More than 400 brands will be exhibiting directly and a further 700 represented from this Tuesday, 29th March, until 1st April at the industry’s grand reunion FIMMA + Maderalia, the first major trade fair to take place in Spain this year and the first of Europe’s fairs for the lumber and furniture to be held in 2022.
The outlook for this FIMMA + Maderalia is as good as it gets, with international buyers returning, 31% of exhibitors coming from other countries and a sector that is on the up, having grown its output 21.6% in 2021, making it the country’s second fastest-growing industry.
València, 28th march 2022.- The machines are cranking into gear at Feria Valencia. FIMMA + Maderalia, the much anticipated Biennial International Fair for Technology, Materials and Components for Furnture Manufacturing, Interior Design and Contract Projects opens its doors this Tuesday, returning to the exhibition venue after a four-year gap and a pandemic that, despite everything, spurred the industry on in the heat of a boom in home refurbishment.
In point of fact, FIMMA + Maderalia is happening at a great time for the wood and ancillary sectors which, despite current uncertainties, was the second-fastest growing sector of industry in 2021, chalking up 21.6% growth, just behind the textile and clothing sector but ahead of the furniture manufacturing industry, according to INE industrial output statistics provided by AIDIMME, the Institute for Technology.
The sector is also expanding in terms of job creation, with more than 61,00 qualified staff employed in 2021, a 5% increase.
Spain’s and Europe’s first fair this year
All of the above will be evident in the industries’ main fair to take place in southern Europe: FIMMA + Maderalia. The event is Spain’s first major fair for this sector of industry to take place in 2022 and will also be the first to take place anywhere in Europe following the cancellation and/or postponement of the German fairs for the wood and furniture industries, which are the points of reference on the annual event roster.
Expectations for FIMMA are, as a result, running high. Following several postponements caused by the pandemic, the fair has almost recouped its 2018 exhibitor numbers, with 402 direct exhibitors signed up and more than 700 brands represented, covering both machinery and technology as well as board, fixtures and fittings, doors, flooring, varnishes and coverings.
A broad spectrum of exhibits that will take up more than 50.000 square metres of exhibition space throughout four halls on Level 3, Feria Valencia, and is expected to bring thousands of professionals together not just from the furniture manufacturing and ancillary sectors but also from fields such as interior design, construction, renovation and hotel, restaurant and commercial premises contract project specification, office design and public equipment.
International again!
As practically the first event on the trade fair circuit to take place after the two years of pandemic, FIMMA + Maderalia will also have strong international accent, with a notable presence of foreign exhibitors and buyers.
On the supply side, the international component has shot up to account for 31% of all exhibitors, six percentage points ahead of the equivalent figure for 2018. The largest contingent of foreign exhibitors will be from Italy, with 40 companies, followed by substantial representations from Portugal (14 direct exhibitors), France (13), Germany (11) and Turkey (8).
The FIMMA + Maderalia showcase will also be featuring companies from Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Poland, San Marino, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The fair will also be a meeting point for U.S. exhibitors of lumber and European importers, at what is a key moment given the global short supply of wood.
On the demand side, several international buyer missions to FIMMA + Maderalia have been confirmed, with guests coming from many markets including Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, France, Italy, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Morocco, Holland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia and the United States. These missions will be complemented by a range of live events such as the ‘B2B meetings’ being arranged by trade associations Arvet and Cofearfein conjunction with IVACE Internacional and the international specifiers mission being organised jointly Cofearfe and ICEX.
Designer hoyel: Tailor{H}otel
One of the main attractions of this edition of FIMMA + Maderalia will be the replication of a designer hotel being created by the renowned Valencian design and interior design studio headed up José Manuel Ferrero. Ferrero and his team at Estudi{H}ac have designed several rooms for a cutting-edge hotel using solely new products donated by exhibitors.
Titled Tailor{H}otel, the space will host a full programme of lectures, workshops, presentations and demonstrations over the four days of the fair, centred on issues such as sustainability, the use of new materials, eco design, forest certification and technological innovation. It will also host a series of lectures every afternoon about contract projects and fitting out public facilities, with speakers including manufacturers, firms of architects and hotel chains, amongst others.
FIMMA + Maderalia 2022 takes place from Tuesday 29th March to Friday 1st April and will be open all day from 09.00 to 18.00. The fair is trade only and professionals can obtain tickets via the dedicated online platform or by invitation from exhibitors.
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