Sindmóveis will be present at Expocomer, the largest professional multi-sector trade exhibition in Central America, which takes place from April 17-20  in Panama City. The goal is to promote Movelsul Brasil 2014, which has already sold 95% of its space for the exhibition to be held from March 24-28 at Parque de Eventos in Bento Gonçalves (RS). This is the second international promotional event of the fair – the first was Expomueble Guadalajara in February.   According to the president of Movelsul, Henrique Tecchio, the participation in Expocomer is important to strengthen the image of the Brazilian event in Central American countries, attracting buyers and visitors to the fair. In the last edition of Movelsul, in March 2012, seven of the 30 importers who took part in the Buyer’s Project came from Central American countries. "The Buyer’s Project, a traditional action organized by Movelsul in partnership with Apex-Brasil, is extremely important to boost business generated by the fair. Therefore, all efforts aimed at attracting Latin American countries are valid and will be intensified in the second half of the year,” he points out.   Expocomer is an event aimed at closing deals and receiving visitors from countries such as the USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela – in addition to Panama. The Movelsul booth will be located in the hall designed especially for Brazilian companies. This is the second participation of Sindmóveis in the Panamanian fair featuring its own booth.   Besides representing an important gateway to markets in Central America, Panama is a country with a growing level of consumption and low production of furniture. In 2011, imports of furniture totaled US$ 251.5 million, and the average annual growth between 2007 and 2011 was 14.4%. In four years, the market expanded more than 70%, and Brazil is the third largest furniture provider for Panama, accounting for 8%.    The largest Brazilian competitors are China and the United States, which account for more than half of the total imported by Panama. In recent years, the country has been one of the top 20 destinations of the Brazilian production, featuring a good market for metal furniture, especially bookcases, shelves and display cabinets.