28/06/2022 - The highly anticipated 2022 edition of Portugal Home Week has just ended, an international event organized by the Portuguese Association of Furniture and Related Industries (APIMA) with the institutional support of AICEP Portugal Global.
On 21 and 22 June, the main international decision-makers of the Portuguese Home Row had the opportunity to know the best Portuguese solutions for home and hospitality and attend a series of lectures and debates with the participation of speakers such as Ingrid Abramovitch, Executive Director of ELLE Decor New York, Jodie Ellis, COO of StyleRow, Jose Martos, CEO of Saint-Gobain Portugal, Mario Ortega, Executive Director of BIMobject, Pete Kercher, Ambassador of EIDD - Design for All Europe or the Architect Nuno Lacerda, as well as designers Rastislav Ceresna, Toni Grilo, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrence, Nicholai Wiig-Hansen and Gabriel Tan, among many others.
João Neves, Secretary of State for the Economy, participated in the Opening Session, where he highlighted the transformation occurred in the sector in the last decade, stating that "It is an essential transformation in a sector that was often considered traditional, but which was able to reinvent itself, based on the quality of its products, the incorporation of knowledge in them, and a refined design, and which saw its efforts rewarded by the most sophisticated markets".
The Secretary of State for the Economy also addressed the increase in the perceived value of the cluster industries' production, achieved through the proximity of Portugal Home Week to the heart of the industry, recalling that the visit to the fair "is not only to this event, but also to the direct knowledge that the industrial facilities can provide, to understand that not only are products made with a good presentation, but also with the industrial conditions that reflect that same appropriation of skills and knowledge."
Unlike the usual participation in events organised in other countries, Portugal Home Week brought international professionals, prescribers, and journalists directly into the sphere of influence of the Portuguese companies.
According to Joaquim Carneiro, President of APIMA, "We are immensely proud to hold an event of this impact and dimension in Portugal. We understand, from the number of visitors and their enthusiasm, that MADE IN PORTUGAL deserves more and more recognition and demand at an international level, motivating buyers and prescribers from dozens of markets, from the most traditional to the emerging ones, to come to this trade fair."
The event was attended by visitors from countries such as the USA, Canada, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Nordic Countries, among many others, who were in direct contact with the Portuguese companies.
João Dias, Board Member of AICEP, believes that "Two years after the first edition (in 2019), Portugal Home Week is back, discussing the trends and challenges facing the sector, but, above all, showing international customers the quality and excellence of what is created and produced in the Home Sector in Portugal. Our companies are managing to combine talent, design, architecture and art with R&D, technology, and innovation in a remarkable way. We have some of the best companies in the world in this sector."
The Portuguese Production
Several Portuguese companies promoted the best Portuguese furniture, home textiles and domestic utilities (ceramics, cutlery, metal tableware, small domestic appliances and glass and crystal) at the Home Show.
Among them, AMR, AM Living, ACL, Salma, Sofalca, More Contract, Magyk, Colunex, Ducampos, Luís Silva, Fenabel, Wewood, Riluc, Pacheco's, Damaceno, Classiribalta, Epoca, MAB, Insidherland, Dom Kapa, Paulo Antunes, Oia Design, Las Kasas, Frato, Cobermaster, Woodtale, AMS, A. Brito, Sofá Design, Duistt, S. Bernardo, Mooza, SERIP, Colmol, Aldeco, Glammfire, Suffa, Freixotel, Emotional Brands, Casa Magna, Belo Inox, Pombo, Serop, Spal, HMD, Flam&Luce, Azemad and Gansk.
Debating to Grow
In addition to showcasing the best of Portuguese production to the world, Portugal Home Week also generated synergies and new knowledge, capable of influencing the future of the industries of the Portuguese Home Row.
The Home Summit discussion forum had 16 lectures and the participation of 58 speakers.
In the panel "Internationalization - North America," for example, it was possible to understand the real needs, current trends, and emerging sub-markets in the USA, through the interventions of Ingrid Abramovitch and Jodie Ellis, and the difficulties of penetration in this same market perceived by Portuguese companies, represented by Miguel Paiva, Designer of Serip, and Isabel Cristina Torres, CEO of Mambo Factory, such as product certification.
Along with internationalization, sustainability was one of the strong themes of the Home Summit.
In the panel "Sustainable Construction," Jose Martos, CEO of Saint-Gobain Portugal, spoke about the pressing importance of the decarbonisation of the construction industry and the adoption of sustainable construction practices, such as lightweight construction or reducing energy consumption by improving the energy efficiency of homes.
The CEO of Saint-Gobain Portugal highlighted the current energy crisis as a clear example of the pressing need to implement these changes, a view shared by Mario Ortega, Executive Director of BIMobject, who pointed out the pressure that exists in the construction sector to respond to the population growth, and the urgency to build differently, using digitalisation as a factor of efficiency and sustainability.
The second edition of Portugal Home Week marks the return of the event after a two-year break caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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