Habitat Fair opens

Joan Collins THE 14th edition of the construction fair ”Habitat” opens today in the Fairs and Congress centre in Palma near the GESA building. The fair will have 113 exhibitors, some 11.5 percent more than in the last edition of this event. The fair shows the new products and trends of this important sector of the Balearic economy. According to the director general of the Fairs and Congress centre, Joan Bibiloni, the increase of stands in the Fair, which will remain open until Sunday, has been mainly caused by segments such as the refurbishment of buildings, energy saving, environmental control and, more specifically bioconstruction. Bibiloni highlighted that some companies which were not offering refurbishment as one of their products last year, were now offering it. He said that this showed the increase in the demand for this service which, it appears, is caused in part by the increase in tourist activity, together with the reforms to the old part of Palma and other localities. The Habitat Fair is dominated by companies dedicated to the supply of construction materials, as builders are the “public” at which the Fair is aimed. The Fair is also visited by professionals from related subsectors, as well as estate agents and the general public. The entry price is five euros per person. Of the 113 exhibitors who are participating in the 14th edition of Habitat, 83 are from related subsectors, together representing 196 companies, and will occupy a total of 2'600 square metres of the Fair centre. Of the total, 96 stands will be occupied by Balearic companies, while another 15 will be occupied by companies from various places in Spain and there will also be one from Germany and one from Portugal. By sectors, companies selling construction materials are the most numerous, with 47 exhibitors, followed by installations with 32, technical equipment with 30, services with 17 and, finally 11 stands for public works, civil works and building.