In Las Vegas, luck is not at the gaming table, but in the exhibition pavilion

Nowadays, people from all over the world come to the famous Las Vegas not only for entertainment, not only for the luck of winning at roulette but also for a purely business purpose – to participate in various exhibitions, because Las Vegas is also the largest American exhibition and fair centre. In late January – early February, the world’s largest exhibition of home goods, tableware, decor, interior design, gifts and accessories “Winter Las Vegas Market 2023” took place here, which attracted our attention due to the fact that several furniture companies also took part in it. members of the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers.

About 50,000 American and foreign potential buyers visit such exhibitions every year. A feature of the event is the interesting format of the participants’ stands in the form of showrooms, where visitors can immediately evaluate interior solutions composed of various products. A feature of the exhibition is also the presence of two types of expositions: permanent and temporary. Permanent exhibitors have their showrooms in the form of separate shops and present their products to visitors on a regular basis, while temporary exhibitors are presented in another room with an open area. It was in this format that Ukrainian products were presented by the national pavilion.

For this American exhibition, the organization of the collective national stand to encourage the participation of Ukrainian producers in it was undertaken by the state institutuion Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, the national project “Diia. Business”, the furniture company “Tivoli” with the support of the USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine (CEP). The national stand was formed by fifteen Ukrainian export-oriented companies (in the summer there were half as many). We asked the managers of several of them what motivated them to participate in this far overseas exhibition and whether they were satisfied with its result.

Tetyana Nikolayenko, head of the capital company “Woodsoft”:

– For the second time in a row, we demonstrated our furniture in Los Vegas. First – at a similar summer exhibition, participation in which we financed to a greater extent ourselves – both the delivery of the exhibits (four models of beds) and their customs clearance, which in general cost us a lot. The only thing is that our Ukrainian partners in this case managed to agree with the organizers of the exhibition so that we would not pay for the rental of the exhibition space. We dared to participate in such an expensive exhibition for us in the period when the war confused all previous plans, and we found financing for it, clearly understanding that the active search for foreign sales channels for products is the most important task in the current situation.

And participation in the recent winter exhibition was practically free for us – thanks to the organizers of the collective stand, who took over the costs of participation of Ukrainian companies in it. We paid only for the storage of our exhibits, which we left here in the summer with an eye on this winter exhibition.

Overseas markets are difficult, and it is difficult to gain a foothold there in a month or two, although there is interest in our beds in particular, as proved by both the summer and winter Las Vegas exhibitions. The only minus is that there was no opportunity for our employees to physically participate in either of them, which, of course, prevented us from obtaining more significant results, conducting negotiations with potential clients, which is called, live, directly at the exhibition. But what we have also gives us hope.

Roman Sydorenko, head of Kharkiv company “ReStyle“:

– The explanation of the purpose of our participation in this exhibition is simple: the search for new opportunities for the sales of kitchen products. Despite the fact that “InStyle” brand kitchens have not been sold on the American market for the first time. This time, we offered him a series of designer kitchens in the middle price segment, the production of which was established under another of our brands – “ReStyle”, whose products are also easier to exhibit than our expensive “custom” kitchens.

Participation in this exhibition was also necessary for us in the sense of getting feedback and understanding the needs of the powerful American market and products of this class. We received it, and if there is an opportunity to participate in further profile exhibitions, in particular in the same Las Vegas, then we will be able to prepare for them more meaningfully and thoroughly. And it is still too early to talk about specific results from participation in this year’s event – they usually take a long time to mature.

If it were not for the exhibition preferences and advantages offered by the Ukrainian organizers of the collective stand, we alone in the current situation would hardly have dared to exhibit at this exhibition. All the more so because our immediate plans also include participation under the UAFM in a trade mission to Great Britain, which we consider to be a higher priority.

Arem Palyutin, commercial director of the capital company “Cassone“:

– At the exhibition in Las Vegas, our company actually participated in absentia: it was represented in the exhibition catalogues. We understood that such an exhibition without the physical presence of representatives of participating companies (and we ran out of time to get visas for those who could go to America) would not give the desired result. But since free participation was offered, it was a sin to ignore such an offer, in order to be at least in the informational space of the exhibition and in this way declare yourself and your furniture possibilities.

This year, several more interesting profile exhibitions for us have been announced in the USA, one of which – the autumn New York one – our company is targeting to a greater extent. It remains to be seen whether she and the Office for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship and Export will be interested in providing Ukrainian exhibitors with the same assistance that those wishing to participate in Las Vegas received. I would like to. If not, our company may be able to organize itself. Because the American market with its huge import potential has long been under our close attention and study. Therefore, the results of our presence on it are quite good. The British market, where the Association is directing furniture makers this year, is undoubtedly also very promising, but I advise UAFM to still prioritize the US market.