The 79th edition of the Meubelbeurs turned the pavilions of Brussels Expo, from November 6 to 9, into an international point of reference for 20.000 professionals in the field, coming from Europe. The goal: the same number of visitors as in previous years, but with an increasingly international slant. The interest is primarily due to the wide-ranging, high-quality offering, in addition to the strategic position, point of convergence between Northern and Southern Europe.
Although there were slightly fewer participants, compared to 2015, the total surface area of the stands increased, and this clearly testifies the attention for the quality of the presentation and it is a convincing proof of the investments of the companies in the fair.
95 are the Belgian exhibitors, it is worth pointing out Unic Design and Moome. The Netherlands comes a close second with 80 stands. Italy, Germany and France occupy 22, 19 and 13 stands respectively. To a lesser extent, the Furniture Fair gives space to several countries, including Poland, Spain, Portugal, Lithuania, Denmark, UK and Turkey, confirming its international appeal and arousing the curiosity of buyers.
The fair can rely on a loyal group of exhibitors: a massive 80% of them return year after year, while at the same time ensuring an attractive 20% of stand holders new to the fair, or manufactures who have found their way back to Brussels after a year of more of absence: this is the case of an Italian brand, Calligaris.
Lieven Van den Heede, director of the fair for the second year, offers an interesting overview of trends observed. Three are the main directions: a focus on luxury materials, for example marble, brass, copper; the further expansion of the Scandinavian style, with a particular emphasis on pastel shades; lastly, the attention to innovative solutions which are able to answer to the needs of contemporary living, small spaces and environmental commitment.
The Brussels Furniture Fair is a true B2B trade event for European dealers and for the Belgian furniture industry which in 2015 generated a turnover of 1,4 billion and increased of 3,2% in the first half of 2016, strengthening also the import and export shares.
