El evento, abierto a todo el sector, permitió a los asistentes conocer interesantes datos para el desarrollo del negocio, además de disfrutar de una interesante jornada de networking empresarial entre los asistentes.
Public swimming pools in Spain total 121,070
Spain has a large number of public and communal swimming pools: a total of 121,070 facilities, built an average of 17 years ago, as revealed by the ‘Basic study on public and communal swimming pools in Spain' conducted by Market AAD and commissioned by the Piscina & Wellness Barcelona Show and the Spanish Association of Swimming Pool Sector Professionals (ASOFAP). The need for maintenance, refurbishment or comprehensive reforms is an interesting business opportunity for the sector.
According to the results of a study presented at the ASOFAP conference in Valencia in March, most of Spain's public and communal swimming pools are owned by residents' associations. These are followed by pools at hotels and sports centres, and the rest belong to rural holiday facilities, water parks, campsites and hydrotherapy centres. By autonomous community, those with the highest number of pools for public use are Andalusia followed by Catalonia and Valencia.
These types of swimming pool were built an average of 17 years ago, and most pools over 20 years old have not been refurbished and no renovation work is planned for them in the medium term. This opens up many possibilities for companies in the sector, as public swimming pools are the least seasonal and also require short-term and long-term renovation to update their equipment to adapt to the health regulations in Royal Decree 742/2013. Another important business outlet is the construction or refurbishment of swimming facilities at leisure or tourism centres to increase the value of the establishment.
‘The study shows that there is a large number of public and communal swimming pools in Spain and informs of the market conditions, their potential and the new business opportunities for the sector,' says Pedro Arrebola, the Chairman of ASOFAP.
The experts also state that the pools should include the latest technological advances such as the solutions provided by Internet of Things (IOT) systems for sustainable use of resources, protecting the environment, increasing profitability and improving user experience, whether they belong to sports centres or to residents' associations, hotels, water parks, campsites or wellness centres.
In the words of Ángel Celorrio, the Director of the Piscina & Wellness Barcelona Show, ‘knowledge of the sector is vital not only for innovation but also for correctly focusing the efforts and investments of all swimming pool and wellness professionals. Our exhibition is therefore concerned with reflecting the possibilities the market offers and providing the sector with useful tools for driving business.'
Dissemination activities and competitions
Preparation continues for the Piscina & Wellness Barcelona Show, organised by Fira de Barcelona in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Swimming Pool Sector Professionals (ASOFAP), to be held from 17 - 20 October 2017 at the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona. Exhibitors have already booked 90% of the space available and over 200 companies from 20 different countries have confirmed their attendance. The organisers expect more than 310 exhibitors to attend, 60% of them from outside Spain, occupying a net area of 14,000 sq.m, which is an 11% increase on last year's show.
The exhibition will cover the entire value chain for residential and public swimming pool products and will showcase the latest innovations in wellness installations, equipment and accessories, with a wide range of information activities, demonstrations and competitions.
It will also be host to the 3rd Waterpark Symposium and the ASOFAP training sessions for pool installers and professionals, and the prizes for the Piscina & Wellness Barcelona and Wellness Spa Experience competitions will be awarded in addition to those for the new international architecture competition for architecture students.
The show will also feature the Wellness Experience area, a wellness centre where visitors can try out the facilities, ask the experts questions and find out first hand about the latest design, equipment and technology trends and the services and treatments available.
