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must undergo restructuring, embrace interna-
tional market trends and harness new technolo-
gies in order to reinvent graphic products. With
a view to extending its offer and increasing its
synergies with the world of visual communica-
tion, for the first time ever Graphispag was held
concurrently with Sonimagfoto & Multimèdia.
The show attracted approximately 39,000 pro-
fessionals, 7% of them from abroad, mainly from
Portugal. Graphispag exceeded initial expecta-
tions and this edition contributed to reviving
trade contacts and business activity, thereby
infusing a spirit of optimism into graphic firms
at a key strategic decision-making time when it
comes to finding one’s place in the scenario that
will emerge from economic recovery and facing
the change of cycle imposed by advances in the
fields of digital contents and screens.
The congress and the twenty or so technical
seminars, oriented towards identifying
growth opportunities, were attended by over
3,500 people.
In order to commemorate its anniversary,
Graphispag exhibited 45 hitherto unpublished
posters by some of Spain’s best designers, and
paid tribute to the 16 exhibiting firms that par-
ticipated in the first edition, back in 1966.
Furthermore, the Marco de Oro prizes were
awarded for Serigraphy, Tampography and
Digital Printing, and the Líderpack prizes for
Packaging, Wrapping and Sales-Outlet
Advertising, both corresponding to the year
2010 and organised annually by Hispack
and Graphispack Associació.
+info
Infarma
Pharmaceutical and Parapharmacy
Specialities Show
01-03 MARCH
MONTJUÏC. 10TH EDITION
Surface area:
7.000 m
2
Exhibitors:
206
Nature:
professional
Activities:
European Pharmacy Office Congress
Organisers:
the Official Pharmaceutical Asso-
ciation of Barcelona and Interalia
In 2011, the benchmark rendezvous for profes-
sionals in the pharmacy industry exceeded all
expectations by attracting over 2,200 congress-
goers and 23,000 visitors, around 10%more
than the previous year.
Thanks to the presence of over 200 exhibitors,
Infarma presented the sector’s latest products,
such as new medicines and applications in
the fields of dermopharmacy, nutrition, phyto-
therapy, homeopathy, optics, orthopaedics
and healing material. Furthermore, new trends
were presented in commercialisation and
distribution, installation, decoration, medical
attire and assessment.
The show also featured a broad scientific pro-
gramme of conferences, workshops and round-
table debates as part of the European Pharmacy
Office Congress. The sessions, in which institu-
tions, firms and over 130 specialists from all over
Europe took part, served as a showcase for the
latest research and development projects for
new drugs and as a place to debate the sector’s
challenges in such varied fields as improving
pharmaceutical attention, the introduction of
electronic prescriptions, interprofessional col-
laboration and further training.
From its inception in 1993 until 2011, Infarma
was a two-yearly event held at Fira de Barcelona.
Henceforward it will be annual and will be
held alternately in Barcelona and Madrid. For
the event organisers, the new situation marks
a major step forward for the sector, since it
involves joining forces with the main official
associations in this discipline.
+info
ITMA
The International Textile Machinery Show
22-29 OCTOBER
GRAN VIA. 16TH EDITION (1ST IN BARCELONA)
Surface area:
200.000 m
2
Exhibitors:
1.350
Nature:
professional
Activities:
conferences, seminars, the World
Textile Summit
Organisers:
CEMATEX, in collaboration with the
Multisectorial Firms Association (Asociación
Multisectorial de Empresas - AMEC)
The world’s most important textile machinery
and technology show, instituted by the European
Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers
and held every four years in one of the countries
on the Old Continent, took place in Spain for the
first time since its inception in 1951.
The event’s 16th edition, which occupied practi-
cally the entire Gran Via precinct including the
new pavilions 5 and 7, broke all internationalisa-
tion records: 1,350 exhibiting firms took part
from 45 countries, including 90 from Spain, and
over 100,000 professionals from a total of 138
countries visited the Show.
Over 90% of these visitors came from abroad,
particularly from Italy, India, Germany, Turkey,
Brazil, France, Iran, Portugal and the UK, with a
prominent presence of potential buyers from the
main textile centres of Asia and Latin America,
as well as those of delegations from 27 countries
and from the United Nations Industrial Develop-
ment Organization (UNIDO). Spain provided
almost 9% of visitors.
Given the current world recession context, those
responsible for organising the event very positively
valued both the number and quality of visitors and
the level of contacts and business reached, as
well as determination of the part of the textile and
clothing industry to invest and innovate.
Indeed, at ITMA the latest developments and
trends were presented in the field of textile
machinery and technology. The edition was
characterised by the success of the fibres and
yarns sector, present at the Show for the first
time, and by growing concern for sustainability
and technological solutions respectful towards
the environment.
In this context, research and education were two
of the core themes of the event, enhanced by
the presentation at the Research and Education
Pavilion of projects developed by 47 universities
and institutes in 20 countries, at which prestig-
ious speakers delivered talks.
On the other hand, a comprehensive parallel pro-
gramme of high-level conferences and seminars
was developed under the generic title of Confer-
ences@ITMA, in which around 700 professionals
participated.
Outstanding here was the World Textile Summit,
the main speaker at which was former United
Nations secretary general Kofi Annan. Also
held were specific meetings on sustainability,
chemical applications and trends in the textile
industry, as well as encounters between young
entrepreneurs in the sector.
The economic impact of ITMA on the city of
Barcelona was calculated at around 800 mil-
lion euros. At the end of the event, which was
regarded as a success at all levels, the will
became manifest on the part of the Government
of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Hall and Fira
de Barcelona, among other institutions and
organisations, to make Barcelona the host for
the next edition.
+info
LowCost Motor
Secondhand Vehicles Opportunity Fair
4-13 JUNE
MONTJUÏC. 2ND EDITION
Surface area:
9,500 m
2
Exhibitors:
38
Nature:
public
Organiser:
Gremi de Venedors de Vehicles
a Motor de Barcelona -GVVM
Veritable bargains in fully guaranteed second-
hand cars at highly reasonable prices. The Gremi
de Venedors de Vehicles a Motor de Barcelona
- GVVM once again organised a Show with very
interesting offers just before the summer, the
season traditionally marked by increase in
bargain vehicle sales.
Despite the difficult economic juncture and
associated credit cutbacks, the results proved
to be satisfactory for the 38 exhibitors who took
part. In the space of ten days, they sold a total
of 230 vehicles (almost one quarter of the 1,000
on display) for an estimated value of 3.5 million
euros. Moreover, a total of 50 further opera-
tions were set in motion at the concessionaires’
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