Valencia - Feria Valencia has launched an international promotion initiative to further strengthen the positioning of Cevisama, Feria Hábitat Valencia and Fimma – Maderalia as export-led business platforms. From 11th to 14th February next year the three fairs will bring buyers together from around 140 countries, the aim being to increase the presence of international visitors from a number of countries considered to be central to the export strategies of the sectors represented at each of the events.

In line with this and as part of the positioning strategy for ‘Nos vemos en Valencia’ (‘See You in Valencia’} – the joint name for the thee fairs plus a number of parallel events – 58 markets have been identified as of strategic importance for the various sectors, which include ceramic tiles, coverings, furniture, wood, lighting, home textiles, kitchens, bathrooms, decorating and machinery.

What is notable is the focus on emerging markets that offer great prospects such as sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America, which are being added to mature markets where ‘made in Spain’ products are already well established – the European Union, the United States, Eastern Europe and the Middle East for instance.

The objective for next February is to bring together the greatest possible number of buyers and other professionals from the leading markets in the fields of architecture, interior design and design.

African market increasingly significant

The continent of Africa is one of the Spanish ceramic tile, wood, machinery and interiors industries’ main targets, especially in the fields of construction and interior design projects. The Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa have accordingly been designated as key to Feria Valencia’s strategy for further developing the international profile of these three fairs.

Initiatives are currently being rolled out across the north of the continent to recruit buyers from countries including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Also, special attention is being paid to sub-Saharan Africa, where a programme is been implemented to foster contact with professionals in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mauritania, Niger, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Uganda, Angola, Ghana, Gabon, the Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

Buyers in these markets showed themselves to be very interested in ‘Made in Spain’ products at the last Cevisama and have expressed their intention to visit again and extend their portfolios of Spanish suppliers.

Emerging and mature markets

As for the markets of South America the fairs’ organisers are exploiting the connections that have been made in recent years with Latin American specifiers to encourage professionals to also visit from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia.

These are particularly important marketplaces, especially as regards the high end contract and hotel facilities sectors. The same is true of the Middle East, where ‘made in Spain’ ceramic tiles and interiors are gaining significant ground. Arrangements have already been made for specifiers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to visit .

Buyers from Asia and the Far East have already confirmed that they will be visiting Valencia next February. Specifically, markets such as India, China, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam have expressed considerable interest in the commercial offering that comprises ‘Nos Vemos en Valencia’.

Lastly, the activity to promote ‘Nos Vemos en Valencia’ and recruit visitors in markets that are mature but account for a high percentage of Spanish exports – the United States, the European Union and Eastern Europe – is also being given a boost. In the case of the latter two, a number of marketing and recruitment initiatives are being targeted at professionals in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Portugal, Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg, Ireland, Poland and Croatia.

Interiors macro-sector turns in best six months performance in exports since crisis began.

All of these initiatives reflect the focus on exports that is currently driving the interiors macro-sector in Spain. In fact, as the latest figures from ICEX demonstrate, the first six months of 2013 saw the best performance of the past five years on the export front, with sales totalling 5,502.9 million euros. This figure is a measurement of the joint results of the sectors represented at the Valencia exhibitions: furniture, home textiles, lighting, decorative accessories, ceramic floor and wall tiles, stone, bathrooms and equipment for communal facilities.

According to these figures exports have returned to pre-crisis levels and reveal the ten leading markets to be France, Germany, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia, Morocco and China. The interiors macro-sector currently stands in eighth position in the ranking of Spain’s strongest export sectors.

A distinctly international meeting point for the market

The international promotion plan that Feria Valencia has set in motion under the banner of ‘Nos Vemos en Valencia’ (‘See you in Valencia’) further consolidates the role the fairs that comprise the event play as global business platforms. The last Cevisama saw a record number of international visitors come through its doors, with more than 12,000 foreign professionals making up 20% of the total number registered. Feria Hábitat Valencia and Fimma – Maderalia each drew more than 2,000 international buyers to visit their respective shows.