THE first Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) International Furniture and Furnishings Show VX (AIFFS VX) will mount what it considers as the biggest gathering of furniture and furnishings decor designers and manufacturers from the region.
Organized by the Asean Furniture Industries Council (AFIC) and hosted by the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines, the show will start on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 and will feature a comprehensive range of furniture, furnishing, decorative accessories, interiors and fittings by a diverse portfolio of exhibitors from the region.
“We are very proud and grateful that the show is going to be online and accessible. Let’s make use of this opportunity to connect and interact with the exhibitors from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and many more,” said Emmanuel Padiernos, chairman of AFIC.
In February 2020, all physical exhibitions in the Asean furniture circuit including the Philippines were unceremoniously cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Eduardo Zuluaga, AIFFS chairman 2021 VX. He said since foreign furniture buyers for the most part source their items once a year in March, the pandemic disruption greatly affected furniture sales both export and domestic alike.
“Given the current conditions, having a digital presence is not only beneficial for every business, it is a necessary tool for business to continue to flourish despite our limitations, which is why we decided to launch a virtual trade show with VX Events of Global-Link. At AIFFS VX, buyers can interact live with over 80 exhibitors via chat, video call and schedule a meeting with them. They can also exchange information and collaterals,” said Nicolaas de Lange, secretary general of AFIC.
The AIFFS is a virtual show and the first of its kind for the Philippine furniture industry and for the Asean furniture circuit of shows. This innovative manner of exhibiting replicates a physical show where buyer/visitor can view new products, set meetings, exchange business cards, live chat and zoom with the exhibitor real time for four days. The only thing a buyer cannot do is touch the product.
Stakeholders like architects, interior designers, space planners, developers, contractors, wholesalers, retailers and homeowners will be offered the latest products, designs, materials and technology the industry has.
“Great design pieces are going to be accessible to everyone, without leaving their offices or homes. In just a few clicks, you can see a collection of awe-inspiring designs and will be able to interact freely with the designers and manufacturers. And we made sure that the platform is very straightforward, no-frills, easy to use, mobile-friendly and will demand only a little amount of your network bandwidth. Non-tech savvy users can easily navigate through it,” added Zuluaga.