“INDEX 2005” – International Furniture Fair to be held from 12-16 October

Company Release, September 5

NEW DELHI

Index International Furniture Fair (INDEX 2005), an international fair is to be held from the 12th to 16th of October 2005. The Index International Furniture Fair, a trade fair on finished furniture & accessories incorporates Index Office, trade fair on office furniture & accessories and Index Light, trade fair on lighting, switches & accessories. Inter-Furn, international trade fair on Furniture Hardware, intermediates, woodworking machinery & tools will be held concurrently with the Index 2005 informed Mr. Liyakat Ali Khan, Managing Director of Mumbai-based Universal Expositions Ltd. (organizers of the fairs) while addressing media at a press conference held here at Hyderabad today.

Index Fairs 2005 is expected to have more than 200 participants from around the world. All those who deal in furniture and associated products / intermediaries besides, mass merchandisers from All Over India, Europe, the Southeast Asian region and the Arabian Gulf, will participate in this fair. M.r Khan informed that in furniture imports India ranked first (from 1-1-04 to 15-7-05) importing 17 per cent of the total imports in furniture worldwide. This is just the tip of the ice berg. The industry is booming and the best place to gauge this growth and source the best of furniture would be at INDEX 2005 – Mumbai.

The Important specifier segment of professionals influencing large purchase decisions and hence trends, such as Architects, Builders and Interior Designers, along with Institutional buyers such as the Corporates, Hotel and Hospitality projects as well as the Government Purchase departments, will be visiting the fair at Mumbai.

This furniture fair would bring together the trade and industry segment such as Trade Buyers, Importers & Exporters, Wholesale Distributors, Retail Chains, Manufacturers and other related industry participants.

The fair has the full support of IFJ –The Indian Review of World Furniture & Design, the country’s premier trade publication for the industry.

Mr. Liyakat Ali Khan said, “In the last few years, INDEX FURNITURE FAIR has evolved to become the most influential international platform for entry into the vibrant Indian market”. The fair has acquired tremendous equity among International Furniture Associations and Trade Commissions across the World.

The furniture industry in India has come of age and it must be said that INDEX International Furniture Fair has had a pivotal role to play in this phenomenal growth. At the present time the total value of imported furniture is estimated by market sources to be approximately INR 8 Billion and this sector is believed to be growing at the rate of over 12 percent per year.

As the only focused Trade Fair for the industry, the Index International Furniture Fair is definitely the trendsetter and has provided the ideal platform for International and Indian furniture brands to establish their presence in this market.

Index International Furniture Fair (INDEX 2005) organized by Universal Expositions Ltd. will be held at MMRDA Exhibition grounds, Bandra -Kurla Complex at Mumbai, India spread across an area of over 30,000 square meters from the 12th to 16th of October 2005. INDEX 2005 will be held concurrently with Inter-Furn – International Trade fair on Furniture Hardware, Intermediates and Wood-Working Machinery.

For further information, please contact:

Trade Fair

Tel: 022 – 2830 2870 / 2871

Email: marketing@ueindia.com