In Conversation with… Andrew Short, Sales Director, International Schools at Furnware
Furnware is a NZ based furniture company that specialises in Educational furniture. Read our fun chat with Andrew Short to find out more about their products... That's not all! Andrew is also going to be speaking at the GESS Dubai conference. Click the link below to find out!
Check out Andrew's talk here: http://www.gessdubai.com/andrew-short
Please tell our readers a little about Furnware…
Furnware is a leading international furniture designer and manufacturer, specialising in education for over 60 years. We collaborate with schools to create unique learning environments to support learning outcomes. We combined our expertise with a proven support model so you can be assured of quality, advice and service from beginning to end with outstanding customer service.
As this is your first year with us, what are you most excited about & what do you hope to achieve at GESS?
I am very excited to share our stories, schools often having specific teaching models and ambitions. We work in close partnership to deeply understand your environment and design relevant solutions to meet your performance goals.
What does innovation mean to you? How can a company be innovative in your opinion?
Innovation to me means a new way or transformation and adapting to suit the needs of a rapidly changing world.
For Furnware it always starts with the kids, spending thousands of hours in the classroom chatting with students and teachers, understanding what makes them tick. By observing how they interact and collaborate with each other we can create furniture that supports their unique needs. Research plays a pivotal role in identifying key insights that ultimately lead to innovative new products for schools
As Furnware is based in NZ and you have been responsible for implementing new curriculums in schools there, can you tell us more about this and the difference between Education in Dubai & NZ?
We offer furniture and support to schools implementing innovative learning environments as well as schools that still operate more ‘traditionally’ in single cell classrooms. However, every school is unique and this is where our skilled team of account managers and designers work hand-in-hand with principals and business managers to provide the best solutions for their specific needs. This is a model we use globally.
We have top tips for designing learning spaces https://www.furnware.com/articles/top-tips
Please tell us about the latest and exciting products that you’ve been working on last year, and the start of 2018? Who should visit your stand at the show?
Spacemakers are our newest product on our range, a multi – functional divider which helps soften the noise, but can easily be removed from its stand and placed on the floor for comfy seating. Students love making their own learning spaces with Spacemakers.
https://www.furnware.com /products/soft-furnishings/spacemakers
All delegates should visit us at the GESS conference as, we have much to share but are always keen for new insights to help us learn and grow.
What message do you have for all our readers and visitors at GESS Dubai 2018?
Our furniture is built to perform, and is user centred designed tested in the real world. Every piece of furniture we dispatch is classroom ready and built to last. All products meet strict quality standards and arrive fully assembled for easy installation and immediate use.
Who are you hoping to see at your session and what can they expect?
We would love anyone and everyone to come to our session. It won’t be exclusive to any one role or profession. We love sharing our expertise and enthusiasm for classroom design and hearing from those who are in the classroom every day. It will be fun, informative and interactive.
Furnware have customers for life, we are serious about building long-term partnerships to support outstanding learning outcomes.
You can expect world-class service from a dedicated team, who work hard to ensure your experience with Furnware is second to none. From sales consultation, to planning and production right through to delivery and implementation, our connected consultants and service team will offer step-by-step support that continues after delivery.
