Exhibitor growth at Valencia

Eurobrico, held in the Spanish city of Valencia, saw 202 exhibitors present their products and services from 2 to 5 April. That amounts to 61 per cent more than at the premiere just a year ago. They occupied a gross show space of 25 000 m² in two halls, compared with 10 000 m² last year. The net exhibition area amounted to 9 100 m². On view at the fair was a great choice of furniture, in addition to floor coverings, bathroom fittings and furniture, electrical/lighting and window decoration, plus paint, garden products, hardware and, for the first time, power tools.
This year saw power tool manufacturers represented for the first time.
The organisers recorded around 5 000 visitors from the trade. Six per cent of the visitors came from outside Spain, and one third of these were from Portugal. This second event was no longer held in tandem with Delcolor, as was the case at the premiere; the day for the public was also dropped, and the fair closed one day earlier than last year.
Fair director Daniel Marco particularly stressed the quality of the trade visitors who attended. What is more, the exhibitors expressed their satisfaction with the outcome of the fair, indicating that business had been good.
Six per cent of the trade visitors were from abroad. The Portuguese were represented in the greatest number at 33 per cent of the foreign total, followed by 18 per cent of visitors from France, 15 per cent from Italy and nine per cent from Belgium. Other visitors arrived in Valencia from Germany, Brazil, the USA, Britain, Morocco, Bulgaria, Ivory Coast, Panama, Puerto Rico and Uruguay as well.
The exhibitors were well satisfied with the quality of the trade visitors.
The key to Eurobrico’s success, according to Marco, is to be found in the way it strengthens links between suppliers and the distributive trade. This year various symposiums offered suppliers and traders the opportunity to exchange opinions about standards in the industry and its future. Marco is convinced that, “These events help trade participants to identify future potential areas of demand so that they can better respond to their customers’ requirements.”
Within the framework of one of these symposiums Gilles Caille, president of Fediyma, the European manufacturers’ umbrella organisation, gave a presentation on the development of the DIY market in Europe and its effects on Spain. In the course of this he noted the need for Spanish producers to get together in a DIY association of their own.
Fediyma…