INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR FOR INTERIOR FURNISHINGS AND HOME TEXTILES. IN HONG KONG FROM 9 TO 11 MARCH. 1998

Furniture World Magazine

The fourth Interior - International Trade Fair for Interior Furnishings and Home Textiles - will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong from 9 to 11 March, 1998. This joint-venture event of Messe Frankfurt and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council offers international suppliers in the private and contract related furnishing sector the ideal setting in which to present their latest products and services. Interior has been the meeting place for making business contacts and preparing to break into the markets of Hong Kong, China and the entire Asia-Pacific region since 1995. Buyers, the majority of them from Hong Kong, China and the neighboring Asian states, will be able to inform themselves about international trends in the following product segments: home textiles, interior furnishings and design objects, lighting and light objects, bathroom and kitchen furnishings. These visitors are expected to come from the wholesale and retail trades, manufacturers, designers, architects, building contractors, import and export companies. They will also include decision makers from department stores and specialist shops. Hong Kong continues to offer domestic and foreign companies excellent conditions for entrepreneurial activity. This Asian metropolis remains of interest not only for its domestic market but also - and in particular - for its hub function in the region and its close ties to China. According to an analysis by the China Business Daily, the Chinese furniture market (including office furniture) is expected to grow by 8 percent per annum in real terms over the next ten years. The reason for this is the huge volume of building work going on in the Chinese cities, as well as an affluent clientele that has emerged in these metropolises and for whom modern, high-quality products are an everyday part of life. Around 3 million apartments are built in the People's Republic of China each year and 95 percent of the families that move into them furnish their new homes with new furniture. Another important target group is the ten million couples who marry in the People's Republic every year. Additionally, another 200,000 hotel rooms are expected to have been built and furnished by the end of the decade. In the same period, the country will have renovated the existing 100,000 hotels and inns. In view of the great demand for high-quality furnishings in Hong Kong, China and wide parts of Asia, Interior has an important role to play as a contact and presentation forum for the region. Events and special shows parallel to the fair will increase the power of attraction and emphasize the trade character of the event. Thus, the Interior fringe program will include a Trend Pavilion on color and design trends, a special show of prize-winning design objects from international suppliers and a forum on topical design subjects. Interior is officially supported by: The Hong Kong Designers Association & Chartered Society of Designers, Hong Kong Chapter.