On December 17, 2020, Hyatt Regency Tashkent hotel hosted a conference of the MEYOS association of manufacturers and suppliers of the woodworking industry of Uzbekistan.
The conference was attended by representatives of more than 50 furniture and woodworking companies - members of the Association from all provinces of the country. The business people discussed a wide range of issues: business processes, personnel training, the creation of export departments, access to foreign markets. The Association announced the initiative of an investment project on which the Association will work next year - the creation of a Furniture Cluster, which will improve the business environment, raise the competitiveness of goods and increase production and trade figures. Representatives of other associations and the Business Ombudsman were invited to discuss the tasks for 2021. The accession into the Assembly of the Economy of Uzbekistan was also a significant event for the Association. Membership in the Assembly with the support of the Export Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade will provide an opportunity to compensate the costs of introducing ISO standardization systems, participation in international exhibitions and promoting the brand of Uzbek furniture abroad.
The Association has long been conducting international activities, with representative offices and partners in China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, etc. the opening of which was discussed at the conference.
The Home Show brand, which is promoted by the association in the foreign market, was presented at the conference. This brand unites the leading furniture manufacturers and representatives of the woodworking industry of Uzbekistan. Under the Home Show brand, the association organizes the largest industry exhibition, which became the main event of the furniture market in Uzbekistan in 2019, setting a new format for the exhibition of the furniture, interior and design industry. Also, there was a presentation of the site homeshow.kz - an online furniture store, which will be promoted in Uzbekistan, Russia and Kazakhstan and will allow entering the international e-commerce market.
An important area of work of MEYOS is charitable activities, as the company helped all victims of the dam burst in the Syrdarya province, providing new furniture to families who lost their homes. As part of the conference, the Association announced its new charitable initiative - the creation of a social complex "ONA" (Mother) on the basis of a furniture cluster, coordinated by the actress and public figure, Rano Shodieva, who is already the head of the Mehrli Qollar (Kind hands) charity center. The activity of the center will be aimed at helping women who found themselves in difficult life situations. A shelter will be organized on the basis of the center, where women can again feel the comfort of their home, receive childcare, find friends and comrades-in-arms, undergo training and work in the furniture industry, thereby they can start a new life.
As Rano Shodieva noted, “The opening of such a social complex is the dream of any social charity center. Here every woman, every single mother, will be able not only to get shelter and work, but also the necessary care for her child, receive the help of psychologists, undergo the necessary training and get on her feet, she can even open her own small business ... This is a temporary shelter, where women can find themselves, where they will be prepared for a new, independent, better life. "
