From (L) Ben Veechai, International Marketing Director of UBM Asia; M Gandhi, Managing Director- ASEAN Business, UBM Asia; Yi Qian, Director of Business Development for Alibaba B2B Business Unit; Dato' Dr Tan Chin Huat, MIFF Chairman in the media briefing on 29 February 2016

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2016 edition of the Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) -- Southeast Asia's biggest global furniture market -- serves as the first pilot event between Alibaba B2B business unit and UBM in their strategic partnership to build the next generation of O2O sourcing experiences. Alibaba B2B's participation at MIFF 2016 also marks the roll out of the Trade Assurance Program to suppliers outside of China -- a program aiming to boost trust between buyers and sellers on cross-border trading and now Malaysian furniture and furnishing manufacturers through MIFF can also participate.

MIFF 2016 is the first UBM and Alibaba B2B Premier Partner Event selected in the pilot program of the O2O collaboration. For MIFF 2016, Alibaba B2B has created for the first time a specialty membership program which allows international suppliers to enjoy the privileges of the Trade Assurance program. Within this program, buyers through the Alibaba.com platform can gain protection coverage starting at US$40,000 from selected MIFF exhibitors should these exhibitors/suppliers fail to meet product quality or shipment time. MIFF exhibitors in return, gain additional benefits of reliability and expand buyer reach by becoming Alibaba.com Trade Assured members.

"It is an exciting time for Alibaba B2B working with UBM and in particular with the MIFF pilot program," says Yi Qian, Director of Business Development for Alibaba B2B Business Unit. "Through this partnership we are able to expand the Trade Assurance program to suppliers outside of China. The program helps to enhance trust between buyers and sellers through visualizing the creditability of participating suppliers, and offering assurance for buyers when problems related to product quality and shipments occur."

Yi Qian, Director of Business Development for Alibaba B2B Business Unit and M Gandhi, Managing Director- ASEAN Business, UBM Asia doing the demonstration at Alibaba and UBM booth at PWTC during MIFF 2016, 1-5 March.

"Working with Alibaba B2B at MIFF as UBM's first pilot program has proved itself tremendously valuable," says M. Gandhi, Managing Director of ASEAN Business UBM Asia. "On one hand, MIFF acts as the conduit to help bring Alibaba.com's Trade Assurance program to overseas suppliers and on the other hand we are able to provide truly added value for MIFF exhibitors and buyers."

All attendees to MIFF 2016 can learn more about the UBM and Alibaba B2B collaboration directly onsite at the two parties' main stage booth located on level 2 of PWTC. Events at the booth include upcoming UBM and Alibaba Premier Partner Events as well as developments of the O2O Solution debuting in July of this year. Manufacturers and furniture trade buyers can learn more about the benefits of Alibaba.com's Trade Assurance program directly from Alibaba and UBM staff onsite as well as through open seminars covering topics such as Reaching overseas buyers on Alibaba.com and 7 Practical Tips for Starting your Sourcing Journey. Interactive "smart glass" visualization of Trade Assurance benefits will also entertain and educate visitors.

For more information about MIFF 2016 including the Alibaba B2B collaboration, MIFF 2016's lineup of 500+ exhibitors, and the MIFF Furniture Design Competition, please visit www.miff.com.my.

About MIFF (www.miff.com.my)

Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) is an export-oriented furniture trade show held annually in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is also a global leading trade show approved by UFI, The Global Association for Exhibition Industry. Since 1995, MIFF has nurtured invaluable partnerships between thousands of buyers and furniture makers across the globe.

About Alibaba.com

The first business of Alibaba Group, Alibaba.com (www.alibaba.com) is the leading platform for global wholesale trade serving millions of buyers and suppliers around the world. Through Alibaba.com, small businesses can sell their products to companies in other countries. Sellers on Alibaba.com are typically manufacturers and distributors based in China and other manufacturing countries such as India, Pakistan, the United States and Thailand.

About UBM plc (www.ubm.com)

Listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM plc is a leading global events-led marketing services and communications company. UBM helps businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online and in print. 5,000 staff located in more than 20 countries are organised into specialist teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. Running over 400 events per year UBM is the second largest exhibitions organiser globally and the biggest commercial tradeshow organiser in the US, mainland China, India and Malaysia.

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SOURCE UBM Asia (Malaysia)

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http://www.miff.com.my/
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