By Correspondent
The Village Market nearly burst its walls as tens of people flocked to enjoy the first interior design and dÈcor exhibition — ‘The Ideal Interiors 2010’.
The four-day event, which had to be extended by another two days owing to public demand, began on August 7. It brought together 40 exhibitors and was a star attraction showcasing the very best of home development products.
The event, organised by the Wealth Magazine and sponsored by Palacina Interiors, brought together players from the local interior dÈcor industry, carpet and rugs, office furniture and furnishings, gardening and landscaping and lighting solutions amongst many others.
This expo was the first of its kind and different with many interior dÈcor firms participating.
Unique opportunity
According to Humphrey Odhiambo, the show director at the Village Market, the main target was to offer exhibitors a unique marketing opportunity to showcase their products while at the same time interact on a personal level with customers.
Lack of opportunities in the home development industry to provide a forum for interior decorations and designers to showcase their products helped initiate the expo.
Out of the 41 exhibition stalls, only one, Diani Flowers and Landscaping offered gardening and landscaping.
The main attraction was the ‘show house’, a relatively new and brilliant concept generated and implemented by the exhibitors.
Economic Housing Group built the fabricated two-bedroom house in a record 12 hours; Wood Products built the kitchen while Spiegel Interiors did the interiors. Lighting Solutions provided intelligent lighting while wardrobes were fixed by Homes and Space.
Francis Njuguna of Homes and Spaces noted that the expo provided them with a better avenue to actualise their product demonstration.
He said: "We have taken advantage of the expo to interact on a personal level with our clients. We also managed to get referrals and contacts at the same venue."
Despite being an interior dÈcor expo, real estate firms also seized the opportunity to participate. Notable were Tamarind Properties, My Space Properties, Ndatani Enterprises and Remax Terrace Apartments.
Most exhibitors exuded confidence with the turn out of the expo noting that even though this was the first expo, the reception and attendance was really impressive.
star attraction
Palacina Interiors was also a star attraction with its wide array of interior decor products, which attracted home product shoppers spoilt for choices with the collection of products on display.
A distinctive feature at this expo was the number of interior dÈcor firms with fully set up home products such as Furniture Palace, Fairdeal Furniture and Slim Furniture, all targeting the home product market.
"The success of this expo coupled with the high traffic affirms that we have won exhibitor confidence," Odhiambo said.
