Records show an outstanding 15% of visitors were international, attending from more than 80 countries, plus substantial number of contract projects signed during the fair.
Valencia, 25th September 2023.- Just a few days after this latest edition of Feria Hábitat València and Home Textiles Premium by Textilhogar, there is a palpable sense of satisfaction amongst both exhibitors and visitors. With more than 96,000 square metres of commercial exhibition space occupying eight of the halls at Feria Valencia and an offering from 881 international companies and brands, expectations had been riding high – expectations that have been more than fulfilled and that confirm the validity of a large-scale fair that has the power to draw both a domestic and an international audience.
At the end, 45,026 professionals had registered as visitors which would indicate that last year’s trend is being maintained. This year, even without the significant contribution from the kitchen sector, the figures for both Hábitat and Textilhogar are almost the same as last year’s and have far exceeded those of 2019, the last year that Feria Hábitat Valencia took place without Espacio Cocina SICI, which will be back for the 2024 edition.
Exhibitors highlighted in particular the substantial amount of business opportunities generated over the four days of the fair, especially in the field of international contracts. Indeed, the foremost architecture practice in North America was in Valencia these last few days looking for suppliers, as were almost all the leading hotel chains. One Valencian exhibitor, for example, signed off on a deal during the fair to furnish a thousand rooms in a new hotel complex. In this regard and according to initial figures computed, international visitors account for 15% of all the professionals who visited the fair. They came from 80 countries, primarily and in this order, from Portugal, France, Italy, the United States of America, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Morocco, Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Another surprise is that in spite of current circumstances, 69 professionals from Russia came to Feria Valencia along with more than a hundred Ukrainian buyers.
Exhibitors commented that the domestic market also appeared to be highly active despite increasing pressure on costs and prices. Retailers from all over the country spent the whole week at Feria Valencia, as did the leading purchasing and distribution groups.
Success for Hábitat València
Feria Hábitat València’s director, Daniel Marco, has described this year’s event as a “success”, underscoring “the high standard, the quality, the level of innovation and the design quality of our exhibitors’ products. Our challenge this year was not just to grow our offering quantitatively but also to offer the professionals coming to visit the best the industry has to offer”. Marco also highlighted how sectors such as the ‘contract channel’ were bigger this year, spurring sales for exhibitors. “This is a channel that Hábitat has selected as a route to supplying new refurbishment and construction projects in sectors such as hotels, hospitality and restaurants. And buyers have not just come from Spain,” Marco explains, “but from all over the world. We have had buyers and specifiers of an exceptionally high level who have been able to see what our industry is capable of”. “This year,” Hábitat’s director continues, “we confirmed the validity of the large-format model that has the power to draw an audience, surpassed the success attached to Valencia being the World Design Capital, and are making preparations for an edition in 2024 that will see the return of a major sector – kitchens – in the guise of the dedicated Espacio Cocina SICI fair”.
Textilhogar delivers “positive” performance and is open to trends and new sectors
Máximo Solaz, director of Home Textiles Premium by Textilhogar, is positive following two successful editions of the fair in Valencia that have consolidated the event as one of the foremost in the world of home textiles both nationally and internationally. “The positive response from the industry and the number of high-quality professionals who attended exceeded our expectations, underscoring the importance and relevance of HT by Textilhogar in this sector”, he notes. Solaz also emphasised the key role of the space given over to trends, which was developed in collaboration with AITEX and the companies exhibiting, was in a stand-out location within the commercial exhibition and was very popular: “This exhibit provided a comprehensive insight into the latest products, trends and technological innovations that will mark the future of the home textiles industry”. Another important fact Solaz pointed out was the fair opening to new sectors such as machinery and fibres, which enriched the offering from HTP by Textilhogar. “These sub-sectors are an essential part of the textile industry’s value chain, so will be a focal point of future editions of the fair”.
Álvaro Catalán de Ocón celebrates winning National Design Prize at Ágora nude.
The lecture delivered by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón, who just a week ago was awarded the 2023 National Design Prize, was a great epilogue to this year’s edition of Hábitat and Textilhogar. The renowned designer and interior designer explained the ‘journey’ of the PET Lamp to the audience. The PET Lamp was a sustainability project that combined basketmaking and re-using plastic PET bottles to design and create lamps. By coincidence, the winners of the three most recent National Design Prizes were at this year’s Hábitat and Textilhogar: design company Ondarreta, Álvaro Catalán de Ocón and young designer Jordi Iranzo, of Clap Estudio.
PHOTOS: BRAVA STUDIO
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