Together with China International Furniture Fair (CIFF) Phase II for office furniture, the double-event showcased the entire industry value chain
Innovative ideas and trends drive sustainable development of furniture production industry
The CIFM/interzum guangzhou 2022 held in southern China drew to a close on July 29 with a focus on sustainability. More than 1,100 companies – including nearly 200 international brands – and nearly 140,000 trade visitors gathered at the fair under one roof with the China International Furniture Fair (CIFF), which was held in parallel.
Some prominent international exhibitors include:
Albrecht Bäumer, Alvic, Boyteks, Cinetto, Decospan, DewertOkin, FGV, Henkel, Hyundai L&C, IMA Schelling Group, Impress, Interprint, Italiana Ferramenta, Jowat, Kastamonu, Kronospan, Lalan Eco-Latex, Lamigraf, Leitz, Lien’A, Linak, LX Hausys, Paolino Bacci, Pfleiderer, Rehau, Repon, Schattdecor, Simalfa, Sugatsune, Surteco,Swiss Krono,Titus and Wemhoner.
"As Asia's leading trade fair for the woodworking machinery, furniture manufacturing and furnishing industries, CIFM/interzum guangzhou not only strives to create a more vertical and broader international trade platform, but we also make it our mission to promote the sustainable development of the industry over the years," said Keith Tsui, managing director of trade fair organizer Koelnmesse in China.
A showcase of the Asian furniture industry ecosystem
CIFM/interzum guangzhou covers the entire supply chain, from furniture design to hardware, furnishing materials, upholstery accessories, wood products and panels, adhesives and coatings, as well as machinery for woodworking and upholstery accessories. In addition, CIFF Phase II is dedicated to the office and will focus on new types of workspaces, public and commercial spaces by showing finished pieces of furniture.
Bruce Hua, National Sales & Marketing Director at third-time exhibitor and renowned panel manufacturer Kronospan, underlines the importance of the fair: “The biggest attraction of interzum guangzhou is its professionalism and international image with local features. We believe that interzum guangzhou is the most professional industrial show in the region. We would like to continue our partnership with interzum guangzhou to showcase our brand and products.”
Jochen Schanbacher - General Manager China, Simalfa - a well-known adhesives brand from Switzerland has a similar view: “interzum guangzhou has always been a very high quality and international event. We see a lot of international exhibitors at interzum guangzhou, so we are very excited to also be a part of that here. And we see that the quality, despite all the challenges, has remained extremely high.”
Tapping business opportunities for sustainable development
In addition to the product presentation, a number of well-attended fringe activities focused on the sustainable development of the furniture industry took place during the four-day event.
From a large number of nominations, the top 20 were selected as winners of the 20 PLUS 20 Outstanding Furniture Accessories Award 2021-2022. The winning products stood out for their innovation, sustainability, safety and functionality.
Expert consultant and co-juror Dick Spierenburg said: “I am excited to see how many companies are developing products and materials in innovative and conscious ways. For the future, I would like to see the 20 PLUS 20 Award continue to focus on new developments as well as new ways of presenting products and materials so that even more companies nominate their outstanding products.” Dick Spierenburg is founder of Spierenburg Studio and creative director of imm cologne - the renowned international furniture and interior design fair in Cologne, Germany.
Under the motto “Vitality of Sustainable Innovation to Life,” the VSIL@Forum and VSIL@Gallery -- Material Aesthetics Laboratory were launched this year with a novel exhibition format and curatorial concept that generated great interest among event attendees.
Together with executives and authoritative experts from Schattdecor, Rehau, Henkel, Sugatsune, Linak, WGSN and Haute Innovation, VSIL@Forum highlighted current topics in home customization, hardware design, the office furniture market, trends in home furnishings and interior design, and sustainable material applications through case studies and presentations.
Business matching very well accepted
To ensure that it is "business as usual" for everyone, both face-to-face and virtual business matching activities took place again this year, with over 120 online and offline business matching conferences successfully held with well-known buyers such as Vifa, DeRucci, Kuka, Muli and Snimay.
Su Yang, project supervisor at IMA Schelling, was visibly pleased with the outcome of his meetings: “It's very significant because these customers are exactly the ones we haven't reached before.”
Mr. Hu, director of supply chain management at Muli, a well-known high-end manufacturing company, was also impressed: “I benefited tremendously this time from the business matching.” Later, he emphasized his decision to participate in future editions of CIFM/interzum guangzhou.
Representing the Turkish sofa brand Newmood, Ömer Akbulut summarized his impressions succinctly, “The market is dynamic, we need different materials at different times. For us, the meetings were very useful.”
The next edition of CIFM/interzum guangzhou will happen from March 28-31, 2023. Space application is now open. To learn more about the event, visit www.interzum-guangzhou.com.
