It’s time to gear up for the maximum dose of design as Feria Hábitat Valencia is putting the final touches to its preparations for the upcoming edition of the fair, which takes place in September from 18-31, 2018, at Feria Valencia in Spain. One standout feature of the fair will be the significant presence of high-end Italian firms, which are staging a major comeback at the Hábitat showcase. Then, there are companies such as Cattelan, Target Point New, Corium, Franco Ferri, AmbiensVR, Officina Nove, F.Lli Rossetto, Fan Europe, Magniflex, Plust Collection, Ilpo, FIM, Novamobili, Nidi, and Tonin Casa –that are exhibiting at Hábitat for the first time. Whilst the international component on the exhibitor side is significant, the forecasts also predict that very high numbers of foreign buyers will be there too.
In fact, the fair has booked twice as many travel and accommodation packages than last year, with the result that almost 2,000 VIP buyers will be coming from 45 different markets. The move is a joint initiative between Feria Valencia, public bodies such as IVACE Internacional and ICEX and trade associations ANIEME and FEDAI. Hábitat will also, as part of the international buyer recruitment drive, be promoting an initiative specifically targeted at the contract sector that will involve identifying a large group of specifiers from Latin America who are working on major residential, hotel or shopping centre projects in Central America and the Caribbean, and inviting them to attend.
“Hábitat is on the way to being a first-class international showcase once again,” explains the event’s director, Daniel Marco. “There is no question that our showcase is attractive to international purchasing decision-makers. Spanish exports of furniture grew 2.8% in the first quarter of this year, and the figure for the Comunitat Valenciana rises to 10.5%. Hábitat is, therefore, a very positive platform for consolidating our products’ competitive edge abroad.” Another major highlight of the fair is The 2018 Salón Nude which will happen alongside the Habitat. It will be featuring a number of universities and schools of design, with these institutions increasingly choosing nude and Feria Hábitat Valencia as an outstanding platform for them to showcase the areas they specialise in, the research they undertake and the innovation they produce in their respective fields.
A jury of professionals has selected 11 designers and design consultancies from across the country to take part, along with I nine design schools and colleges, in what has become the main creative hothouse and showcase staged in Spain centred on the most innovative design in interiors. Between them, they will be presenting more than a hundred projects and creative ideas in an integrated event. Salón nude is not just a sales platform and product showcase. It also includes a substantial programme of lectures, workshops and talks centred on design and the new, cutting-edge trends
