Post Show Report Abimad 2007 - Brazil

Furniture World Magazine

The 4th edition of the Brazilian Contemporary Furniture & Home Décor Exhibition – ABIMAD took place in the City of Sao Paulo, February 8-12, 2007. More than 20,000 people shopped more than 500 square feet of exhibition space to see Brazilian products and designs. International buyers - coming from nearly 40 different countries, such as the USA, Porto Rico, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Canada, South Africa, Spain and countries from the Arabic Gulf area - accounted for 4% of the visiting public. The majority of buyers were looking for furniture (79%) followed by decoration articles (47%). ABIMAD 2007 is a “trade only” event organized by the Brazilian Contemporary Furniture & Home Decor Manufacturers’ Association (ABIMAD). In the 2007 edition, 174 exhibitors showed their new products and trends of the middle to high-end home furnishings industry. We highlight the Brazilian trend of using new types of raw materials such as natural fibers, tiles made of coconut shells, semi precious stones etc. It is also noteworthy the use of FSC certificated hardwood, “nubuc” leather, lacquer finishing in combination with Brazilian raw materials, which makes the Brazilian manufacturers truly unique. Some 630 VIP guests were fully sponsored to attend the Show, being 600 Brazilian retailers and 30 international buyers from 17 countries. The travel expenses; such as air tickets, accommodation, transfers and meals; for all ABIMAD 2007 VIP guests were covered by the fair organizers. All international VIP guests participated in a special event called “Business Meetings”, which consisted of two separate workshops happening in different venues. The first planned action was a network session between the foreign guests and the Brazilian suppliers (all members of ABIMAD “Quality for Export Program”), which took place at the exhibition’s official hotel. During this session international buyers and Brazilian suppliers exchanged cards, interacted with each other and scheduled meetings for the show. As a second action, ABIMAD organizers opened the exhibition one day earlier only for international guests thus facilitating valuable networking between foreign buyers and ABIMAD members. A survey, answered by 50% of the Quality for Export members, indicated that US$ 2.5 million has been generated in exports during ABIMAD 2007 exhibition; in addition, another US$ 40 million worth in business is expected for the remaining of this year. Under its “Quality for Export Program”, ABIMAD has certified 75 of its members to do business in the international market. This certification is awarded to those companies who successfully complete training on export procedures, counseling on after sales international support, quality of products, as well as organization of factories and production lines. “ABIMAD 2007 has shown to the world why it is the most important middle to high end home furnishings exhibition in Latin America,” said ABIMAD’s President Mr. Paulo Augusto Allemand.