The Attraction of Malaysia and made-in-Malaysia furniture

The value of Malaysian wooden furniture is undoubtedly attractive. The solid reputation of Malaysian furniture manufacturers is unquestionable, as they have forged lasting business relationships worldwide.

The versatility of Malaysian manufacturers in creating furniture not only made of wood but with a fusion of other materials as well has stood the test of time.

"I always come to MIFF because I love Kuala Lumpur." admitted Michelle Olley from New Zealand. "Each [furniture fair] offers its own attraction. In Malaysia, I can find more wooden furniture. Thus, I do get new suppliers each year."

"For us, products - bedroom sets, sofa, tables & chairs from Malaysian manufacturers - are of good quality. Most importantly, the price tallies with the products' quality, coupled with very reliable business trust," said Gerald Ubaud from France. 

"In Saudi Arabia, consumers generally have good perception of Malaysian furniture. Made-in-Malaysia furniture always triumph in terms of quality and originality of designs." compliment from Francois Aoun from Saudi Arabia.

"I always come to MIFF to look for beds and sofas all these years. Malaysia is where I get real wood - I mean solid rubberwood furniture at a good price," said Michelle Andrea G Tumala from Philippines.

"Malaysia sturdy rubberwood furniture has always been our prime target. Exhibitors in MIFF always have something that fit our bills. In addition, the product designs have definately changed positively. So, we are very happy," said Joe Falcone from Canada.

Exhibiting at MIFF opens door to global market

"Malaysia is a very well-located country between China and Australia, and gives us the chance to have a proper presentation and meeting point with all our customers and contacts from this large and prospering area," explained Albert Llorens, Brand Manager of Resol Group, Spain. Even if Malaysia was not Resol's core sales market in the area, the company realised that its growing economy and good infrastructure makes the country a good starting point to expand business networks in other parts of Asia.

Joining MIFF served as a huge learning ground for the growing furniture company

"We were planting the seeds to give MIFF visitors an inkling of our capabilities," said JY Aow Yong, Managing Director of Oshi Furniture, Malaysia. Noting that MIFF visitors want to see more option, Oshi Furniture doubled the beds dispayed in its booth and made a concerted effort to demonstrate the value of their products instead of selling on price alone. "As a result, we were able to sell at a higher price for some of our key products."

MIFF buyers not looking at price alone but seeking products with unique desings

"We thought that MIFF was a great place to gauge current consumer tastes. It's good to deversify and do something different to keep your customers excited," said Crystal Ng, Head of Marketing Division of Yew Wai Malaysia.

"Last year we displayed the same kind of products but we hardly drew any attention, then we re-strategised and invested a lot more effort and resources to make our booth attaractive," said Aw Boon Leong, Director, Deese Furniture, Malaysia. "From our experiences, to benefit fully from MIFF, exhibitors should look beyond sales and treat MIFF as a learning ground on how to compete on an international level."

Malaysia's neighbours get a window to the global marketplace through MIFF

PT Wahana Lentera have been visiting the show since 2005; thus witnessed MIFF's growth and evolution from the delegates' perspective and decided to be part of the show this year. Before exhibiting at MIFF, PT Wahana Lentera aims to build the company to become the second leading panel manufacturer in Indonesia, but ony focused on the local market.

By joing MIFF as exhibitor, PT Wahana Lentera immediately felt the rewards of showcasing on an international platform. "We are certainly delighted to have garnered a substaintial amount of interest and very good enquiries from new contacts from Japan, New Zealand, Germany and India," shared Donny Djarat Kusdarmanto, R&D Manager.

Because of MIFF's solid network in the global furniture market, Zhejiang Longdin Furniture took a chance by exhibiting at the fair, with surprising outcomes. "Throughout the fair, we have secured some unexpected deals from new Middle Eastern clients adn this is certainly a good news for us," said Wang San Xian, Sales Manager.

Guangdong Heye Time Spinning from China participated at quite a number of fairs and never thought it could expand its network more at MIFF. But it did. "It was an eye-opener or us to find that MIFF can stand tall among all other exhibitions," said Ivan Zheng, Overseas Sales Manager.

Visitors and buyers at MIFF come to the show with very concrete and specific reasons. "They are objective-minded - a common trait among the visitors who came to ur booth, which is quite different fro other fairs where you usually get a mixture of interested and random visitors," shared Mr Zheng.

Read more... Why MIFF Continues to Attract Global Furniture Enthusiasts.