the best high end fabric shows in China

CIFF Office Furniture (Mar 27 – Mar 30)
-One of the best high end fabric shows in China

April

Hong Kong International Lighting -Spring (Apr 13 – 16)
-The premier fall Asian lighting fair is now twice a year.  Manufacturers and suppliers are from around the world, but a majority are Chinese and HK companies.  There are not nearly as many companies at the spring event and only occupies one tenth of the floor space.

Manila F.A.M.E (Apr 14 – 17)
-The largest home furnishings fair in the Philippines features over 200 Home Decor Manufacturers.

The Canton Fair (Apr 15 -19, Apr 24 – 28, May 3 – 7)
-One of the oldest, and by far the biggest home furnishing fair in the world (if you include the surrounding fairs).  Phase 2 (Apr 24 – 28) of the Canton Fair is when most of home furnishings suppliers show there.  Phase 1 includes lighting, and Phase 3 has home textiles, carpets and rugs.  Overall, there are over a million square meters of exhibition space and over 50,000 suppliers.  Please note, that while there are more furniture manufacturers now attending the canton fair, it is still not as good as the CIFF for furniture, but it is much better for home accents.  Four fairs are within walking distance.  To read more about these fairs Click Here.

High Point Market (Apr 17 – 22)
-The largest home furnishings market in the World.  Buyers can find all the latest furniture, home decor, and lighting from top American and global manufacturers.  People looking to buy from overseas will find prices at High Point to be competitive with Asia, and many wholesale and manufacturers are willing to ship direct from overseas factories.

Hong Kong Housewares (Apr 20 – 23)
-One of the best houseware fairs in the world, there are thousands of manufacturers from China, India, Asia, and other parts of the world.  Products are housewares, textiles, handicrafts, and a level of Pet Supplies.

China Sourcing Fair: Home Products + India Sourcing Fair: Home Products (Apr 20 – 23)
-Both fairs are at one location in Hong Kong (the Expo Center, near the airport).  This is an unassociated extension of the Hong Kong Houseware fair.  Expect to find thousands more suppliers. But, since the HK Housewares is the premium event, suppliers at this event typically are waiting to get a space at the HK Convention Center in the coming years.   Shuttles and the train make it easy to travel back and forth between events.

Hong Kong Gifts and Premiums (Apr 27 – 30)
-A huge event, but not as appealing for home furnishing buyers.  These are often less expensive products, but some product categories of interest, include picture frames, ceramics, and clocks.  Also running at the same time, is the China Sourcing Fair: Gifts & Premiums (Apr 28 – May 1), at the Asia World Expo in Hong Kong.

Those not familiar with Indian products should take note that some of the most beautiful bone, metal, glass, leather, and wood products are crafted in India and shipped to top-quality retail stores around the world.

For value, you can expect the metal, glass, and bone price points to be as low as anywhere in the world, and the designs to be far superior.  My personal favorite in India is the aluminum products.  They shine like stainless steel, can be made into fantastic shapes, but cost only a fraction of what you would expect.

For shipments and reliability, I’ve heard that over the years things continue to improve, but spending the time to find the right manufacturer is still important!

Some of the interesting products we found are on the right:

Glass Vases from: A. M. Glass International

Glass Egg Vase

Metal Vase from: Zakaria Shahid Industries

Hammered Alluminum Vase

Leather Chair from: H. S. Exports

Wood and Leather Chair

Lamp from: Abia Home

Mixed Material Table Lamp

The Guzhen show probably had around 200-300 fixture and portable lighting companies there. They had all styles, from Modern to Traditional, from materials ranging from Glass, Ceramic, Polyresin, Iron, and Crystal. The modern designs were tasteful enough to possibly buy, but the traditional lighting design content looked petty poor.

From my perspective, this show is decent for experienced sourcing companies and people. If your new to China, and/or don’t have time to visit each supplier after the show, don’t place orders… Although there may be a few who really understand your requirements and all right, there are lots of companies here, who I would not feel comfortable working with, until after some good time at their plant.

That said, it seemed to have some good value suppliers, showing nice products at good prices. So, if your living or often working in Southern China, and in the lighting biz, this show is pretty good.

Also not, there are plenty of industrial lighting suppliers here, too. Flourescent bulbs, LED, Saftey, and industrial fixtures…

Also, like at highpoint, there are lots of informative seminars, epically good free seminars being put up by the Sustainable Furnishings Council.

Below is a review from 10 months ago…

Day 1.

There were big lines to get registered today, but by noon, they seemed to quiet down. That, and I waited in the wrong line with my brother. Anyway, the media line was fast!

So, this place is HUGE, a new building was finished this year, building C, and it seems to be a lot more international. I would estimate that 25% of the suppliers in building C are manufacturers from Asia.

Lots of fantastic products and trends to watch, but I’ll write about those in my blog.

I’ll write another review tomorrow…

Day 2.

It seems like some people are saying that traffic is down, but I’d guess that with the current state of the economy, people might be holding tight with their budgets. Maybe waiting till High Point.

Anyway, if your a looking for space to display your products, this is a great show. There are lots of empty spaces this show, and lots of international suppliers are here.

I would not recommend showing here, unless you are stocking in the USA, but, I’d guess there are some companies who are doing this, anyway, just please save buyers time, by displaying if you do not stock, very clearly.

But, really, you want to know about IFFINA, so I’ll save the rest for later. Overall the fair is a really nice mixture of product types. I was impressed with the design content and the prices they are selling at. Actually, I think prices are similar to what you will find China and possibly cheaper for smaller buyers.

Other buyers seemed to be disappointed that there were not a lot of larger Indonesian case goods suppliers at the show. So, if your looking for that, I heard there are a lot more suppliers at the Expo in the fall, but still not sure if those companies will even go to that show, or just go to Singapore. But, we are working on this, so you can also find the larger suppliers on goodfactories.com

There looked to be over 300 home furnishing companies at the show, the average booths are probably 30 m2. I met a lot of really nice manufacturers who seemed to know what they are doing, and really liked the fact that there are so many eco friendly furniture options at IFFINA.

After going to the China shows, its apparent that Indonesia and Vietnam seem to be leading the way in Asia for sustainable products. I will also post a video on the fair, so everyone can really tell what this fair looks like, and why I’m giving it a 4 star rating. IFFINA is not the biggest or the best, but there are a lot of great values here and nice looking products.

Also, another really nice feature at IFFINA was free wireless internet throughout the fair, buyers lounges with free food, and local and more expensive options for lunch. The Shuttle buses to hotels also seemed to run on time.

We have interviews and more on the GoodFactories.com YouTube Channel.

There is a lot of design diversity, and of course, the natural materials, that make the Philippines famous in our industry.

I think there were around 200 Furniture and Home Decor suppliers at the show last April. There are also suppliers of jewerly and garments who show in the upstairs, next to the holiday suppliers.

If you want great looking natural materials, and want a better vairity than what is shown at Hong Kong, and Singapore, than I think this is your show… But, a lot of the larger suppliers, also show at HK, Singapore, and Frankfurt.

Its located at the SMX convention center, on the water front, which is also next to the Mall of Asia, which all the taxi drivers know.  You can stay at any of the hotels along Roxas Blvd which will be a short drive.

From my side, the taste seems very European. Lots of glass and crystal, and modern looks, are 80% of the decorative lighting.

Also, there are TONS of industrial lighting options here, too. Fluorescents and LEDs are easy to find, and the show has even set up a Green section, to promote power saving technologies.

I’d recommend this show for anybody in lighting, it’s the best show in Asia for lighting, and you can at least pick up on product trends. Also, there are lots of GOODfactories here. I noticed quite a few old time factories that have been around a long time, and make good quality product. (You may not notice them, because they are surrounded by so much flashy product!)

My major recommendation for this show, is that it would be nice, if they broke up the halls by product type better. It seems that they sort suppliers by country, and it ends up being a jumble of all types industrial and decorative lighting. Although, there were some cool LED displays I saw today that I would have skipped if not having to walk through everywhere!

Since its not easy to access, I’ve copied the discussion on Spoga below…

What is the best TRADE FAIR for premium outdoor

furniture in Europe?

We are a new design and manufacturing company for premium outdoor furniture in Germany. We would like to evaluate what the best show in Europe would be to exhibit our products. The SKYbed is already on our website www.sky-living.com but more products will come out soon and all follow the same design line. Thanks a lot for your suggestions.

—
I believe the SPOGA is still the most recognized one but for premium level the show in Paris might be even more suitable.
—
The Paris Maison et Objet Fair has a dedicated OUTDOOR session.
The best brands [ design/premium] are there … Without ANY hesitation the best selection. Attendees are selected and tagetted [ buyers, retailers, best designers , ..] .
Grand Designs in the UK is great but not as edgy and a wee bit larger less focussed attendance on the Outdoor offer They have’ show spin offs worth reviewing including a TV association.

Anne Robert www.TheOutdoorStylist.com
—
In Europe there are three major fairs. All suitable for your product but it depents on your strategy. Looking at your site you might consider looking for international wholesale or larger retail distributers. I would then suggest to attend the Tendence fair in Frankfurt (early July) and the Spoga fair in Cologne (early September).
To supply directly to smaller retail shops in Germany there are a few local fairs in Germany. Like Hamburg and Munich (Trendset).
For an international focus consider Paris (Maison & Object) and Milan (Macef)
Just let me know if you need more info or help.
Good luck.
Jacko
—
There is less to see in regards to outdoor furniture at Maison et Objet Fair in comparison to Spoga but the venue is much better and focuses more on the premium side. There is a lot to see at Spoga however you must comb through so much before you see something noteworthy.
–
I have been to Spoga many times and really think it is the most comprehensive. However, many of my contacts that attend Maison & Object say that it is “higher end” and more “cutting edge”.

Some drinks and chatting (otherwise know as social networking) then took place, and back to more hotel stories, called “Greening the Brand”.  These were presented by some of the larger hotel chains (Hyatt and Starwood), and they reviewed what they are doing–from their normal day-to-day operations, to their green-branded hotels, how and to whom they market, and lots of images of their properties.

Well, not to be boring and detail the whole convention, my favorite part was the discussion about third party certifications, but it ended up walking around a major point.  How much does it cost?  A person in the audience even directly asked this question during the Q and A, but it was skirted in good political style. At the end, it was a free style show, with really cool ideas from leaders in the industry giving presentations.

I would like to compliment Tara Mastrelli, who coordinated the event and managed to keep all these creative minds on track…  It was well organized, interesting, and broken up well.

Here is a link to the Green Day Event Homepage

Now, you can actually see all the products, in an easy to follow format, no more turning in circles in separate buildings, finding hidden companies in the corners.  Vendors seem to have taken this to heart, and put more effort into setting up nice displays.  Actually, I also think that the product at this fair is a jump up.  The factories are getting better at designing and communication.  Now, only if they shipped what they showed!

Inside the Jinhan Fair

It seems that the other fairs who used to surround the old fair, didn’t want to miss out on the action.  So, not only is the Canton Fair absolutely huge, but there are 4 more fairs with 5 minutes walking!  I’m guessing that this competition is good for us long term, because all this extra showroom space means larger booths for all the companies now.  I noticed this strait away, and really felt that it is an improvement over the old show.  Now, companies seem to be able to afford larger spaces, and can show more of their products.

The Jinhan Fair is strait across the street from Building A and B, and right next to Building C.  You can get to it by going through the subway exit.  The highlights at this fair remain true.  A lot of suppliers from Fuzhou, with nice products made from iron, wood, glass, and ceramic.  Its mostly home décor, and showrooms here are also larger than they used to be.

Across from this fair is the CAC, it says woven and handicrafts.  I didn’t enter this fair, since it seemed smaller, and part of a hotel.  But, I talked to somebody who was there, and they seemed to think it was good for wicker and natural product, but still lacking innovation…  Well, innovation isn’t why we go to the canton fair…  That’s our job.

And back on the other side of the street, near Building B of the Canton Fair is the China Export and Gifts Fair.  Actually, this fair, seemed to have a lot of ceramic suppliers on the 1st floor.  The 3rd floor  (actually called “2F”) was 70% full of  natural material suppliers, too…  Woven goods, wood, and handicrafts.  Why 2F?  We got a bit lost, and pressed the 3rd floor button, and apparently, 2nd floor is empty, but they don’t want people to find out…  Well, we found the right floor eventually…

Inside the Canton Fair

And, back to the Canton Fair.  It is nice to finally see real furniture suppliers with decent showroom space at the fair.  It’s nothing like the CIFF, but there are now some options.  Again, I come back to appreciating that they have enough space, and that it is all together in easy to walk buildings.

The show seemed to have drawn a good crowd, as usual.  I’m not sure what the final numbers will show, but definitely lots of people and languages from all over the world.  Crowds were concentrated, in the Canton Fair, but I’m guessing people will wonder out to the other fairs in the later days.  If they ever get out, it seems that you could easily spend a week in building A and B…  (Building C is for Toys, Gifts, and Premiums)