fbpx

FUBE-2021: the Ukrainian furniture industry needed such an exhibition, and it got it

The exhibition, about which so much was spoken in the furniture environment and for which we were persistently preparing, took place!

Furniture of Ukraine Business Expo became the first and only Ukrainian international export-oriented B2B exhibition. The initiator, founder, direct organizer and inspirer was a branch association – the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers.

FUBE 2021 not only took place despite all the obstacles posed to it by the global “covid” threat for two years but also became victorious. The results of the exhibition were received by exhibitors (there were more than a hundred of them), guests-buyers: foreign (their organizers expected from 59 countries in the number of more than 600) and hundreds of representatives of domestic furniture retail and designers. According to preliminary data, during the three-day exhibition, its participants signed real contracts worth more than three million dollars, and hundreds of potential business talks took place, which could bear more fruit in the future. And this despite the fact that not all exhibitors disclose the results of their negotiations, but from some of the representatives of major exhibitors, we learned that the results of the exhibition, their production by the end of the year will be loaded with new export orders.

Dmytro Patis, the head of the UAFM investment attraction Platform, also told us the following interesting information: buyers from India suddenly became interested in upholstered furniture from one of the Kharkiv companies, although their Bayer plans did not include upholstered furniture. And already went to Kharkiv for more acquaintance with production of this furniture.

The grand opening of the exhibition “FUBE-2021” was her emotional start

The opening ceremony of the first Ukrainian international B2B exhibition “Furniture of Ukraine Business Expo” was solemn and representative – both on the guest podium and in the hall. UAFM Director Valentyna Khraban congratulated the audience on the launch of an ambitious project, which was finally implemented in an international exhibition of a new format for Ukraine, which at the stage of its preparation began to change the rules of the game in the domestic furniture market. The honorary participants of the opening ceremony spoke in more detail on this topic.

“For the current UAFM team, the launch and creation of such an exhibition project is truly the result of exceptional weight and significance,” said Volodymyr Patis, President of the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers. – Today we are witnessing a difficult but persistently implemented UAFM exhibition project for Ukraine. Unique in particular in the fact that during the preparation of the exhibition she already worked, gave real results to those who believed in her: today we are just starting her work, and some participants have already signed contracts for millions of dollars with foreign clients, which we found for them. It is also important that with this exhibition we prove that we can and are able to work and achieve our goals no worse than they do in Europe. If before our Bayer exhibition the export of Ukrainian furniture increased by more than 80 per cent in five months of this year, then there is the confidence that by the end of the year this encouraging figure will increase significantly. And not least thanks to our exhibition. “

“After a long period of no exhibition, getting the opportunity to communicate live again – shake hands, hug, look into the eyes of a partner, talk about urgent matters – it means a lot to business people, and this opportunity has returned to them today,” added  Valery Pekar, President of Euroindex, which is the owner of the exhibition complex that hospitably hosted the new exhibition, and a partner of UAM as a co-founder of the exhibition.

“The need for an exhibition focused on increasing sales of Ukrainian products, especially export sales, is long overdue,” said Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Trade Representative of Ukraine. – And I, as an official of the relevant ministry, am glad that we are not talking about the sale of raw wood or even lumber, but about products that are the result of deep processing of wood, ie products with significant added value, which is furniture. And it is even more gratifying that the volume of foreign sales of such products, ie Ukrainian furniture, this year will show such an impressive, quantitative leap, which may be envied by other branches of domestic industry. Exhibitions such as this newly created one are also a school for gaining the ability to find the right customers and acquire the art of selling your product profitably, which no state support and assistance is capable of, although they are needed, and we will continue to provide such assistance through our trade diplomacy.”

“In the start-specialization of Rivne region determined for several years, the leading industries are woodworking and furniture. In addition, one of the two furniture clusters launched in Ukraine for the first time is being implemented in the region,” Vitaliy Koval, Head of the Rivne State Administration, explained his participation in the FUBE-2021 exhibition as a guest of honour. But we know that he deserved the fact that he provided significant and concrete assistance to the organizers of the exhibition at the stage of its preparation.

“From the very beginning, when the idea of ​​such an exhibition matured in the Association, we supported it in such an ambitious plan, asking what we can be most useful in,” said Taras Tkachenko, USAID Technical Assistance Program Advisor, Ukraine’s Competitive Economy Program. – And now, of course, we are pleased that we once met one of the best industry associations in the country, providing it with the necessary grant assistance, sincerely glad that its exhibition idea, despite the obstacles that suddenly and insidiously emerged at the stage of this complex project, it materialized so successfully and convincingly. ”

The official opening ceremony of the exhibition ended with a symbolic cutting of the ribbon by its honorary participants, including the heads of the companies that became partners of the exhibition, current members of the Board and the Audit Commission of UAFM. The creative organizers of the exhibition did not limit themselves to traditionalism. Officials of the ceremony, honored guests and all comers were invited to leave their autographs for history on the chair, which became a symbol of the exhibition. With each subsequent exhibition there will be more and more of them, which will testify to the success of the project.

The participants of the opening ceremony deepened their reflections on the importance of the exhibition for the furniture industry at a press conference. Volodymyr Patis said that it would be useless to continue hoping for the successful development of the Ukrainian furniture industry, for building its export potential, without having its own solid international exhibition. The main countries, which are recognized and authoritative players in the world furniture market, have such exhibitions as a matter of course. The Ukrainian furniture industry, seeking to add to their list, simply did not have the right to stay on the sidelines of this trend, so UAFM was so persistent in organizing its own B2B exhibition with the involvement of as many foreign buyers. An exhibition based on the best world experience adapted to Ukrainian realities.

Taras Kachka, from the position of a relevant government official, acknowledged that Ukrainian furniture has a high enough level of competitiveness to be exported in large quantities to all parts of the world. He expressed hope that the phenomenal indicator of this year’s increase in foreign sales, which we have now, is not a coincidence that the dynamics of increasing exports will continue, and after the exhibition “FUBE-2021” it will accelerate significantly. The government will not ignore this fact of advancing the furniture industry to the category of leading in the domestic industry, especially in terms of exports.

Valery Pekar denied the fear that offline exhibitions in the conditions of rapid digitalization of business will exhaust their usefulness, and the need for them will disappear: as long as a person has an eternal need for live communication, which can not be replaced by anything – even the most technically perfect – exhibitions with traditional exhibits products will be needed, while remaining an effective tool for its promotion, promotion and sales. Especially in cases when it comes to concluding contracts for large volumes of goods.

This is convincingly proved by the first day of the current exhibition: entrepreneurs are tired of sitting in front of monitor screens, and all participants of the exhibition passionately approve the end of exhibition-free business, the return of live business communication.

Vitaliy Koval explained in more detail why it is important for local communities to develop local business through the creation of efficient industrial parks. It is the understanding of such importance by the current leadership of Rivne region and bringing woodworking and furniture industries to industrial priorities and prompted leading regional like-minded companies to start creating one of the first two furniture clusters in the region headed by him.

The director of the exhibition “FUBE-2021” and a member of the board of UAFM Oksana Donska told what difficulties the organizers of the project had to overcome on the way to its implementation. The main ones are: Kovid, who stopped almost everything last year and questioned the very possibility of holding the exhibition – first of all, little doubt was doubted, and the very expediency of creating and holding another industry exhibition in addition to the five existing ones was doubted; an obstacle was the disease of inferiority, which is characteristic of some of our furniture, which is manifested in their insecurity, in their strength and capabilities, in disbelief in their product. It took a lot of effort and time to “cure” some of them from this, and they eventually became exhibitors. But, as is often the case, what hindered helped in some way. The quarantine restrictions allowed the members of the organizing team, who also had their own business worries, to focus more on the new exhibition project, so it turned out to be almost perfectly built. This has made it possible to make almost hundreds of productive contacts with buyers from almost 60 countries.

Nadiya Rodionova, head of Adler Lacke Ukraine, which was the general partner of FUBE-2021, explained why the company decided to support a new, ambitious, but at the same time quite risky project. “I understood,” said Nadezhda, “that holding such an exhibition is like reaching the top of Everest, and I wanted to be with those who dared to do so, at great risk. Especially since among them are my friends and our regular customers. ”

It should also be noted that the Association took this opportunity to expand its international relations by signing memoranda of partnership and cooperation with the Council for International Accreditation of Architecture and Design and the Kosovo Woodworkers Association.

Since the purpose of the exhibition “Furniture of Ukraine Business Expo” involved the participation of a large number of foreign buyers, working with them at the exhibition and outside it required high organization and accuracy. Therefore, foreign guests were not deprived of attention (this is confirmed by our survey of some of them on this topic).

For them, participation in the exhibition was free in everything: the organizers paid for their arrival in Ukraine, accommodation and meals throughout the exhibition stay in our country.

It was extremely important for the B2B exhibition to organize the negotiation process correctly and conveniently for the participants. The general partner of the exhibition – Adler Lacke Ukraine and the partners of the exhibition – Kleiberit Ukraine, Häfele and VST (which is a new brand in the LTL Group ecosystem) came to the aid of the organizers. They set up meeting zones, in which it was proposed to hold business talks with foreign and Ukrainian buyers. You could always use the help of translators.

Within the framework of the conference, the exhibition also included panel discussions, marathons of retailers and designers / architects, master classes, speeches of the participants of the exhibition in terms of exchange of experience, etc. The program focused on the need for cooperation of furniture manufacturers with designers, in particular through the creation of R&D centers, accelerating the industry through the creation of furniture clusters and industrial centers, the prospects of furnished housing in the country, opportunities to increase sales in the domestic market. quarantine crisis, the support that the furniture industry needs and receives – this is only part of the programmed and implemented activities.

In one of her speeches, Oksana Donska, Director of FUBE-2021, stressed that this groundbreaking exhibition has become real and successful due to the fact that our association has had and has strong support – and above all from its traditionally proactive members. They mobilized and united around the Association in this case as well. They believed that UAFM was able to achieve high goals, such as creating its own international exhibition. Their moral and material support and help is worth naming.


The Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers expresses its gratitude for such strong support to the general partner of the exhibition – Adler Lacke Ukraine, as well as to the partners – Kleiberit of Ukraine, Häfele, BST by LTL Group, Termopal; technical partners: Neocon, Budivelna Zirka, Helios, EDS, Vida Lux, Freid chair, ViYar, RD.Furniture, Hochu Rayu and partner organizations: USAID, RODA, Iteca, Mebel Expo Uzbekistan, Made in Ukraine for Italy, Smart People, Daleth Group, Ukrainian Real Estate Club, CUTIS, State Institution “Export Promotion Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Ukrainian Door Association; media partners: the Architecture, DHC Media, Mebelnoe Delo, Pragmatika and legal partner of the exhibition: Honcharuk & Partners law firm.


The final part of the exhibition FUBE AFTERPARTY worthily crowned the success of the innovative furniture forum by translating the exhibition work into an exhibition holiday. Both in terms of summing up the comforting and important results of the exhibition, and in terms of the solemn admission of new companies to UAFM members (the Association has grown by 20 more companies), and in terms of creating a relaxed and uplifting atmosphere of buffet-networking communication. with a festive mood to summarize and complete it.

This is not the first time such an atmosphere has been created for furniture by musicians of the popular band Druga Rika, whose performance became possible thanks to the general partner of FUBE 2021 – Adler Lacke Ukraine and Nadezhda Rodionova.

 

Share This: