14th Furniture and Wood Fair final report: great success for this edition with the support of Interzum

Under a new direction, the 14th Furniture & Wood Fair has successfully confirmed its position as the most important event for the industrial processing of wood, furniture manufacturing and interior design in Colombia, Central America and the Andean Region. The new alliance between the International Business and Exhibition Center CORFERIAS and Koelnmesse have set a new quality standard in Latin America, in terms of organization and internationalization at its first event.

From 6 to 9 March 2018, 192 exhibitors from 16 countries presented -to more than 13,000 professional visitors- numerous product innovations and industry trends and innovations on an exhibition area of 15,000 m². International participation went from 39 exhibitors in 2016 to 192 in this edition, which shows that the new association offers companies outside of Colombia an interesting platform for trade and communication.

“The increasing internationalization of the Furniture and Wood Fair confirms the importance of Colombia as a relevant center for opening new business opportunities. With his global knowledge and experience, Koelnmesse is a precursor and important partner for the entry of companies in the furniture supply and wood processing industry into promising regional markets”, explains Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH.

In the opening speech of the event, Daniel Ángel Arango, Vice Minister of Business Development of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, highlighted the impact of the fair on the regional development of the wood industry and economic sustainability:

“We are very pleased with the work that Corferias and Koelnmesse have done to provide a high-profile scenario like this one, whose platform is ideal to strengthen the growth and expansion of the sector.” The furniture and wood sector makes a great contribution to the national economy and is a milestone in employment and development for the regions of this country. The large entrepreneurs of Latin America see a potential supplier in Colombia, and we also have a strategic geographical position that facilitates access to the main consumption centers for forest products”, he added.

International exhibitors

At the 14th Furniture and Wood Fair, 192 companies participated, including first class Julius Blum, Häfele, Makita, Jowat, Lamitech, Rehau, SIGE, Swiss Krono y Vauth Sagel, each with their own stand. With 48% of direct international participation, the event strongly demonstrates the growing economic importance and attractiveness of the Colombian and Andean Region markets, especially for international companies.
On the first day of the fair, some national and international exhibitors announced sales of machinery for the processing of wood, and supplies for the manufacture of furniture. The exhibitors also highlighted the establishment of promising contacts, as well as the high quality profile of the professional visitors. In addition, many of the best brands in the industry, for example, were present through their national representation.

By countries, except Colombia, the most numerous representations came from Brazil, China, Germany, Italy and Turkey. In addition, the fair featured exhibitors from Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Taiwan and the US, which also highlighted the increasingly international character of the event and the contribution of Koelnmesse in this area .

Thus, the German pavilion - requested by the German Association of Manufacturers of Machinery and Installations (VDMA / Verband für Maschinen- und Anlagenbau) and sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy of Germany (BMWi, according to its abbreviations in German) - offered an ideal presentation platform for eleven well-known German companies. The Spanish pavilion was organized by the Wood Machine Manufacturers Association (AFEMMA). The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC / American Hardwood Export Council) was responsible for the participation of the United States; there was also an Italian pavilion and a Turkish pavilion.

The visual appearance of the fair was also praised, which reached a new international level with this edition. The quality of the stands and the live presentations of machinery of the companies convinced the international professional visitors. For their part, the exhibitors emphasized that their participation in the fair has been beneficial in many aspects. “This is a very important platform and the visitors that come are very qualified. Likewise, this year, we see that the quality of the stands has improved and the installation was more organized. Of course we will participate in the next edition to continue increasing the business“, emphasizes Holger Munhoz-Millenet, Sales Director of Vauth-Sagel Systemtechnik GmbH & Co. KG.

At the fair, new products were announced, as well as the latest trends in the sector. “We have seen many visitors from Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru and Venezuela, countries where we have presence. Having a more diverse public guarantees us to achieve good sales results and greater recognition of our brand in Colombia and the Andean Region“, says Adolfo Aristizábal, General Manager of Aristizábal y Rider.

Program of events and conferences

On the other hand, the complete academic agenda carried out within the framework of the fair showed in a strong way, as the first visible sign, the connection with the world leading trade fair Interzum. In line with the high interzum demands, the 14th Furniture & Wood Fair this year has been the main regional knowledge transfer platform for exhibitors and visitors.

The development and presentation of the high-quality program oriented to the future was in charge of the Global Forest and Trade Network, of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Argentine Federation of the Wood and Allied Industry (FAIMA) and the National Federation of Wood Industries (FEDERAMAS). Many interested visitors took the opportunity to access the latest trends in the market, as well as developments in the field of sustainability, digitization, the export of processed wood and the import of machinery, as well as trends in furniture and interior design; themes that have characterized all areas of the Furniture & Wood Fair.

15th Furniture and Wood Fair in May 2020

The next edition of the Furniture and Wood Fair will take place from May 26 to 29, 2020 in Bogotá. With the change of dates from March to May, Koelnmesse and Corferias react to the needs of the industry. The new appointment fits perfectly with its production and sales cycles. In addition, in this way, the fair is celebrated alternating with the world leading trade fair Interzum, offering the different participating companies the opportunity to be represented by the main global platforms of the sector in different regions.

Source: CORFERIAS