The Biennial International Fair for Materials, Technology and Components for Furniture Manufacturing, Interior Design and Contract Projects welcomed more than 35,000 trade visitors, overtaking figures for the previous, pre-pandemic edition and international buyers accounting for 16% of all visitors.
València, 5 April 2022.- FIMMA + Maderalia closed its doors having delivered figures the exceeded even its most optimistic expectations. The international fair at Feria Valencia for the lumber and supply sector had by midday today notched up 35,000 trade buyers, a figure 10% higher than the number who flocked to the last edition, held in 2018, before the pandemic.
The figure validates the good vibe that was being felt throughout the fair, with the aisles in all the halls full, especially on the Wednesday and Thursday, which were the fair’s peak days in terms of visitor numbers. The fair also recorded a distinct increase in the number of foreign buyers attending, with 16% of all trade professionals visiting hailing from a total of 60 different countries. The largest contingents were from the European Union (Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium and Germany being the main markets), the countries of the Maghreb (led by Morocco and Algeria) and Latin American nations.
An initial analysis of the figures reveals that FIMMA + Maderalia draws buyers from all over Spain. 62% of visitors, for example, came from outside the Comunitat Valenciana, a clear indication that the biennial fair is a major event for the whole country – with the consequent impact on overnight stays in the area around the venue.
Broad satisfaction amongst exhibitors
Satisfaction with the results obtained during the fair was a constant amongst exhibitors at FIMMA + Maderalia, who admitted that the commercial results obtained had exceeded their most optimistic expectations. In the field of fixtures, fittings, and components for furniture for example Eduardo Urquijo, of Grass highlighted that “there was a massive turnout, from carpenters to major manufacturers. The top furniture manufacturers came to see us! We’re thrilled to have shown our most significant new products at Maderalia”. Alejandro Chivite, of Blum, in the same sector, explained that “the clients who needed to come, came. The fair has improved a lot with the new halls, and we were wanting to show our new products to customers”.
Outcomes in the area of board, surfaces and new materials were also positive. Eduardo de Palacio, of Krion Grupo Porcelanosa commented, for example, that “we are very optimistic and we are excited by the results the fair delivered. This was a great edition of Maderalia and we have realised that we are in the sector we belong in. This is the right fair and the right route to market for us”. Sofía Lopes, of Sonae Arauco, also expressed satisfaction with a fair where “our strategy of maintaining our relationship with our customers by providing our distributors with a meeting room to display our latest products in was definitely the right one. We met all our sales targets”.
Exhibitors in the machinery and technology sector remarked on how successful FIMI was as a platform for showing the sector’s latest innovations and responding to demand from the market. “Concentrating the offering in a single hall was spot on because all the visitors had the opportunity to see what we have to offer at first hand. We are very satisfied”, explained Jaime de Cecilio, of Comercial Cecilio. Lluís Biosca, of Felder Group recognised, for his part that “Felder made a big commitment to this fair and I have to say that the market responded. We are very happy. The market has seen who Felder is and what we can offer”; whilst Manuel Tarín, of Europea de Maquinaria, was quick to confirm that “the fair went very well. The market is working, and you can tell that it is”.
Valencia, springboard for business between Europe and America
One of the most arresting aspects of this edition of FIMMA + Maderalia, which was highlighted by exhibitors as well, was the significant presence of buyers from the other side of the Atlantic. A large group of North American exporters of hardwood, for example, gathered under the umbrella of the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), used FIMMA + Maderalia to re-boot business with European importers of lumber, who are currently very short of raw material and had not been able to have direct contact with their North American suppliers at a trade fair because of the two-year-long pandemic. Indeed, Mike Snow, AEHC executive director, acknowledged that “purchasing orders have come out of Maderalia”.
On the other hand, a considerable number of professionals in the Latin American lumber trade crossed the pond for these last few days to attend FIMMA + Maderalia and purchase machinery to revitalise their workshops and carpentry businesses. These professionals, from Colombia, Argentina and the Dominican Republic, are used to buying in Europe and chose the Feria Valencia fair this year to source from as it was the first European trade fair to take place following the pandemic.
