PISCINA, BARCELONA, SPAIN
ShowPreview OCT 2011 SPN
75
Barcelona’s biennial three day trade show will turn to a record number of new products and sustainability in new pool building to provide a better outlook for next year
arcelona’s three day Piscina exhibition – Europe’s largest trade show of the year – will set down a theme that new products and sustainability might provide at least some of the answers for the industry in 2012.
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A record number of new products, many of them geared to saving energy and reducing carbon footprints, will be on show at the Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via Exhibition Centre halls when the exhibition opens on 18 October. In the build up to the event, new market research shows that 64% of Spanish companies believe their turnover for the four months to September 2011 will be lower that for the same
A REAL EUROPEAN EVENT
A total of 270 companies will exhibit at Piscina in Barcelona, 19% more than the last event in the Spanish city two years ago. International exhibitors, which account for 65% of the total, come from 21 countries. The numbers of French and US exhibitors are both up by a third while figures for German and Italian firms are the same as two years ago. In terms of sectors, wellness is up 17% and water treatment is up 57%.
four months of 2010. The trend throughout Europe of 2011 being another tough year means that fewer pools have been built and pool builders are looking for a new message and new ideas from manufacturers.
Reducing costs and making improvements to energy efficiency will be the theme of many new products but the Barcelona show through its high quality seminar programme and famous focus on innovation will deal with proposals for what is still being seen as a crisis in European pool building. While wellness is still a growing consumer theme for increased opportunities and sales in hot tubs and wet leisure products, it is new pool building which will hit the spotlight in Barcelona much more than the big European show in Lyon last autumn.
Ten proposals for overcoming the crisis will be a repeated seminar which looks at the importance of new pool building materials which offer more guarantees of pool life to consumers. The lack of growth in new pools being built is still seen as a crucial factor for the industry despite growth in sectors of the market such as pool covers, heat pumps and filters. Architects say the public want greater sustainability for pools, longer term value and more eco friendly products and systems. Over 250 new products will be on show in Barcelona – an indication of the innovation still being released into the trade.
With 10 years behind it, the Spanish exhibition is an international benchmark and a forum for debate on all the issues facing Europe’s pool and spa industries. Barcelona seems to attract a bigger worldwide audience than Lyon as such is seen as a very influential few days.
The show is inviting entries for the Piscina BCN 2011 Awards which highlight the most innovative and sustainable products to reach the market next year.
The Piscina BCN 2011 Award for Innovation will be awarded to the system or service that has used an innovative approach in the construction process, use or maintenance of swimming pools, wellness centres or sports and recreational facilities. The Sustainability Award will be given to the product that guarantees efficient use of resources (water, energy, raw materials) and respects the environment throughout its lifecycle (manufacture, start-up, use, dismantling and recycling).
There is also an award for the best finished projects in three categories: residential swimming pools, wellness centres and sports and recreational facilities.
The show will have a dedicated exhibition area for state-of-the-art products that exhibitors want to draw particular attention to.
Three key areas have been given special focus over the three days:
By Alan Lewis
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