Thailand Furniture Grand Sale, Dec 17-25, 2011, at QSNCC

Hi!  We haven’t done any reporting on trade shows for a while because of the flood that caused so much devastation here in Thailand.  Actually, the three main exhibition centers were not physically affected; however, a great many of the regularly exhibiting companies have their factories in the flood plain to the north of Bangkok and suffered terrible damage.  Because those companies were in no condition to participate in exhibitions, most trade shows during the period of October through November were cancelled or postponed.

Anyway, with the flood over, it’s back to business at the exhibition centers.  Today, Wednesday December 21, I went to the Thailand Furniture Grand Sale at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC).  The show runs from December 17 through December 25, open 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. each day.

I caught the BTS Skytrain (overhead railway) at Ekamai Station and got off at Asoke Station, three stations later.  From there I walked downstairs and got on the MRT Subway for just one stop, which was QSNCC Station.

I’ve previously written about furniture shows at Impact Center and Bitec, and compared with those shows, this current furniture fair is far from grand.  There weren’t nearly the number of exhibitors as would be at Impact or Bitec, and as I’ve mentioned before, the exhibit area has very low ceilings and is uncomfortably crowded.

Thailand manufactures nice furniture, though, and as usual there were quite a few companies selling leather-covered furniture (mainly sofas), plus wooden furniture, mattresses and bedding, marble-topped tables, office furniture, bunk beds, chandeliers, carpets, and other items.

Of interest to me was a company selling brightly colored play furniture in the shape of animals.  They looked like fun for kids, and I was invited by the vendor to have a seat, so I can attest to their sturdiness.  They were made of fiberglass, I was told.  I asked the vendor where his factory was located, and he told me Pathum Thani, the province directly north of Bangkok, and one of the hardest hit by the flood, including that gentleman’s factory.

In addition to furniture, there were a lot of electronic products for the home, including washing machines, dryers, large and small kitchen appliances, air-conditioners, audiovisual equipment, and other electronics.

There was also a smattering of other businesses selling products such as curtains, tableware, auto care products, aquariums, framed pictures, luggage, security equipment, exercise equipment, watches, bathroom fixtures, cosmetics, decorative vases, and others.

Surprisingly for this rather informal type of venue, there was no food of any kind being sold.

Bob