With more than seven months to go before the fair opens its doors, Cevisama 2020 is already 85% full. Feria Valencia’s International Ceramic Tile, Bathroom Furnishings and Natural Stone trade fair is slated to run from 3^rd to 7^th February and the product ranges on show will again be making a quantitative as well as a qualitative leap forward.

The event will bring together the latest collections and developments in design and technology from the leading producers of ceramic tiles, frits, glazes and colours for ceramic manufacturing, ancillary industries, natural stone and tile manufacturing machinery.

Currently, the biggest section of the show, ceramic tiles, is nudging 91% full and given the growing interest and the volume of requests for information received from manufacturers, the organisers anticipate that the space allocated to this segment of industry will be completely sold out within a few weeks. The majority of bookings have come from leading Spanish manufacturers, although Cevisama continues be increasingly attractive to foreign – especially Italian – companies.

As for the Spanish frits, glazes and colours for ceramic tile manufacturing sector is concerned, which is a world leader in terms of R, D + I and a key part of the showcase, occupation currently stands at 85% of the expected level of bookings.

Bathroom furnishings manufacturers, which tend to be a little slower on the uptake, have booked more than 66% of the space available to them. This percentage is in line with the pattern of recent years.

Compared with the same dates in 2018 – a comparable year because the machinery sector features at Cevisama only every other year – the figures are much better in terms of both occupancy and exhibitor numbers. More specifically sales, which started in May just past, are 12% ahead of where they were in July two years ago.

Cevisama has once again forecast growth and all the indications are that the objectives for 2020 will be achieved. The international trade fair will as a result occupy a total of 11 halls at Feria Valencia. This time round, hall 7 will accommodate the offering of machinery for the manufacture of ceramic tiles. This sector will be showcasing the latest technology and innovations designed to enable manufacturers to create a point of difference for themselves and gain a competitive edge.

Committed to the contract sector

The other ten halls will house the rest of the sectors included at the fair. Hall 6, designated “Design Hall”, is set to be a major draw for visitors and, for the second year running, will be an unmissable attraction for architects and interior designers from all over the world. The hall was a huge success last year when it was first introduced and its return marks Cevisama’s commitment to promoting the contract channel and reflecting the ongoing developments in ceramic materials and their many applications in this area.

Hall 6 enjoys a unique location at the heart of the fair and will be given a special styling and its own entrance, by means of a special tile exhibit in hall 6B. Hall 6 will most definitely be the place to go to see trends, in a unique environment geared to interior designers, designers, architects and real estate developers.

Cevisama is also putting together a programme of high-level lectures that will be part of the Architecture and Design Forum, and another set of activities that will come under the Cevisama Lab umbrella, adding value to the show and creating a richer visitor experience.

For Cevisama director Carmen Álvarez, “the idea is that we continue to move forward in terms of the scope of the offering but also in terms of the quality of both the products on show and all the activities that complement the fair, because at the end of the day what we want is to add value for all our customers.”

Cevisama’s president, Manuel Rubert has, for his part, highlighted the “excellent” sales figures and the fair’s sustained improvement over the last five years, saying that “We will continue to add attractive features to Cevisama so that both retailers and specifiers consider it essential to visit.” The president repeated that “this year we are going to invest more effort than ever in promoting the fair so that the number and quality of visitors continue to rise.” It is should be remembered that more than 91,000 professionals visited last year, more than 20,000 of whom were from outside Spain.