Record attendance at Ferroforma

During this year’s Ferroforma, which was open for business in Bilbao from 23 to 26 September, the organisers counted 24 133 visitors, or 13 per cent more than attended the previous event in the year 2002. This means that the show succeeded in beating all previous records. It is the biggest of its kind in Spain, and the second biggest in Europe overall. The number of international visitors saw a 20.6 per cent increase to 1 595, with industry experts arriving in Bilbao from 73 different countries. The largest contingents came from Portugal, France, Italy, Germany and Britain.
The organisers put a figure of 1 363 on the number of exhibiting companies, which is yet another all-time record. There were 716 exhibitors (53 per cent) from abroad, amounting to 19 per cent more than in 2002. The majority of these came from Europe. The list was headed by Germany, Italy, France and the UK, though there was a good representation of companies from China, Taiwan and the USA.
Over 24 000 trade visitors came to Bilbao for the Ferroforma/Bricoforma event.
The Ferroforma and Bricoforma trade fair duo occupied a net exhibition space of 38 453 m², 76 per cent of which was taken up by the suppliers exhibiting at the hardware fair. On display here were hand and power tools, which represented the largest category at 29 per cent, followed by industrial products (25 per cent), and locks, fittings, forging /locksmithery and blacksmithery products and security systems (20 per cent). Then came building materials, fixings and fastenings, wood processing machinery, occupational safety and business equipment.
For the first time the suppliers of DIY products had a segment of their own within the newly created Bricoforma show. This is where around 300 companies displayed a broad selection of products covering housewares and hardware, garden items, interior decoration and building materials as well as plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, electrical goods, lighting and timber.
The suppliers of DIY products were grouped together within Bricoforma for the first time.
Visitors and exhibitors alike appreciated the amenities offered by the new exhibition site, which was inaugurated in the spring of this year and offers a gross area of approx. 120 000 m². A rapid transport link to the city centre, a special underground train station, 4 000 parking slots for cars, and air-conditioned exhibition halls without any internal pillars are just some of the advantages to be found at this venue.
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