IBCTF and KBCS in Shanghai Are the Biggest in Their Fields

After many years of promotion, the International Building & Construction Trade Fair (IBCTF), held annually alongside the Kitchen & Bath China Show (KBCS), has evolved to become perhaps the leading fair of its kind in Greater China, playing sizable role to further drive the kitchen and bath sectors in the region.

The emerging Chinese economy has given room for sizable numbers of local suppliers of kitchen and bath products and services to grow in recent years, successfully amplifying China's influence over the global supply chains in such fields. In contrast and with the world's largest population of 1.3 billion, China has also become a highly attractive, lucrative market to foreign companies seeking to expand business. Both of the above scenarios have helped to build IBCTF and KBCS into a globally influential trade platform for local and foreign buyers.

The 13th IBCTF and KBCS, held from May 26 to 29, 2008 at SNIEC (Shanghai New International Expo Centre), showcased products and services in 11 pavilions plus one outdoor that occupied around 150,000 square meters of exhibition floorage, a sizable increase from last year's 112,800 square meters, to be Asia's largest trade fair for kitchen and bath-related sectors.

Global Representation

About 3,000 local and overseas exhibitors from 35 countries attended the shows, including ones from Italy, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., France, Germany, the U.S., Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, showcasing various products and services to about 84,500 visitors. The show management estimated that 35% of the exhibitors succeeded in striking deals with foreign buyers during the four-day event, generating some RMB8.045 billion (around US$1.17 billion at RMB1: US$0.145) in business, mirroring the sizable business potential of the two-in-one-show.

With considerable promotion by the show organizer Worldwide Exhibition Services Co., Ltd. via television, radio, newspaper, the Internet and trade magazines, the twin shows this year got off to a running start, not only offering a showcase for the newest technologies, products and services, but also an "info-venue" consisting of conferences and forums that successfully attracted international buyers and industry professionals.

Despite being a twin show, the International Building & Construction Trade Fair 2008 showcased distinctively different product ranges, including building material, green building material, glass material, wall material, wall paper, plastic and gypsum, heat and noise insulating material, marble, granite, stone slate, artificial stone products, ceramic tiles, mosaic tiles, household lightings, lighting accessories, curtain walls, sunshades, roofs and ceilings, greenhouse products, wooden material and woodworking machinery

In contrast, Kitchen & Bath China 2008 featured more off-the-rack items for homes, such as electrical household appliances, kitchen equipment, range hoods and extractors, ranges, ovens, microwave ovens, sewing and knitting machines, juicers, coffeemakers, food processors, cleaning tools, refrigerators, cabinets, utensils, bathroom fittings, boilers, water heating systems, solar energy systems, ventilation and air purification systems, air conditioners, water purifiers and related kitchen and bathroom products.

Geometrics Dominate

For one reason or another, geometric forms seemed to dominate the design direction at both the shows this year. For instance, Tangshan Huida Ceramic Group Co., Ltd., a leading brand for bathroom ware locally, displayed a series of square-shaped faucets. Debatable who was the source of inspiration, but globally famous brands, including ToTo, American Standard and Kohler, also showcased square-shaped, classically-Chinese styled bathroom fittings this year.

The trend to go upmarket or cater to swanky taste was obvious this year: bathtubs featuring lights that change the color of running water succeeded to be show stoppers. Industry insiders believe that such fanciful trend reflects bath fixture designers' move to integrate fashion or chic into bathtubs.

The who's who in branded bathroom equipment in Taiwan were on hand to exhibit their wares at KCBS, including Lih Chern Metallic Enterprise Co., Ltd. (LCM), HoCheng Corporation (HCG), Shengtai Brassware Co., Ltd. (Justime) and Global Union Industrial Corporation (Danze and Gerber). Having established solid market shares in Taiwan, these industry leaders continue to tap global markets. With a reputation for world-class production capability and considerate service, the Taiwan-based branded bathroom fixture suppliers are making considerable headway in the vast China market, as well as staying competitive globally by tapping their brand recognition among foreign buyers.

CENS On-the-Job

Without wavering from its traditional goal to help promote Greater China suppliers globally, CENS, a major Taiwan-based export-oriented media, was again at the twin show, doing its utmost to circulate its specialized publications. Its Hardware magazine, promoting suppliers of bath and kitchen products and services and such industry in Taiwan, proved to be quite popular with foreign buyers, offering a convenient source of information for busy global buyers looking for suppliers with seasoned R&D and production capability.

International Building & Construction Trade Fare and Kitchen & Bath China 2008 once again offered a practical platform for global traders, suppliers and buyers in the kitchen and bath-related sectors in Greater China. With next year's twin event scheduled for May 25 to 28 at the same venue in Shanghai, observers believe that the rebuilding effort needed in the wake of the Sichuan quake, coupled with the continual rise in domestic demand in China, will draw even more visitors and exhibitors to these growing trade fairs driven by a major engine, construction, among secondary industries in a huge emerging economy.