Estimates indicate around 10% growth overall. Feria Valencia managing director has highlighted “quality of visitors” and “extremely high level of business generated”.
Exhibitors and visitors satisfied with standard of exhibits at all fairs and with events being a stimulus for the industry.
Valencia, 10th October 2024.- More than 60,000 professional buyers flocked to Valencia last week to visit the Feria Hábitat València, Espacio Cocina SICI, Textilhogar Home Textiles Premium, Iberflora y Eurobrico trade fairs. The figure is already around 10% higher than the results achieved at recent editions of the five fairs. When the final figures are in it is expected they will show that some 15% of visitors were foreign, hailing from more than 70 countries.
Feria Valencia managing director Jorge Fombellida has indicated that as well as the excellent visitor numbers, “what is really significant is the quality of these people, which meant a considerable amount of business was done”. The exhibitors at the five fairs have indeed stressed that they were aware of a high level of demand for their products and that they have positive expectations regarding interest generated by the fair translating into sales being closed very soon.
“Very high-quality contacts were made”, Fombellida underscores, “which was the result of the work done jointly by Feria Valencia, the exhibitors and the various trade associations representing the sectors involved”. Feria Valencia’s managing director also thanked the Conselleria de Innovación, Industria, Turismo y Comercio de la Generalitat Valenciana (Valencia Regional Government Department for Innovation, Industry, Tourism and Trade), the Cámara de Comercio (Chamber of Commerce), IVACE+I Internacional and ICEX for their involvement, with all having worked closely with the organisers to bring foreign buyers to Feria Valencia.
With Feria Hábitat València, Textilhogar, Espacio Cocina SICI, Iberflora and Eurobrico running concurrently, Feria Valencia became the home of the most significant trade fair event staged for Spanish industry in 2024. Over the week, more than 1,600 brands occupied 150,000 square metres of exhibition space to show the main innovations from their respective sectors to the 60,000+ buying professionals who came to visit the five events.
Interiors fairs prompt satisfaction
The five interiors industry trade fairs (Feria Hábitat València, Textilhogar Home Textiles Premium and Espacio Cocina SICI) taking place at the same time was one of the major catalysts for these figures being reached. Between them, these three fairs comprised a showcase of almost a thousand exhibitors, taking up 96,00 square metres of exhibition space. Satisfaction with the number of visitors and buyers that attended could not be higher, according to both exhibitors and the visitors themselves. Indeed, many stressed the high standard of the companies exhibiting and the fact that they chose the Feria Valencia event for an exclusive launch of their new collections, something that had to date been reserved for other international trade fairs. What is more, according to many of the exhibitors and sales representatives, this year’s edition was a real driver for the industry’s sales and business development.
New National Design Prize winner Héctor Serrano visits
The cherry on the cake on last day was National Design Prize winner, Valencian designer Héctor Serrano, visiting Feria Hábitat València and Salón nude. In fact, just those day the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities revealed the winners of the 2024 awards, who include Héctor Serrano, recognised in the Career in Design category. The jury highlighted how he has embodied “the breadth, creativity, versatility and excellence of Spanish design quite exceptionally, through striking objects and creations that are recognised the world over and are exciting, beautiful, sensitive and fun”.
Héctor Serrano wanted to celebrate his award at Hábitat and specifically at the Salón nude, an exhibition space that did in fact launch the Valencian designer’s early career and that he wanted that thank personally for the support it provides to young designers. Héctor Serrano met Feria Hábitat València director Daniel Marco to do just that.
