The 56th edition of Hábitat’s ‘made in Spain’ interiors industry event will no longer take place this September. However, Feria Valencia will be hosting a new event, Ágora Encuentros Hábitat VLC, this coming November.
Ágora Encuentros Hábitat VLC will be more limited in size than the usual fair, and will fill the gap this year until Feria Hábitat Valencia returns in September 2021 as a fully-fledged fair.
The decision was taken in response to repeated requests from both exhibitors and the furniture and lighting sectors in general. Companies have expressed concern over the complex situation the industry is currently facing following months of lockdown and closed factories and shops, as well as how little time would have been available to prepare for a fair the size of Hábitat.
“The trade has opted for the return of a stronger Hábitat in 2021 that will offer both exhibitors and visitors greater assurances of doing business. This is in line with what is has happened with the industry’s other big trade fairs in Europe, which have postponed until next year,” says director, Daniel Marco.
Many exhibitors —particularly those that operate in the designer and cutting-edge segments of the market —have signalled to the Hábitat team that there is a need to have an event in 2020 where they can present the new products they had intended showing at fairs.
Feria Valencia responded to this demand by creating a new sales and exhibition platform: Ágora Encuentros Hábitat VLC. Although the event has been devised within the framework of Feria Hábitat Valencia it will be a one-off, running this year only and with a specific format tailored to what the industry has demanded and to the current post-Covid-19 environment.
Ágora Encuentros Hábitat VLC will offer companies and brands wanting to present their latest products ahead of the 2021 season a simple, dynamic, user-friendly format for taking part.
“As an event, it will be designed to facilitate B2B meetings between exhibitors and buyers and, in consonance with the new reality of the trade fair, events and congress industry, will be highly digitalized,” says Marco.
The show has the support of institutions such as the Generalitat Valencia (Valencia Regional Government), IVACE Internacional and ICEX along with bodies such as Anieme and designers’, interior designers’ and architects’ trade associations. The city’s designation as València 2022 World Design Capital will also provide a substantial boost to the initiative.
The Feria Hábitat Valencia team is also working on putting together and launching the new event, “which will help drive the industry forward and will also be the launchpad for the great fair that Feria Hábitat València 2021 is sure to be”, according to Marco.