The Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF), Southeast Asia’s largest international furniture business platform, will stage its 21st edition from 3rd-7th March next year in Kuala Lumpur.

As it will be the first industry event of the year in Asia, visitors can expect to see new collections and an extensive selection of products from 500 manufacturers at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) and Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC).

The five-day show spread over 80,000 sqm is on track for another strong performance based on the momentum of influential buyers coming to MIFF in the past few years, and an expected sell-out show again with over 80% of booths booked by August this year.

MIFF has built its reputation for its robust B2B trading atmosphere and provides irresistible value for a wide range of high-quality furniture to suit dining, bedroom, living room, office, children, occasional and outdoor, as well as furniture fittings and hardware.

An estimated two-thirds of the exhibitors will be from the Malaysian furniture industry.

The largest exhibitor groups, apart from Malaysia, are China and Taiwan, China, which will have pavilions at PWTC again. Spain’s hospitality and home furniture-maker Resol Group, which picked up awards twice in a row for product excellence, will also be back.

MIFF 2014, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the show, boasted 503 exhibitors from 13 countries and regions, and visitor numbers rose 6% to nearly 20,000, with over 6000 international buyers from 141 countries and regions. Total sales again achieved an all-time high, of US$892m.

The high diversity of MIFF's visitors has made the show increasingly attractive as the bridge to new markets in south-east Asia and other emerging regions in the world. In 2014, a quarter of visitors to the show were from south-east Asia, which has a growing affluent market of 600 million people, followed next by a steady turnout of buyers from Europe, South Asia, East Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Not to be missed is the MIFF Furniture Design Competition (FDC) 2015, themed Living Furniture, Global Perspective, supported by the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) as a sponsor for the first time. Top young talents are given the opportunity to show off their prototypes in an exclusive showcase at MECC.

The other highlights are the annual Furniture Excellence Award for most innovative product and Best Presentation Award for the most attractive and creative booth. To further enhance the experience of trade visitors, a series of free seminars will be conducted by industry experts on current developments and trends.

Karen Goi, general manager for furniture and interiors of show organiser, UBM Malaysia, says: "MIFF is the key business platform for the global furniture economy in south-east Asia. We have a 20-year proven track record of bringing top value to our customers for their time and money spent in MIFF. Every year, partnerships are built and renewed on the MIFF trading floor, and this brings great energy to our show. We look forward to welcoming many long-time friends and first-time visitors as well to Kuala Lumpur next March.”

Buyer registration is now available online, and free admission is reserved for those registering by 31st January, 2015.