Page 22 - HGR March + April 2019
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20 NEWSLINE
MIFF 2019 celebrates 25
years with best show ever
The Malaysian – the industry was dominated by
Europeans and Americans. And to sell to
International Furniture overseas markets these exporters had
to travel all over the globe. And I thought
Fair ((MIFF) as exerted why not bring buyers here to our shores
to this exhibition where they could
a siren call on the evaluate our manufacturers under one
roof and see exactly what was on offer?
Malaysian furniture
“But of course when we first opened
industry since its MIFF in 1995 we were really too small
to attract much international attention”.
inception way back in Nevertheless, Dato Tan went ahead and
booked space at the Putra World Trade
1995 – 25 years ago! Centre (PWTC). “We only had a small
handful of local manufacturers exhibiting
But of equal if not greater significance so we took just 8000 square metres.
was the seductive call to the global
furniture market which has witnessed “I have to say, “ admitted Dato Tan,
the transformation of a relatively local, “that the first few years were not very
even perhaps parochial furniture show encouraging. One or two companies got
into one that is today the dominant force good orders but by and large regional
in South East Asia. interest was minimal” Despite the initial
and inevitable teething problems of a
25 years ago the Malaysian furniture brand new show, MIFF still grew slowly.
industry was indeed negligible, but And then Dato Tan’s luck changed. MIFF
the first seeds of growth were planted drew the attention of the Government.
way back in 1985 when the Malaysian
Government unrolled the country’s first He recalls: “We had attracted about
Industrial Masterplan. And present at 2000 visitors at our previous show
that event was none other than current and the then Minister of International
MIFF Chairman Dato Tan Chin Huat who Trade recognized that MIFF could be
immediately identified an opportunity. a considerable financial contributor to
trade in Malaysia. I was invited for a
He explained: ”With our abundant chat and I mentioned the heavy costs
tropical forests Malaysia is rich in exhibitors were subjected to because
tropical timbers but we were simply of the tax regulations. I pointed out
exporting this timber to countries which that we could do so much better if the
were manufacturing furniture. I decided regulations could be relaxed a little.
to support the then fledgling furniture
manufacturing industry of ours by “To her credit”, continued Dato Tan, “
holding a dedicated furniture exhibition the Minister recognizing the potential
which would allow our manufacturers to that MIFF offered, immediately gave
show their products made from our own instructions that all MIFF exhibitors were
rich supply of timbers to interested local to be given a double tax deduction, and
buyers. And perhaps to others who may moreover were to be offered subsidy
have been interested.
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“We had a very few furniture exporters
HOME GOODS RETAILER | MARCH / APRIL 2019
