Opportunities aplenty

With 13 countries, over 370 million inhabitants and GDP of almost US$ 2 trillion, the South American market holds great opportunities. With Brazil being the most important market in South America, what with a population of over 150 million people and GDP of over US$ 1 trillion. Brazil is also one of the world's ten largest economies. Coming back to the show, this year, the event was divided into six specialised pavilions in household items, viz., 'Electro House', 'In Domus', 'Linea Domus', 'Textile House', 'Utility House' and 'World of Gifts'. The Electro House showcased a wide array of household products, portable electric appliances, image and sound. The 'In Domus' had on offer products related to indoor lighting, permanent flowers and landscaping, decoration accessories, pictures and frames, corporate candles and handicrafts. A-class furniture, dining and living room, home office, bedrooms and kitchen accessories were a part of the 'Linea Domus' pavilion. The textile house comprised of bed, bath and table, carpets, fabrics and furnishings. The 'Utility House' highlighted the best in dishware, cooking utensils, cleaning and household organisation. The 'World of Gifts' as the name suggests, housed an attractive range of corporate gifts, fine cards & stationery, suitcases and travel accessories. The 37th House & Gift fair could have never been complete without the various opportunities that it offered to the buyers at the fair. The organisers decided to give its buyers the chance to take part in parallel activities like a whole day devoted to meeting clients and promoting business.

Key highlights

Some of the most sparkling events during the fair included the presentation made by the world famous International designer, Vinod Gangotra, regarding the importance of design for the International DU Market. Also, lectures during the trade fair were free of charge for registered participants and covered current issues which are of interest to the market such as sales, logistics, marketing, design and management, to name a few subjects. The first business meeting promoted through a partnership between Grafite Feiras, INP (National Plastic Association) and Sindividros, was held on August 18 2008. The business meeting was a success and counted on the participation of over 120 Brazilian buyers and 15 international and leading Brazilian companies.

Awards galore

For promoting new talent and creativity and for pointing out trends to create new business opportunities, the organiser of the show created the House & Gift design award. Designers and industries registered up to two works per category: household appliances, decoration, gifts, textiles and regional handicrafts. Of the 172 items submitted to compete, 15 received awards. The works were judged by a group of renowned architects, teachers, plastic artists and class representatives. In addition to acknowledging pieces of work, the winners had the opportunity to represent Brazil in the IF product design award, one of the most important design awards worldwide held in Germany.

Over the years, the House & Gift Fair has become a point of reference for purchasers from Brazil and from abroad who plan their purchases for the whole year during the event. It's the ideal place to make your branch known, to analyse the competition, to step up your sales, to increase your network of contacts and to open doors for your products in Brazil. The 38th edition is already being organised and will have many novelties. For starters, there will be two new pavilions: 'In Light' and 'Supri Shop'. The first, as the name suggests, will house companies (from throughout Brazil and abroad) specifically in the decorative lighting sector. The Supri Shop pavilion is specifically for manufacturers and companies that provide operational support service for commercial retail outlets, including shopping mall management. So, don't miss out on the next edition of the fair. Business just doesn't get any closer.