The first Spanish Trade Fairs Association was established 60 years ago and will be celebrated in Valencia on 14 May. The association, AFE, was initiated by the former president of the Valencia International Fair, Ramón Gordillo, so fitting that the celebration will take place in the same city.
AFE currently brings together 34 members, including the main trade fair organisers in Spain and prominent suppliers, driving a business that generates more than €13bn annually, €6.5bn in the national GDP, and more than 123,000 direct and indirect jobs
Feria Valencia will be the venue for the anniversary celebration of AFE, the main spokesperson for the sector before national and international authorities.
Institutional authorities are expected to participate in the event, as well as members of the AFE Board of Directors, including Xabier Basañez, president of the association. The presence of representatives from UFI – The Global Association of The Exhibition Industry, including executives Nick Dugdale-Moore and Adeline Vancauwelaert, as well as representatives from other national associations with which AFE maintains close relationships, has also been confirmed.
The anniversary celebration will also coincide with the opening of its biennial event FIMMA + Maderalia, which this year celebrates its 40th edition. Sr Basañez said: “I am very excited to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of our association this year and to celebrate this anniversary at Feria Valencia, at the facilities of the entity that took the initiative of its creation, and also, to do it on 14 May, the same day the founding act was signed in 1964. We want it to be an institutional but also festive event, a learning experience, and a relaxed gathering of the Spanish trade fair family.”
Ramón Gordillo was the second president of Feria Valencia and, from 1963 to 1965, also presided over the aforementioned UFI.
