According to a survey of the main Ukrainian furniture retailers, in connection with the full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine by the russian federation, the volume of the domestic market decreased to 30-40% compared to peacetime with a contrast of indicators: 5-10% in the territory of the East and South of Ukraine and 60-70 % in the territory of the West. Moreover, the dynamics of sales in the domestic market are highly sensitive to bombings and provocations by the russian federation. For the vast majority of furniture manufacturers, the method of obtaining stable orders is export, which the community of furniture makers is actively developing. For 9 months of 2022, the export of furniture (group 94) amounted to 611.2 million US dollars, which is 20.6% less than the previous year and 20.9% more than in 2020, according to the State Customs Service of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers in partnership with the USAID Program “Competitive Economy of Ukraine”, DU “Office for the Development of Entrepreneurship and Export” announce the recruitment of participants for free training for companies in the furniture sector, which will take place on December 07-09, 2022 in Mukachevo, Kiryla and Methodia Square, 10-12, Transcarpathian region.

The FURNITURE Export Bootcamp program takes into account the problems of exporting in wartime conditions and changes in export markets:

• The ability of the company and the product to restore or build up exports during the war; risks, restrictions, supply of raw materials and energy resources
• Redistribution of markets, search for niches and opportunities
• Changes in regulation and strengthening of product control and safety measures
• Search for buyers and consumers

Representatives of companies in the furniture sector of Ukraine are invited to participate in the event.

FURNITURE EXPORT BOOTCAMP is:

• 3 days of offline training.
• A set of practical tools for export development, useful resources, access to information
• Practical exercises and cases during the training, elaboration of the material on the examples of participating companies.
• Visits to furniture manufacturing enterprises that are product exporters.
• Networking between event organizers and participants.

Learn how to start or resume exporting in 5 basic steps:

• Plan or resume export of products in wartime conditions adapt to rapid changes
• Identify markets where there is demand for products; assess the company’s ability to work in the selected market
• Check the compliance of the product with the requirements of the markets, develop a plan for proving compliance with the requirements
• Assess the readiness of marketing materials, communication channels, value proposition
• Find buyers and partners in foreign markets – analyze potential buyers, make a profile and start the search process

For whom:

• SMEs that have lost export markets are looking for new opportunities or minimizing risks in existing markets
• have the ability to produce goods and develop export activities
• are manufacturers of furniture and wood products

FURNITURE EXPORT BOOTCAMP program

Cost of education:

– all expenses for training, visits, accommodation, and meals are paid by the Competitive Economy of Ukraine Program of USAID;

– the participant pays for his own transfer to/from Mukachevo and travel expenses.

The number of event participants is limited. Participants will be selected based on the information provided in the application form. The maximum number of participants is 25 companies, with the possibility of attracting two representatives from the company.

You will receive confirmation of your participation on November 30 in the e-mail specified in the registration form. Applications for participation in the event received after registration has been completed will not be considered.

To participate in the selection, please fill out the application form:

Register

The trainer of the program is Halyna Perepelitsa

Certified consultant and trainer on issues of export and compliance of products with market requirements.

Certified export consultant and trainer under the program of the Estonian Marketing Institute in 2019 and 2021.

Experience:

• 18 years of consulting experience in international trade, supporting companies in the development and establishment of export operations.
• 14 years of successful experience in developing and conducting business development activities with USAID, EU, UNDP, GIZ, and other international organizations.
• 25+ author trainings and other educational programs, including the development of educational materials on export development.
• 50+ export training events held in 2018-2020: access to new markets, export capacity building, market research, product requirements definition, marketing strategies, etc.
• 100+ conducted consultations for businesses of various commodity sectors. Consulting and support of Ukrainian companies, as well as foreign companies of the Balkan countries regarding the development of exports to the EU, cluster associations, and business associations.
• 14 Export Bootcamp trainings, which were held in 2019-2022 with the support of the Competitive Economy of Ukraine program of the USAID project.