IFFT/interiorlifestyle living closes its doors on high note

10 Dec '08

5 min read

As there are several interior-related fairs held concurrently, many of those engaged in housing and furniture industry from around the country made their ways to Tokyo Big Sight to find out what is currently on offer in the industry. The atmosphere was lively and feedback from participants was generally excellent. Many of the exhibitors both from the furniture sector and lifestyle-related consumer goods sector gave positive feedback on the new concept of the fair and commented on the high professionalism of the visitors.

Mr. Nobuyuki Hamada, Key Account Manager of Carl Hansen & Son Japan K.K. said; "We exhibited at IFFT five years ago. Compared to then, the quality of the visitors seems to be getting better. We had many visitors throughout the fair. Though we have had business with most of the retail stores on some scale that deal Scandinavian furniture already, we were able to meet those from small-sized stores or stores outside Tokyo with whom we never had contact before."

"That was the best benefit we obtained from the fair. The renewed IFFT/interiorlifestyle living functioned as a great opportunity for business talks in the sector. We designed our booth just like our showroom to showcase the collection of our products, and as intended, many visitors took time to look around the booth.”

Mr. Shogo Higashi, President of Kitani Japan Inc. also appreciated the new look of the fair, ”IFFT used to be the leading event in the sector, but started to lose momentum the last several years because of decreasing Japanese exhibitors. Since Mr. Kohei Takata has taken over as conceptional creator of the fair a few years ago, a favorable change can be observed. We decided to take part in the 2008 fair knowing that Mesago Messe Frankfurt had become its co-organizer. We expected innovative changes, and the fair met our expectations.

The fair was designed in the visitor-friendly way with well-categorized zones and easily viewable signs. Together with several events held concurrently, the fair succeeded in offering a huge selection of products and useful information to its attendees. I was very happy to meet many enthusiastic visitors at the fair. I got a good response!” Kitani Japan Inc. manufactures and sells furniture of Scandinavian design.

Those exhibiting interior design products also enjoyed participating in IFFT/interiorlifestyle living for the first time. Mr. Yoshimasa Sato, President of POS Co Ltd, remarked on positive responses from the visitors.

“We have exhibited at Interior Lifestyle held in Tokyo in June and Ambiente held in Frankfurt in February for many years, so I thought that trade fairs organized by Messe Frankfurt should undoubtedly make an excellent contribution! We decided to participate in the new edition of the fair with the hope of meeting new customers and approaching new markets."

"It was up to my expectation! We were able to make contacts with new interior coordinators and architects. Especially, interior coordinators appreciated seeing the collections of our products directly which they normally see in our brochure. We were happy about the feedback from the visitors.”

Messe Frankfurt

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