Fair ReleasesFEICON BATIMAT and EXPOLUX 2008 exceed R$ 400 million in business

Events received more than 160,000 people who were able to learn about the more than 2,000 novelties presented by the 680 exhibitors.

São Paulo, April, 2008- held between April 8 and 12, in the Anhembi Exhibition Pavilion, in São Paulo, the International Construction and Lighting Week, that forms part of FEICON BATIMAT (16th International Construction Industry Trade Fair) and EXPOLUX (11th International Lighting Industry Trade Fair), met the organization's expectations. "We received more than 160,000 visitors from all over Brazil and from abroad, split between professionals from the sector and people who are building or refurbishing. We had an increase of 40% in the number of architects and building constructors. There's no doubt that our exhibitors closed some good business deals and made a first contact with new customers. We did more than the R$ 400 million in business that we'd expected would come from the five days of the Fair", comments Jair Saponari, Director of Events. "We also had the international pavilions, with companies from Germany, Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, the United States, France, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Paraguay, Poland, Switzerland, Taiwan and Uruguay", he adds.

Organized and promoted by Reed Exhibitions Alcantara Machado (the result of a joint venture between the largest trade fair organizer in the world and the largest in Latin America), the Week occupied an exhibition area of 80,000 m2 and presented more than 2,000 product launches to the construction and lighting market. Various professional improvement events were held and technical applications were demonstrated to the public.

Sustainability was one of the main concerns presented by the exhibitors. The Plaster House, or the Bachelor's House, built from an ecologically correct concept, sums up the issue. The construction, made of water-proofed plaster, galvanized steel, fibre glass, thermal-acoustic windows and tiles of cellulose fibre, generates no construction debris and no building material is left over. It uses just 10% of the cement and 1% of the water of a conventional structure. The house also has the advantage of collecting rain-water and directing it to the garden.
 

Standing out in the eco-environmental area were the porcelain floor tiles manufactured using 70% recycled material, tiles made from expanded polystyrene and bituminous vegetable fibre, collective and individual solar heating systems, residential sewage treatment, projects for reducing CO2 emissions caused during the production of cement, water-based paints, more efficient lamps that use less energy, intelligent taps that avoid wasting water, galvanised steel structures for roofs, a grease trap that does not allow kitchen oil and derivatives to contaminate the water, an ecological toilet with its own sewage treatment and water reuse system and training for construction professionals in the conscientious use of materials. Some exhibitors launched products using raw materials of animal and vegetable origin, such as drawer pulls made from coconut husks or cattle horns and bones.

Innovative design was the mark of some of the products, like taps, baths and showers, which differentiated themselves as decorative pieces for the home. The functionality of the acoustic windows, aluminium frames, dry-walls and wireless residential automation systems demonstrated the practicality and comfort there is in civil construction today.

Basic products for construction and finishes were also to be found at this, the largest show in the sector in Latin America. Swimming pools ad accessories, kitchen sinks and wash-basins for toilets, lavatories, fencing products, electricity wires and cables, pipes and connections, doors, sealants and water-proofing products, new colours and textures in paints and varnishes, floors and cladding products, door bells, light switches, locks and hinges and countless other pieces of equipment, services and solutions.

The highlights in the lighting area were the lights, table lamps and wall lights made from crystal, vegetable fibre, brushed steel, chrome and wood in large sizes or imitating nature's shapes, like bushes, leaves and flowers, all the major trends in decoration this year. Power saving was represented by LED lamps, which in addition to consuming less energy, do not generate heat, and by fibre optics that make it possible to light various beams of light with just one lamp, thus reducing waste. The LED traffic light was an alternative for the public sector. Some products presented solutions for public and residential security, for the treatment of spots, wrinkles, skin elasticity and stress reduction and even for aromatizing and purifying environments.