The first meeting of the organizing committee of the new integral water cycle trade show enjoys broad Spanish sectoral support
iWater Barcelona 2016 will combine international business with key strategies for the water sector
The main associations in the Spanish water sector have joined the organizing committee of the new trade show, iWater Barcelona, whose first meeting was held this week at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via exhibition centre. At the meeting, the cornerstones of next year’s event were presented. Scheduled for 15-17 November 2016, the trade show will combine business, investment, entrepreneurship, innovation and technology with strategic issues for the growth of the entire value chain of the water sector. The show will also provide spaces for networking and knowledge transfer and for increasing companies’ international outreach.
The organizing committee of iWater Barcelona – headed by the CEO of Agbar, Ángel Simón – represents around 20 Spanish associations, companies, institutions and other bodies. The market knowledge and experience that the different members of the committee have to offer will help to design a show that provides an international benchmark for the southern European market and effectively addresses the needs of the different stakeholders operating in the water industry.
In this respect, iWater Barcelona 2016 will feature the latest innovations and technologies – especially with regard to solutions for hydric stress – as well as showcasing the investment projects, trends and new business models in the sector. The exhibition area will feature solutions for the extraction, treatment, distribution, storage, recycling, reuse and irrigation, and the agricultural, industrial and domestic management and consumption of water, amongst other uses.
There will also be an Open Marketplace to encourage contacts and knowledge transfer between technology centres and companies and demonstrate the latest new products, and speakers’ corners within the trade show areas for presentations and conferences.
At the same time, iWater Barcelona 2016 will reflect the challenges and priorities of the water industry in a congress with a very practical approach, involving the top experts in this field and numerous networking activities. These different sessions will generate ideas, practical improvements and a strategic vision of the sector to tackle these future challenges, bearing in mind both the regulatory framework and sustainability requirements.
The objectives of the new trade show include internationalization, with the aim of helping Spanish companies to open up new foreign markets, especially in Latin America, the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. To do so, iWater Barcelona will facilitate visits by international buyers, delegations and agents from countries of interest on behalf of its exhibitors, taking advantage of the synergies generated by the fact that the Smart City Expo World Congress, the top international event for smart cities, is being held on the same dates and at the same venue.
The organizing committee of iWater Barcelona 2016, which is still open to any other entities interested in collaborating in the project, counts among its members the Spanish Association of Water Treatment and Control Companies (AquaEspaña) and its European counterpart, Aqua Europa; the Spanish Association of Water Supply and Sanitation Services (AEAS); the Spanish Association of Urban Water Service Management Companies (AGA); the Spanish Association of Water Technology Companies (ASAGUA); the Spanish Association of Liquid Handling Equipment Exporters (FLUIDEX); the Spanish Association of Engineering, Consultancy and Technology Services Companies (TECNIBERIA); the Iberian Association of Trenchless Technologies (IbSTT); the Spanish Water Technology Platform (PTEA); and the Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform (WssTP).
Other members of the committee include representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA), the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute (ICEX) and the Government of Catalonia, as well as companies such as Grupo Agbar, FCC Aqualia, Ebara and Fluidra, amongst others.
Barcelona, 20 November 2015