Practice Passport
| Practice Title | Furniture of Ukraine Business Expo (FUBE) and the organization of national stands at international exhibitions |
| Cluster / Source Organization | Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers (UAFM) |
| Region | Ukraine → Global markets (EU, USA) |
| Implementation Period | 2021 (FUBE pilot) → ongoing adaptation during wartime |
| Cluster Maturity Level | Mature cluster |
| Participants | 352 member companies |
| Thematic Areas | Matchmaking (B2B), Marketing & Branding, Export Expertise |
| Target Audience | Clusters seeking tools for the consolidated entry of SMEs into international markets |
Context and Problem Addressed by the Practice
For individual SMEs, participation in top global exhibitions was prohibitively expensive. As a result, hundreds of high-quality Ukrainian manufacturers remained “invisible” to global buyers. In addition, without a unified umbrella brand, international buyers perceived the Ukrainian market as fragmented, which reduced trust.
Description of the Practice Mechanism (“What’s Under the Hood”)
Transformation of the cluster into a unified export agency for the industry:
- Inbound strategy (FUBE 2021): Instead of sending all companies abroad, the cluster organized its own B2B exhibition, bringing international buyers directly to Ukraine.
- Outbound strategy (during the war): Systematic organization of joint national stands at key global exhibitions (Cologne, Poznań, Milan, etc.) under the unified brand Furniture of Ukraine.
Resources and Preconditions
Preconditions: Strong organizational, marketing, and B2B capabilities of the UAFM team; clear market demand for scaling sales.
Results and Outcomes
- Economic impact: The pilot FUBE exhibition (2021) generated $15 million in export contracts (141 buyers from 58 countries, 250+ B2B meetings).
- Stable revenue in crisis: National stands abroad generate between $1 million and $8 million in contracts per event (1,000–1,500 negotiations at each).
- Structural changes: Participants recognized the power of a collective brand. A high level of trust has been established among international partners toward Ukrainian products as a cohesive and reliable market segment.
Sustainability of the Practice
Adaptive sustainability. The practice has proven resilient even under force majeure conditions. It quickly shifted from hosting its own exhibition in Ukraine to organizing national stands abroad. The key driver is direct financial return for participating companies.
Limitations and Risks
Security risks: Hosting large-scale international events in Ukraine (returning to the FUBE format) is currently impossible due to the war.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations for Clusters4Regions
A shared brand sells better. The cluster demonstrated benchmark-level project management: no single SME could independently bring 140 international buyers to Ukraine. Consolidation of efforts is the direct path to export breakthrough.
The presentation of the case study is available via the link:
This practice has been included in the Ukraine Best Practice Guide, which we are developing as part of the Clusters4Regions project.
To be among the first to receive the full version of the Guide, please complete the short pre-registration form.
Clusters4Regions is an initiative aimed at designing and implementing cluster programs in six regions of Ukraine (Vinnytsia, Volyn, Sumy, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi, and Ternopil regions). The initiative is implemented by the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance at the request of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, with the support of the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Ukraine`s Cohesion and Regional Development” UCORD, and is aligned with EU priorities, international donor frameworks, and Ukraine’s recovery agenda.