Spain’s IFEMA Gets Ready for its First Acid Test
Caribbean News Digital Newsroom
IFEMA, the first operator in Spain and one of the most important in Europe within the international circuit of the fair and congress industry, informed this Tuesday that it will carry out antigen tests to those attending fairs and events within the venue, and that attendees will not be able to register if they have not taken the test 72 hours prior to their arrival, IFEMA executives announced at a press conference.
According to José Vicente de los Mozos, president of IFEMA, and Eduardo López-Puertas, general director of the fairgrounds, the "mandatory nature" of this measure responds to the health protocol that the institution has implemented to guarantee a safe environment in its return to on-site activity next Monday, March 22, when Hospitality Innovation Planet (HIP) will be inaugurated.
This professional fair, dedicated to innovation in the hospitality industry, will be the first event among some 60 fairs that IFEMA plans to organize this year in hybrid format, to which another 16 will be added in virtual mode only.
The organizers of HIP, scheduled for March 22, 23 and 24, expect 3,500 people to attend. Subsequently, between April 8 and 11, MBFW Madrid will take place.
IFEMA's president, José Vicente de los Mozos, commented to the press that this is a start in the midst of a very uncertain context, with a complicated road ahead at a time when Madrid and all of Spain need to reactivate their economies.
Even so, FITUR, to be held May 19-23, will be the high point that will test IFEMA's ability to host a major trade fair in a safe healthcare environment.
"Fitur is a great test for Madrid's economy and we have to pull it off together," said Mr. José Vicente de los Mozos.
FITUR 2021 expects to welcome some 70,000 industry professionals, approximately 50 percent of those who attended in January 2020 before the pandemic of the new coronavirus put the entire MICE segment in check.
For his part, Eduardo López-Puertas, general director of IFEMA, explained that in addition to the antigen test, the temperature of all attendees will be taken and the entrance to the venue will be digitally controlled with the intention of maintaining the necessary capacity within the current health requirements.
He also explained that the ventilation system of the fairgrounds allows the air to be renewed five times a day, simulating an outdoor environment. The use of face masks will also be mandatory.
It also emerged at the press conference that IFEMA has invested nearly 10 million euros in the technological renovation of the venue, which has allowed it to install a more powerful Wi-Fi connection and to better prepare for hybrid events, where a powerful, high-performance digital component is essential.
