Woodwork and handicraft exporters were not as happy as in previous years when the International Furniture and Handicraft Fair and Exhibition, or Expo 2010, wrapped up on Sunday, indicating the global economy is not out of the woods yet.
The five-day furniture and handicraft show featured a host of other trade promotion activities like seminars and business matching sessions but the number of deals either signed or initialed was less than expected.
Le Phuc Thinh, a manager of rattan and water hyacinth maker Saigonpalm Co., said his company had secured contracts with two or three foreign buyers while last year, at the height of the global financial crisis, there were more deals.
Similarly, a sales woman of Gia Nhien Co, which produces hand-made boats and ships said she had got no major foreign buyers. “In the 2009 expo, I worked with at least six foreign buyers. For three days at the 2010 exhibition, I sold some small boats to visitors.”
An official at the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade said less foreign buyers had visited this year’s event given slackened global demand. The previous editions of the annual show attracted delegations from Japan and European countries like Spain and Germany.
The expo is a convergence point for local wood and handicraft processors and international buyers and this year, organizers pinned high hopes on the latest exhibition as demand in key markets recovered in the first and second quarters.
Meanwhile, wood and handicraft makers had seen signs of weakening demand in the U.S. and European countries. In the first six months of the year, total woodwork export revenue was US$1.5 billion, up 33% from the same period last year.
But exporters have begun to worry about a decline in contracts and the situation is forecast to worsen in the coming months.
In late September exports dropped by US$20 million from August to US$280 million.
Tran Vinh Nhung, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade as a co-organizer and head of the organizing committee, said letters of invitation had been sent to regular buyers and Vietnam’s commercial sections around the world.
Exhibitors have blamed a lower-than-expected buyer turnout on the still-gloomy prospects in key export markets, he said.
However, Dang Quoc Hung, vice chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCMC (HAWA), also a co-organizer, said he was not concerned about this.
“I’ve talked with exhibitors and I think that the outlook is not that gloomy. Many HAWA members lured large numbers of visitors, including potential buyers,” Hung said. “But to ensure greater success for next year’s expo, organizers will need to improve visitor services and publicity in international media.”
The five-day furniture and handicraft show featured a host of other trade promotion activities like seminars and business matching sessions but the number of deals either signed or initialed was less than expected.
Le Phuc Thinh, a manager of rattan and water hyacinth maker Saigonpalm Co., said his company had secured contracts with two or three foreign buyers while last year, at the height of the global financial crisis, there were more deals.
Similarly, a sales woman of Gia Nhien Co, which produces hand-made boats and ships said she had got no major foreign buyers. “In the 2009 expo, I worked with at least six foreign buyers. For three days at the 2010 exhibition, I sold some small boats to visitors.”
An official at the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade said less foreign buyers had visited this year’s event given slackened global demand. The previous editions of the annual show attracted delegations from Japan and European countries like Spain and Germany.
The expo is a convergence point for local wood and handicraft processors and international buyers and this year, organizers pinned high hopes on the latest exhibition as demand in key markets recovered in the first and second quarters.
Meanwhile, wood and handicraft makers had seen signs of weakening demand in the U.S. and European countries. In the first six months of the year, total woodwork export revenue was US$1.5 billion, up 33% from the same period last year.
But exporters have begun to worry about a decline in contracts and the situation is forecast to worsen in the coming months.
In late September exports dropped by US$20 million from August to US$280 million.
Tran Vinh Nhung, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade as a co-organizer and head of the organizing committee, said letters of invitation had been sent to regular buyers and Vietnam’s commercial sections around the world.
Exhibitors have blamed a lower-than-expected buyer turnout on the still-gloomy prospects in key export markets, he said.
However, Dang Quoc Hung, vice chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCMC (HAWA), also a co-organizer, said he was not concerned about this.
“I’ve talked with exhibitors and I think that the outlook is not that gloomy. Many HAWA members lured large numbers of visitors, including potential buyers,” Hung said. “But to ensure greater success for next year’s expo, organizers will need to improve visitor services and publicity in international media.”
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