Fira de Barcelona plans to organise an edition of Construmat in the Chinese capital, Beijing, in 2012, thanks to an agreement reached with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, CCPIT. The event, called Construmat China, will focus on building materials based on quality and sustainability. 

This project is part of the Barcelona trade fair institution’s new strategy to boost international business by organising its own shows in other countries, mainly Asia and Latin America, channelling the participation of Fira exhibitors in foreign events and selling services, technology, management and advice to other organisers and exhibition centres.

The managing director of Fira de Barcelona, Agustín Cordón, highlighted the importance of the agreement reached with the Chinese organisation “which responds to the institution’s strategy to take a new step in its internationalisation policy and to promote the presence of Catalan and Spanish companies abroad, especially small and medium size enterprises”.

Construmat China (Quality and Sustainable Building Materials) will be organised jointly by Fira de Barcelona and the of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Building Material division (CCPIT-BM), which has wide experience in organising trade fairs in China and abroad. 200 local and international exhibitors (including Spanish) are expected to participate in the first show, which will be held annually. 

Fira de Barcelona’s International Business Director, Ricard Zapatero, explained “the Barcelona trade fair institution will be in charge of promoting the presence of international exhibitors and organising the activities and seminars around the event, focused, above all, on sustainable building”. The CCCPIT-BM will encourage the participation of Chinese exhibitors, visitors and associations and will handle logistics.

Visit by the Chinese delegation
Promotion of Construmat China will begin with the coming Construmat in the Gran Via exhibition centre, from the 16th to the 22nd of May. Fira will facilitate the participation of small and medium size enterprises, by offering a wide range of services, including management and personalised advice on the peculiarities of the Chinese market. 

Next week during Construmat, a delegation of CCCPIT-BM directors will visit the show and make contact with various representatives of the Organising Committee and with exhibitors.

Fira de Barcelona’s International Construction Show, holding its 37th edition this year, is one of the leading European events in the field and, with its commitment to sustainable architecture, innovation and renovation, it contributes actively to proposing viable alternatives to the sector’s crisis.

The Chinese economy is one of the most dynamic in the world: during the first quarter of 2011, it grew 9.7 %, which is well above the OCDE average (2.9%).  Today, China is one of the driving forces of the world economy and, therefore, a market to be explored by Spanish companies that can find business opportunities to compensate for week domestic demand.

The construction sector is, together with exports, one of the engines of China’s “economic miracle”. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, between January and March 2011, construction grew 26.7% and 4,280 million square metres are now being built on in China, adding residential buildings, offices and shops.

Barcelona, 11th May 2011