Indonesia's Largest Ever Furniture Exhibition IFEX 2014 Opened Its Doors

JAKARTA, Indonesia, March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The largest furniture tradeshow ever to be held in Indonesia, the Indonesia International Furniture Expo, IFEX 2014, opened yesterday at the Jakarta International Expo fairground. The exhibition completely fills all of the permanent halls of the fairground as well as a number of temporary structures that have been built to accommodate the demand to participate from exhibitors.

(Photo: http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140312/8521401427 )
(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2010/04/19/20100419602891.jpg )

Signifying the importance of the furniture industry and furniture exports to the Indonesian economy, the exhibition was opened by two government ministers; Mr. Muhammad Lutfi, the Minister of Trade, and Mr. Mohamad Suleman Hidayat, the Minister of Industry. Mr. Soenoto, Chairman of the Indonesia Furniture Association, AMKRI, declared in his speech at the opening ceremony that his association was targeting export growth of 20% per year over the next five years to reach a total of US$5 billion, and for Indonesia to become one of the top five furniture exporting countries in the world.

Over 400 companies are exhibiting in the exhibition with a wide range of furniture and home furnishing products. The majority of exhibitors are from Indonesia with a focus on wooden furniture and rattan furniture products. The exhibition also features a number of overseas furniture manufactures, including those from Malaysia, mainland China, and Taiwan.

The exhibition is organised by UBM Asia in collaboration with Indonesia's leading exhibition organiser, Dyandra, and is hosted by the Indonesia Furniture Association (AMKRI). Mr. Christopher Eve, Senior Vice President of UBM Asia, commented, "Indonesia's furniture industry has huge potential. The nation has abundant supplies of sustainable raw materials such as wood, rattan, bamboo, and textiles, as well as a highly skilled labour force and extensive manufacturing capacity. UBM Asia is excited to be organising IFEX and we expect it to become one of the most important events in the global calendar of furniture exhibitions."

For press enquiries, please contact:
Jennifer Law, Director of Corporate Marketing & Communications
UBM Asia
Tel: +852-2516-1691
Fax: +852-3749-7342
Email: Jennifer.Law@ubm.com

Christy Chan, Corporate Marketing & Communications Executive
UBM Asia
Tel: +852-2516-1679
Fax: +852-3749-7342
Email: Christy.Chan@ubm.com

Notes to Editors

1. About UBM Asia (http://www.ubmasia.com/)

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is Asia's leading exhibition organiser and the biggest commercial organiser in mainland China, India, and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong, UBM Asia operates in 25 cities with 30 offices and over 1,400 staff. UBM organises several major furniture exhibitions including Furniture China in Shanghai, Malaysian International Furniture Fair in Kuala Lumpur, and the Index furniture fairs in India.

2. About Indonesia Furniture Association AMKRI (www.amkri.org)

AMKRI is non-profit organization comprised of companies that are engaged in the furniture and handicraft industries. The Association encourages the development of innovation and creativity of Indonesian manufacturers of furniture and handicrafts, principally wooden and rattan-based products.

3. About UBM plc (www.ubm.com)

UBM plc is a global events-led marketing services and communications company. We help businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events and online, as well as producing and distributing news and specialist content. Our 5,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into expert teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

For more information, go to www.ubm.com; follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc to get the latest UBM corporate news; follow @UBM for news and updates from across the businesses and selected members of UBM's Twitter.