The quality of enquiries from buyers, coupled with a significant increase in exhibitors, saw the BFM Fabric Show London 2022 move up a gear at its new location.
The British Furniture Manufacturers made the decision to move the premium B2B show to the ILEC Conference Centre, near to Earls Court, to offer increased capacity and space, as well as greater opportunities for more fabric suppliers to showcase their very latest products.
Initial feedback from both the buyers within the international furniture community, and the 40-plus exhibitors in attendance, points to a successful reception for the event’s new format, according to BFM.
The move to make it a hosted, invite-only show enabled exhibitors to showcase their products to a key, professional audience, while the 30% increace in exhibitors ensured that buyers were offered an unrivalled exhibition experience to source high quality, contemporary fabrics for upholstery, bed, and soft furnishings.
The show ran for two days from 8-9th March, attracting UK and international prestigious fabric suppliers, drawing in world-renowned manufacturers and suppliers from Belgium, as well as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Germany and the UK.
Fabrics on show includes wools, tweeds, velvets, cottons, linens, chenilles, silks, leathers, faux leathers, backing fabrics and FR treatments. The latest fabric protection and cleaning treatments were also presented.
“We are very pleased with the feedback from exhibitors and buyers and feel the new format has really hit the mark,” comments Sean Holt, BFM MD. “We await more details from the post-event survey, but initial feedback is very positive.
“There was more opportunity than ever and we are glad we took the decision to press forward with plans to invigorate the event, after the challenges of the last few years due to Covid.
“We are committed to re-investing in the show for the future and now look forward to delivering further growth next year, attracting more exhibitors and a wider audience of international buyers for the 2023 event.”
The next date in the BFM calendar is the first in its new series of regional industry events, developed for the furniture community to network and share best practice. Taking place on Thursday, May 26th, at Ercol’s manufacturing headquarters in Princes Risborough, the event’s theme is the ‘Workforce of the Future.’
Free-to-attend for BFM members and £25 for non-members, it is being held after working hours, from 6pm to 9pm, and includes a tour of Ercol’s factory.
