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Over the years, the Istanbul Furniture Fair has proved to be one of the top furniture fairs in the world and it is steadily nearing the position of 3rd largest globally. IMOB 2011 took place on 1-5 February and all participants agreed that the event was a success.
IMOB plays a major role in setting the agenda for the year, showcasing the latest developments, new products and opportunities in the furniture market. Organised by EUF (part of the ITE Group) in partnership with the Association of Turkish Furniture Manufacturers (MOSDER), the event hosted furniture professionals from all over the world. In total, there were over 300 participants in nine halls, and the event registered an attendance of 87,189. Furniture manufacturers were able to make new and important business connections and increase their export targets. The exhibition will also play a role in increasing exports from their 2010 level of 1.414 billion to 1.750 billion in 2011.
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Government officials attended the event and emphasised the overall level of confidence in the sector. The opening ceremony of the event was led by Mayor of Istanbul, Hüseyin Avni Mutlu. Other major government officials who visited the event included Minister of Finance, Mehmet Şimşek, and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Taner Yıldız. The Ministers visited the stands, saw the development of the furniture sector in Turkey and obtained manufacturers’ views about existing issues in the sector.
The biggest furniture exhibition ever
The 2011 event was the biggest Istanbul Furniture Fair ever. The eight halls reserved for the event proved to be insufficient and a ninth hall had to be added. İMOB 2011 hosted professionals both from Turkey and abroad. Numerous buyer delegation organised by the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat and General Secretariat of Istanbul Exporters’ Union visited the event. The buyer delegations came from Azerbaijan, Morocco, Croatia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Moldova, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Jordan and Greece. The event also hosted buyer delegation from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Greece, as well as visitors from all over the world.
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In addition to that, various local chambers of industry, chambers of commerce and chambers of carpenters made collective visits to the event, including: Ankara Chamber of Commerce, Denizli Chamber of Commerce, Eskişehir Chamber of Commerce, İnegöl Chamber of Furniture Manufacturers, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, İzmir Chamber of Commerce, Kayseri Chamber of Furniture Manufacturers, Konya Chamber of Commerce and Kütahya Chamber of Commerce.
The Furniture Design Contest
The IMOB Furniture Design Contest is organised every year as part of IMOB and provides a key attraction for visitors. Various designs, combining talent and imagination, were evaluated by a jury formed by the Chamber of Interior Architects’ 2nd President, Nilgün Çarkacı, Head of the Department of Interior Architecture of Marmara University, Prof. İnci Deniz Ilgın, Head of the Department of Interior Architecture of MSGSÜ Assoc., Prof. Saadet Aytıs and Adnan Serbest Mobilya Chairman, Adnan Serbest.
The awards ceremony for the contest was hosted by Ebru Akel. The winners in first place were Doğtaş in the Sitting Group category, Teleset in the Dining Room, Teen Room and Bedroom categories and Milano in the Accessories category. The winner of the Best Stand Award was Vanessa.
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Minister of State, Zafer Çağlayan, raises expectations
The “Discover Turkish Furniture” project, which was conceived to promote Turkey’s brands in the global furniture sector, was presented at the IMOB Gala Dinner, led by Minister of State, Zafer Çağlayan. Turkish entrepreneurs following global developments in furniture design and production, have made a great deal of progress in a relatively short time. Turkish brands can now easily compete with top global brands and will be showing their achievements to the world through the “Discover Turkish Furniture” project.
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Zafer Çağlayan, who made a speech during the gala dinner, asked the furniture sector to increase its export target for the year 2023, the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. Minister Çağlayan said “In Turkey, which has become Europe’s 6th and the world’s 16th largest economy, the target for the year 2023 should be 10 billion USD rather than just 6 billion USD”.
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Ramazan Davulcuoğlu, Chairman of MOSDER, who played a very important role in the “Discover Turkish Furniture” project said: “This project will prove to the whole world, the superiority of the Turkish furniture sector. While our designers create superior designs, our manufacturers always provide the best prices. In addition to utilising the latest technologies at the same time as the rest of the world, we are also situated in the heart of the biggest market. By means of various activities in different countries, we will try to tell them about our project”.
IMOB 2011 attracted a lot of attention through its large display of products, including retro, classic, modern & modular furniture, beds & bedding ensembles, sofas, chairs & armchairs, furniture for toddler & teenagers’ rooms, seating sets and furniture accessories.
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