Piscina & Wellness Barcelona, leading fair in Spain and one of the most important in the world in its field, is preparing for its 14th edition by renewing its commitment to innovation, digitalisation, internationalisation and sustainability. 

The fair, which has already assigned 80% of its planned space, will promote the therapeutic use of water in the fields of wellness, health, leisure and sport and its connection with the tourism industry, as well as sectoral knowledge and networking among the national and international market operators.

Organised by Fira de Barcelona in collaboration with ASOFAP (Spanish Association of Pool Sector Professionals), the fair will take place from 15 to 18 October 2019 at the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona and will be held in pavilions 1 and 2 of the Gran Via venue, where it will present the entire value chain of residential and public pools, as well as installations, equipment and accessories related to wellness and spas.

stands exhibition pool wellness piscina barcelona

Several of the leading companies in the sector such as Fluidra, Espa, Pentair, Zodiac, Renolit, QP Group, Kripsol, Rosa Gres, Hayward, Abrisud and Inbeca have already confirmed their presence at Piscina & Wellness Barcelona 2019, whose recruitment rate is 34% higher than the previous edition on the same dates. In keeping with this trend, the organisation expects to exceed the figures of the 2017 edition which received 368 companies, 60% of them coming from abroad from 30 countries and 13,300 professional visitors, mostly installers, builders, engineers and architects, 45% of them coming from over a hundred countries.

Health and wellness, a growing market

In addition to the business opportunities offered by the rehabilitation and maintenance of existing pools, as well as the construction of new pool shells, it is worth mentioning another line of growth for this industry based on equipment, products and services especially designed for tourist establishments, health and wellness centres, and leisure and sports facilities, which will once again be the focus of an important part of the global offer of the fair, especially featuring in wellness and spas and in recreational aquatic installations.

wellness spa massage wellness experience barcelona

In this respect, in order to view the latest developments in this area, the fair will again welcome the Wellness Experience, the recreation of a wellness centre in which visitors will be able to try out its functionalities, ask questions to experts and learn about the latest trends in design, equipment and technology, as well as services and treatments to offer. This showroom will incorporate different lounges -reception, waiting room, changing rooms, bathrooms, treatment booths, fitness room, water area, etc.-, equipped with products provided by several exhibiting companies.

sauna salt room wellness experience barcelona

The design of this space will address the dimension, atmosphere, materials and flooring used, the solutions installed and the "menu" of services to recreate a professional sustainable installation on a technological and energetic, as well as self-manageable and economically viable level.

Facing the digital challenge

In addition, Piscina & Wellness Barcelona represents an important platform of sectoral knowledge through its technical workshops and activities, which show the real application of the products. Therefore, the fair will open the Innovation Zone, an area that will bring together a selection of the best innovations presented by exhibitors, with the latest technological applications in the fields of residential, public and wellness swimming pools, especially those related to the Internet of Things and the automation of maintenance and control of aquatic installations. In this respect, digitalisation will be one of the main themes of this edition, both in the presentation of applications and solutions and in the transformation of the business model of companies in the industry.

visitor innovation novelties products exhibition barcelona

The latest developments will reflect the growing attention that the industry is dedicating to aspects that contribute to improving both the user experience and the operations and maintenance costs of the installation. The aim is to apply the latest solutions to achieve a smarter, more sustainable, connected and healthy swimming pool.

Piscina & Wellness Barcelona Awards

The fair will also welcome a new edition of the Piscina & Wellness Barcelona Awards, which recognise the investment in R&D+i of the companies in the industry who see innovation as a strategic tool in obtaining sustainable products and gaining market share. The awards will be given in the categories of best residential swimming pool, swimming pool renovation, wellness pool and public swimming pool and also the most innovative product. In addition, the fair will give a Wellness Experience Award to best spa, spa resort, thalassotherapy centre and thermal spa or wellness spa. In addition, the fair is organising the International Architecture Students Competition for aquatic installations projects. The final decision and award ceremony will take place during the fair.

An international industry

With more than 1.18 million units, Spain is the second country in Europe and fourth in the world with the highest number of swimming pools. This figure makes Spain a market which offers business opportunities for renovation, maintenance and equipment, which attracts professionals from the swimming pool industry from all continents. In addition, it has a specialised industry that is among the most solid and advanced in the world regarding innovation and know how.

According to the main conclusions of the 2018 Sectoral Barometer carried out by ASOFAP and which was presented at the second Piscina & Wellness Forum in Madrid in October, the swimming pool industry confirms that it is in good health, increasing its turnover by 5.45% in 2018, double that of the Spanish economy (2.5%).

Manufacturers and distributors are leading this growth, ahead of builders, installers and maintenance companies. Another development revealed by the 2018 barometer is that the construction of new pool shells now holds first position among the three most profitable lines of business, ahead of pool maintenance and upgrading as the main sources of revenue. It also confirms that the industry's international nature is increasing, as a result of manufacturers and distributors who have greater export capabilities.

In this context, and to strengthen the strategy of an industry dedicated to exporting and business exchanges on a global level, throughout its history the fair has promoted not only the attendance of leading manufacturer and distributor brands, but also that of buyers, suppliers and industry leaders coming from more than 120 countries, turning the fair into the most international event in the world in its field.

(Press release)