Quality and innovation characterise the products on show at the Madrid International Furniture Exhibition

This edition presented an extensive selection of furniture lines, new materials and new features in all styles, backed by an integral presentation approach aimed at boosting sales and promoting new trends within the field of decoration.

Having welcomed some 49,697 trade visitors, the twenty-fourth MADRID INTERNATIONAL FURNITURE EXHIBITION finally closed its doors. This edition was characterised by the innovative and high-quality nature of the products that were brought together through the auspices of some 712 direct participants and represented companies, within a net exhibition area measuring some 60,412 square metres.

This edition of the fair, which took place between 11th and 16th April in the halls at FERIA DE MADRID, also stood out for the capacity of its exhibiting companies to present an extensive range of furniture lines and designer creations, new materials and new features in all styles, backed by an integral presentation approach specially designed to boost sales and promote new trends within the field of decoration
 
With regard to the fair's impact abroad, we might highlight the significant figures relating to foreign supply and demand at this edition. In this respect, the fair brought together the products and services of some 216 companies from 28 countries, as well as recording the attendance of 2,579 foreign buyers.

The most significant visitor figures in this sense corresponded to the European sphere, especially Portugal, which accounted for 39.8% of foreign attendance, not to mention France, Italy and the United Kingdom. We might also mention the large groups of buyers that attended the exhibition from the Republic of Korea, the United States and the Latin American countries as a whole. The attendance of professionals from abroad was once again boosted by a wide-ranging Foreign Guest Programme, organised by IFEMA in collaboration with the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Madrid. 

With regard to the break-down of Spanish visitors according to region of origin, we can observe the fair's considerable geographical scope. Proof of this is provided by the fact that some 57.07% of the professionals recorded at the fair attended the event from outside Madrid, the majority of them travelling to Madrid from Andalusia (12%), Castile-La Mancha (7.08%); Castile – León (6.88%); Valencia Community (6.16%); Galicia (3.82%), and Catalonia (3.45%).
 

Awards for Creativity and Quality

Staged to coincide with the trade exhibition, on the morning of Friday 13th April, the Madrid International Furniture Exhibition, in collaboration with the Official College of Decorators / Interior Designers of Madrid (COD/DIM), presented the Sixth Design Awards, a form of recognition designed to highlight the creativity and high quality of the products presented by the winning candidates, effectively distinguishing the three best ideas from among all the new features exhibited at this edition of the fair.

A Jury, consisting of the Governing Board of the Official College of Decorators / Interior Designers of Madrid, was entrusted with selecting the winning products over the first two days of the fair.  These awards, which enjoy equal status, went to the following companies and products: the mixed mass-produced wardrobe from GES, designed by the company's own team; the Garden Series from JOENFA, S.L. SKYLINE DESIGN, designed by Leonard Yos; and the bookshelf known as "Onix Rojo" from MAS, which was also designed by the company's own team.

Forits part, AFAMID, the Association of Furniture and Related Product Manufacturers of the Madrid Region, presented its Ninth Parque de Madrid Awards, which, as on previous occasions, highlighted the creative contributions made by the exhibiting companies at the fair within the categories of Innovation, Best Collection and   Communication.

In the Innovation Category, the award went to the Spanish-made items (tables, wardrobes and cabinets) presented by the company, Swala Line from Madrid; in the Best Collection Category, the award went to the Bookcase known as "Selección" from the company Muebles Sánchez Vázquez; the Communication Category Award this year went to the initiative known as "Vivir con Madera" ("Living with Wood"), headed by the Confederation of Wood Businesses, CONFEMADERA.

A Plural Exhibition Aimed at Promoting the Creation of a Unique and Personal Style

The diverse range of furniture styles and new features presented at this edition enabled professionals to gain an in-depth insight into key aspects of contemporary decoration. All of the exhibiting companies at the fair sought to bring together the latest new ideas in design, comfort and functional appeal at a single forum, this being a tried-and-tested means of providing the trade and the general public with a repertoire of ideas that encourages them to create their own style.

 
Nature emerged as a source of inspiration for many of the ideas presented at the exhibition, both among the traditional product lines, which were re-worked and defined by a series of strong contrasts, as well as among the more contemporary lines, not to mention the rural furniture exhibits. Furniture with historical roots, urban-style trends, vintage details and a fusion of cultures and influences played a prominent role in an entire range of suggestions and new ideas aimed at introducing a new concept of interior and exterior decoration that is becoming increasingly personal, eclectic and imaginative.