CFIF spends P7 million to promote Cebu X 2006

The Cebu Furniture Industry Association (CFIF) is spending P7 million to promote the upcoming Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition (Cebu X) 2006 in the world market.

As the Philippine furniture export sector is facing difficulties to compete with other countries, which are also aggressive and catching up in getting a lion share of the market, Cebu triples its effort to boost Cebu's name as the "Milan in Asia" to attract participants and good number of buyers to next year's show.

Cebu contributes at least 70 percent of the total furniture exports in the Philippines.

In a press conference held recently, Cebu X 2006 promotions chairman Michael Basubas said next year's show will not only display Cebu's renowned furniture products, but it will also highlight on Innovation.

Different consultants are expected to come during the exhibition to conduct seminars specifically on designs and manufacturing.

The world market therefore, will expect new faces of furniture pieces in Cebu during the four-day international exhibit, said CFIF executive director Ruby Salutan.

"Next year's exhibit will be different as CFIF is aggressively embarking to improved innovation program, product development, with battery of seminars organized by CFIF to help new designers," Salutan said.

Despite the ongoing political unrest in the country, the organizers are optimistic that it won't affect the number of buyers to come to the show.

He said the past Cebu X shows had experienced several crises, but buyers were still interested to come.

In fact he mentioned, that Cebu X 2005 was not affected by the bombings in Makati, General Santos and Davao in the same month (February 2005) which happened a few days before the opening of the show.

CFIF's budget of P7 million to promote the show, is expected to pay off. Basubas added that Cebu X 2006 will join different furniture shows abroad, like in Spain, Japan, and the emerging Las Vegas City market.

The upcoming show scheduled on February 26 to March 1 2006 at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino will also introduce value added services such as the availability of the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOiP) facility during the four-day show, as well as good discounts from airlines and cargo forwarding companies.

The four-day run of Cebu X 2005 generated four percent increase in sales from the 2004 show at US$27.4 million with the Middle East still with the largest purchase accounting for 32 percent of the total sales.

The first three days of the show will be also open to buyers and clients, in the last day, Cebu X will be opened to interested local viewers, or the public.

Earlier, furniture retailer in the Philippines, Samie Lim urged the furniture exporters to establish good market penetration in their "own backyard".

Lim said Cebu is bidding itself to become the "Milan In Asia", but what is ironic is the local market or Cebuanos are limited in buying this world's renowned furniture products.

Lim said that the Philippines has already losing its competitive edge in the world furniture market, unless exporters decide to build strong local market ground it wont compete with other neighboring countries like Thailand, Vietnam and others in the near future. (With reports from Iste Sesante)