The fair is moving the edition slated for this September to 2021 in response to the industry’s request for a break from the fair’s usual format on account of the Covid-19 crisis.
At the express request of a number of exhibitors, Feria Valencia will be hosting a new event, ÁGORA ENCUENTROS HÁBITAT VLC, this coming November. Set to be an exceptional, unique event, it will be on a scale and at prices that reflect the current circumstances and will focus on brand’s newest products.
Valencia, 24th June 2020.- Hábitat is re-arranging its schedule. The 56th edition of the leading event for the ‘made in Spain’ interiors industry will not be taking place this coming September as planned but will instead be staged as a new event in November: a commercial platform styled ÁGORA ENCUENTROS HÁBITAT VLC that will offer a specific format for participating. Whilst more limited in size than the usual fair, it will fill the gap this year until Feria Hábitat Valencia returns in September 2021 as a fully-fledged fair.
The decision was taken in response to repeated requests from both exhibitors and the furniture and lighting sectors in general, which had told the Hábitat team over the last few weeks that it would be impossible to stage the fair in the same way as it has been staged in recent years.
Companies have expressed concern over the complex situation the industry is currently facing following months of lockdown and closed factories and shops, as well as how little time would have been available to prepare for a fair the size of Hábitat. Added to that is the uncertainty still prevalent in the international marketplace that could impact attendance by buyers from key markets such as Russia and Asia.
This is why, as the fair’s director Daniel Marco explains, “the trade has opted for the return of a stronger Hábitat in 2021 that will offer both exhibitors and visitors greater assurances of doing business. This is in line with what is has happened with the industry’s other big trade fairs in Europe, which have postponed until next year ”.
A new event in November
Many exhibitors however, particularly those that operate in the designer and cutting-edge segments of the market, have signalled to the Hábitat team that there is a need to have event in 2020 where they can present the new products they had intended showing at fairs such as Milan before summer or the Valencia and Paris fairs in September.
Feria Valencia has responded to this demand by creating a new sales and exhibition platform: ÁGORA ENCUENTROS HÁBITAT VLC. Whilst the event has been devised within the framework of Feria Hábitat Valencia it will be a one-off, running this year only and with a specific format tailored to what the industry has demanded and to the current post-Covid-19 environment.
ÁGORA ENCUENTROS HÁBITAT VLC will be taking place this coming November and will offer companies and brands wanting to present their latest products ahead of the 2021 season a simple, dynamic, user-friendly format for taking part. “As an event, it will be designed to facilitate B2B meetings between exhibitors and buyers and, in consonance with the new reality of the trade fair, events and congress industry, will be highly digitalized,” Marco explains.
What is more, ÁGORA ENCUENTROS HÁBITAT VLC will be a latest generation sales platform with significant added value. It has the support of institutions such as the Generalitat Valencia (Valencia Regional Government), IVACE Internacional and ICEX along with bodies such as Anieme and designers’, interior designers’ and architects’ trade associations. The city’s designation as València 2022 World Design Capital will also provide a substantial boost to the initiative.
The Feria Hábitat Valencia team is already working on putting together and launching the new event, “which will help drive the industry forward and will also be the launchpad for the great fair that Feria Hábitat València 2021 is sure to be”, according to its director, Daniel Marco.
