<![CDATA[This study aims to evaluate exhibitor and buyer communication experiences at the 2026 edition of the Indonesia International Furniture Expo (IFEX), Indonesia’s leading B2B furniture trade show, using Uses and Gratifications Theory (U&G) and Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) theory as its framework. Using a mixed methods design, 193 exhibitors (purposive sampling) and 270 buyers/visitors (accidental sampling) completed an on site, QR code based questionnaire; closed ended items were analyzed descriptively, and open ended items were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results show buyers mainly attended IFEX to gratify cognitive/informational needs (market and trend updates, 43%) and social/integrative needs (business relations, 24%) rather than transactional needs (placing orders, 11%); these needs were largely met (99% found the products sought; interaction with exhibitors, M = 4.55/5). Organizer exhibitor communication was rated strongly (M = 3.29/4), while promotion effectiveness (M = 3.09/4) and visitor quality/engagement (M = 2.95/4) scored lowest. Sixty two percent of exhibitors reported quality leads, 70% reported at least one transaction, 51% of buyers had purchased, and 99.6% intended to return. These findings imply that IFEX gratifies buyers' informational needs effectively but needs stronger business matching and buyer acquisition mechanisms to convert engagement into measurable commercial outcomes.]]>
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