Valencia furniture market plans to expand 40% by 2004
By Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, October 7, 2001
Valencia, Spain — Valencia's furniture fair plans to expand its space by 40% by 2004, taking it to 1.5 million square feet.
"It is a necessity to be big and strong," said Enrique Perez Tortosa, new president of Fiera Internacional del Mueble Valencia, or FIM.
In 2004, FIM plans to exhibit in nine of the 11 pavilions that will be open then. While the show will cover 1.5 million square feet, the pavilions overall will have a capacity of 2.96 million square feet, Perez said.
He said that this year's show attracted some 75,000 visitors.
He added that the United States is a priority for many Spanish companies "and we will have an expanded promotional activity for America." Exports to the United States in 2000 were up 11% from 1999, making it Spain's fifth-largest foreign customer, he said.
He acknowledged that furniture shows in High Point, Cologne, Germany, and Milan, Italy, were larger than Valencia, but noted the differences between those exhibitions and Valencia. He said Milan is primarily focused on design, Cologne is more mainstream and High Point has so many other products besides furniture, while Valencia is primarily a furniture exhibition at all price points and design directions with some accessories and lighting.
With expansion in the offing, last month's FIM show here introduced important changes in layout, presentation and services, Perez said.
One key change was the creation of sectors for various design or product types. This year, the sectors were Classic/High Decoration, Modern, Avant-garde/Design, Rustic/Garden, Upholstered and Deco-Cevider, a new sector representing an important expansion of the glass, ceramic and lighting segment of the show.
A crucial focus of the expansion, he said, is to make visitors comfortable. This goal embraces everything from expanded parking facilities to internal services including hotel availability, ease of transportation both public and private, and an expansive network of people within the fair to direct visitors in a number of languages.
"The infrastructure of the fair is very important," Perez said. "The city is cooperating with the fair. It is a common effort."
In addition to the fair itself, FIM sees the museums and galleries of Valencia as an important plus for visitors, Perez said.
The Spanish furniture industry's export efforts are under the aegis of the Spanish National Assn. of Furniture Manufacturers and Exporters, known as ANIME, representing 11,000 companies that employ 170,000 people.
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