The Star, Saturday July 28, 2012
By LOH FOON FONG
foonfong@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Furniture Entrepreneur
Association wants the Government to build bigger exhibition halls for
furniture trade fair events.Its president Edmond Chew said there was a limited number of big exhibition halls currently.
“They are not big enough for international shows,” he said after the Malaysian Furniture and Furnishings Fair 2012.
Spoilt for choice: People patronising the Malaysian Furniture and Furnishings Fair.He said Malaysia's furniture export from January to May this year saw a 10% increase to RM3,163.1bil as opposed to RM2,867.6bil the same period last year.
Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said Malaysia only has four international standard exhibition centres with a total gross indoor size of 71,292 sq m compared to China with 97 centres and 4.4mil sq m.
“This clearly indicates that Malaysia needs more exhibition space to compete and attract more international standard exhibitions to be held here,” said Dr Ng whose speech was read out by the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng.
“Malaysia is fast emerging as a choice destination for international conventions and exhibitions regionally and globally.
“Its growing appeal to convention and exhibition organisers is not surprising in view of the country's easy accessibility from various parts of the world,” added Dr Ng.
Dr Ng also said Malaysia recorded a 14% growth of exhibition space from an estimated annual size of 265,000 sq m in 2010 to 320,500 sq m last year.
However, Malaysia had only 57 trade fairs last year compared with China's 532, Hong Kong's 101, Singapore's 97 and Thailand's 77, she noted.
Dr Ng added that growth in exhibition space sales this year was expected to be 2.5% which would result in space sales of 16.3mil sq m in total.
Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/7/28/nation/11745537&sec=nation
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