The International Exhibition Mebel’2009. Post-release
On November 23 – 27, 2009 the Expocentre Fairgrounds in Moscow hosted Mebel’2009, the 21st International Exhibition for Furniture, Fittings and Upholstery. It was the largest in Russia, CIS countries and Baltic States.
The Mebel’2009, one of the significant specialized furniture events organized by Expocentre was held with the support from the Russian Federation Ministry of Industry and Trade, with assistance and participation of the Russian Union of Timber Industrialists and Exporters, Centromebel ZAO and Centrlesexpo OAO, and under the under the patronage of the Russian Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Moscow City Government.
The importance of the Exhibition for the Russian and world furniture market is confirmed with labels the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) and the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs (RUEF).
In his welcoming speech Director of the RF CCI Exhibition and Fair Department Igor A. Korotin noted that “during nearly 30 years the exhibition is a reliable partner of the furniture manufacturers and consumers, a major place to find new ideas and establish business relations”.
The Mebel’2009 is an event of great importance for Russia. At the opening ceremony of the Show Deputy Director of the Timber and Light Industries Department of the Russian Federation Ministry of Industry and Trade Valery A. Prilipov said that the furniture sector was the most important component of the national timber-processing complex. The Government paid constant attention to the Russian timber industry complex development. Projects related to the furniture industry development were comprised into those of national priority.
According to General Director of Centrlesexpo OAO Timur R. Irtuganov the economic crisis had a negative impact on many industries including the furniture one. However, under such difficult conditions the Mebel Show confirmed its high status as evidenced by the participation level and the scale of exhibition spaces.
974 companies from 35 countries demonstrated the whole spectrum of furniture products in the space of over 80 000 sq meters.
Companies from Kazakhstan, Latvia, Moldova, Singapore and Estonia showed their new furniture products for the first time.
Mebel’2009 hosted national expositions of 11 countries: Belarus, China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Romania, and Spain including Egypt and Croatia participated in the exhibition for the first time.
It is the fifteenth time Italian companies arranged their national exposition at the Show.
Roberto Pelo, Director of the Moscow Office of the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) said Italian furniture makers realized the importance of exhibiting at such a large-scale event. Overcoming many difficulties caused by the global recession, ICE and other public institutions had spared no effort to arrange Italy’s national exposition at Mebel’2009.
The participation of Mr. Claudio Scajola, Minister of Economic Development of Italy in the work of Mebel’2009 emphasized the importance of the event for Italian furniture manufacturers who were offered unlimited opportunities to conduct business meetings and conclude prospective contracts. During negotiations with the Expocentre Management Mr. Claudio Scajola noted that it was planned to expand the Italian exposition the next year.
The national exposition of Spain has been presented at the Mebel show since 1995. This year it traditionally has demonstrated the most innovative and interesting products. The Russian market is strategically important for Spain. Russia is reckoned among the ten leading importers of Spanish products, including furniture ones. “That is why we participate and will go on participating in the Mebel exhibition as it is the most important event for the Russian furniture industry”, said Mr. Javier Burgos, Advisor on Trade and Economy to the Spanish Embassy in Russia and Head of the Spanish Trade Representative Office at the opening ceremony of Mebel’2009.
Mebel’2008 welcomed world furniture industry leaders including Bisley Office Furniture, Cilek, Ilcam SPA, Veneta Sedie Trading SRL, Dall’Agnese, Gimo Export, Ideal Form Team SRL, Maestri Artigiani SRL, Mirandola Export Di Mirandola Gianlica, G.D.A. Spa, Bernard Siguier et Fils, Jacques Leleu, Larmandieu, Michel Ferrand, Sciae, Stival SRL Ukinox LLC, Himolla Polstermöbel GmbH; Nolte Küchen GmbH & Co. KG; Konrad Driftmeier GmbH & Co. KG; Blanco GmbH & Co. KG; Konrad Hornschuch AG; Wössner GmbH; Recticel Schlafkomfort GmbH; Zellstoff und Papier HGmbH, Dragsil SRL, Coleccion Alexandra, S.L., Ofifran, S.L., Tecni Nova, S.L., Vicente Zaragoza, S.A. and many others.
This year the Russian manufacturers’ participation has increased significantly and has made up 60% of the total participants. The organizers have played a vital part to support exponents: they offered an additional package of antirecessionary measures and new exhibition services to the participants to enhance their work and to improve commercial results at the Show.
The Russian furniture products were demonstrated by such companies as Fabrika Mebeli 8 Marta, Filippe Grandy, Angstrem, Askona TD, Atlas-Lux, SP Mebel, Verona PKF, Dobry Style, Dyatkovo, DOK-17, Mebel Chernozemya, Kambio Company, Consul, Kostroma Mebel, Maria MF, Miass Mebel, MF Stolplit, Stoross Ofis, Forema-Kukhni, MDM-Komplekt, Mobel & Zeit, Unitex, Yana and others.
One of the Mebel’2009 innovations was the grouping ofthe exposition into seven thematic sectors. Such an arrangement simplified navigation through the exhibition and made the Show functionally convenient for exponents and visitors.
Thus, the exhibition comprised the following sectors of the furniture industry: Style – international Furniture: classic and modern; Comfort - upholstered and cabinet furniture for home, upholstery materials; Components - components and fittings for the furniture production; Kitchen - Kitchen World: furniture, appliances and accessories; Office - office and special-purpose furniture; Design – interior design; Décor - separate furniture and décor items.
This year the principal - the Mebel exhibition as a territory of the open partnership! - was used for the first time. The exponents and potential participants were able to watch a forming stage of the exhibition pavilions and actual lay-out of companies in the on-line mode.
ZOW’2009, the International Specialized Exhibition for Components, Semi-Finished Products and Accessories for the Furniture Industry was held within the bounds of the Mebel’2009 Forum.
The Mebel’2009 programme of business related events was various and saturated. It embraced conferences, seminars, presentations, round tables, master classes and contests. The participants learned all news of the global furniture business, shared valuable experience and made a forecast of the industry development for the next year.
The Exhibition programme comprised the round table related to overcoming crisis in the furniture industry organized by Centromebel Company.
A wide range of issues concerned relevant problems of the industry and measures to overcome them were discussed at the round table.
The participants noted that in spite of the consumer market slowdown most enterprises had fulfilled planned amounts of the products output. It was also stressed that participation in furniture exhibitions was one of the determinative factors for enterprises to work without stagnation and to survive under crisis conditions. Specialized shows help companies to increase promotion of domestic products by upgrading them.
The 21st International Exhibition Mebel’2009 hosted rewarding ceremonies to celebrate the exhibitors’ achievements.
On November 27, 2009 a rewarding ceremony of the Contest among Russian manufacturers of furniture and fittings for the Best Furniture Item and Fittings award - Russian Furniture, and a Qualifying Round of the Russian Contest for the national industrial furniture design award - Russian Cabriole'2009 took place.
Grand Prix of the Russian Furniture'2009 in different nominations was presented to the following companies: Borovichi-Mebel, Defo, Angstrem, EMFA, Dream Land, Miass Mebel, Dobry Style, and Ekomebel.
Diplomas and special certificates were given to such companies as Albert&Shtein, Grafskoe, Consul, Homa Group, Stoross Ofis, Ufamebel, Ulyanovsk Furniture Kombinat, SP Mebel, Lavr MF, Tamek, Forema-Kukhni, Kristina, Interdesign, Imperia Bogacho, Dinastya, Yantar, Kambio Company, Triya TH, Lotusmebel, Lerom, Kostroma Mebel, and Mebel-Style.
Furthermore, the same day a rewarding ceremony of the 5th International Contest among manufacturers of furniture and fittings organized by Expocentre and the Russian Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industry Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization Soyuzexpertiza was held.
The Contest winners in the nomination for the Best Consumer Properties became Almaz, Mebel Chernozemya, Bure, Maikop Furniture Factory, Lerom, Elementnaya Mebel, Promsteklo, Dametex, Amma Design, Folksmaster Group, Askona, Lavr MF, Vitra, Grafskoe, Yasen MF, Imperia Bogacho, Defa MSK, MDM-Komplekt, Dinastya, Awelt, SP Mebel, IP Krasnozhenov G.A., Fortuna, Kristina, Duson, Fabrika Kupe, Yana, Stoross Ofis.
Awards were given to such companies as Mebel Chernozemya, Imperia Bogacho, Grafskoe and Vitra in the nomination for the Successful Promotion of High Quality Products.
Mebel’2009 was attended by 42 000 people. The number of professional visitors amounted to 36 536 specialists. The total attendances equaled to 63 940.
The Exhibition has undoubtedly played an important part to saturate the domestic market with the best world furniture products as well as to develop and enhance the Russian furniture industry. It enabled specialists and enterprises of the furniture industry to obtain the comprehensive information about new advances technologies, the latest world market trends, mass demand, fashion, style and design.
The Show organizers will be glad to welcome participants and guests of Mebel’2009, the 22nd International Exhibition that will take place at Expocentre Fairgrounds on November 22-26, 2010.
EXPOCENTRE Press Service