DTI, CITEM declare MFI a national event

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s ongoing international trade show on lifestyle export products officially becomes a national event in October when “all design-driven product sourcing shows shall have been consolidated into one voice, one image, and one brand.”

The historic outcome will be a “supershow” for all the world to see and an icon of unprecedented unity in a business sector once marked by divisiveness and intense rivalry.

This unprecedented development emerged at the opening of the four-day 53rd edition of Manila F.A.M.E. International (MFI) being held at the SMX Convention Center, where the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) inked a memorandum of understanding with various business support organizations (BSOs) for the unification of this divided sector and all its marketing events.

The BSOs participating in the MOU signing at the MFI were the Association of Negros Producers, Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation, Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines, Christmas Decor Producers and Exporters Association of the Philippines, Hospitality and Wellness Pilipinas, Home Accents Group of the Philippines, Philippine Chamber of Handicraft Industries, Philippine Exporters, Retailers and Producers Development Association Inc., Philippine Exporters Confederation, and the Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines.

The MOU will thus make the 54th edition of the MFI a “supershow” of historic proportions come Oct. 16 to 19 and bring together the two major furniture shows – Manila Now and Cebu Next – with all the other factions in the country’s lifestyle, fashion and handicraft sector in surmounting the challenges of a now recovering world market.

This early, though, the exporters are now finding strength in numbers as 300 of them gathered at the 53rd edition of MFI to foster unity while facing some 2,000 buyers from 51 countries worldwide, including the Philippines.

Their exhibits occupy all of the vast two floors of the SMX Convention Center, with New York-based Filipino designer Brian Tenorio sharing his craft in the show’s Banig Art Setting focusing on the fiber’s variety of uses and applications.  This special setting is in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Also co-located in the MFI is the Kagikan Project, which is in collaboration with five designers from EPOCH, an organization promoting ecologically sustainable designs.

The MFI is one of the longest-running tradeshows in Asia Pacific for lifestyle products and the only event in the Philippines accredited by Paris-based association of trade fair organizers Union des Fores Internationales.

Now the handicraft and lifestyle industry are poised for a renewed campaign to seize a big chunk of a market on the recovery trail.  This recovery was highlighted by DTI Secretary Gregory L. Domingo in his speech at the opening of the MFI last Saturday (April 16).

“In 2010, Philippine exports rose to $51.393 billion, a 33.7-percent increase from $38.436 billion in 2009. In that same year, the country’s handicraft export performance reached an estimated $90 million in revenues, with a projected increase of 10 percent for this year,” he said.

“We must seize this opportunity and capitalize on the marketability of Philippine handicrafts, strengthen the sector, and grow with the rising demands of the market. Through this show (MFI), the Philippines has established a brand in the world market with impressive and compelling ideas and designs, making waves in design capitals such as Paris, Milan, New York, and Tokyo,” Domingo pointed out.

Since 2007, the lingering global recession has made the number of lifestyle exporters dwindle, worsened by a divided sector endangering the viability of any promotional effort.

“But after having spoken to them, they agreed to close ranks and face the challenges of the recovering world market together,” said CITEM executive director Rosvi C. Gaetos.

CITEM’s efforts are apparently paying off.  In his speech, Domingo said the “increase in Philippine export figures for 2010 has motivated exporters to further take advantage of the country’s current competitive position and seize new opportunities” in the export business.

“With this, I would like to congratulate our (MFI) exhibitors and exporters for their fortitude and resilience throughout these challenging times,” Domingo stressed.