Knowledge, business and networking are the focus of the 3rd Piscina & Wellness Forum

ASOFAP, the Spanish swimming pool sector association, and Fira de Barcelona are calling the third Piscina & Wellness Forum, which will be held in digital format from 3rd to 6th November to analyse the latest trends and future challenges in the sector with a programme that includes talks and personalised interviews with experts, as well as various conferences that will offer a new vision of innovation and sustainability and an analysis of the impact of the new health context on the sector. With the virtual celebration, the Piscina & Wellness Forum will allow for the participation of professionals not only in Spain, but also other in European and Latin American countries.

Between 3rd and 6th November, the 3rd Piscina & Wellness Forum will offer plenary sessions, conferences, round table discussions with the participation of experts and professionals from the sector, as well as presentations by sponsor companies. During the different days, high value content will be offered per sector, focusing on innovation, sustainability and new health challenges. Case studies and successful projects will be presented, and during the first three days, all the partner companies will hold two sessions open to the public in which they will present their new products. The Forum will also include virtual networking spaces in the form of B2B meetings to promote interaction among attendees and where they can debate, update their knowledge, discover the application of new solutions and find advice.

The first day of the Forum will also see the presentation of the Barometer of the Swimming Pool Sector in Spain 2020, carried out by ASOFAP together with Fira de Barcelona’s Piscina & Wellness event, which analyses the business climate and provides 2020 data on turnover, employment, best-selling products and services, market trends and company forecasts for the coming months and how the sector is tackling the health crisis. It will be followed by a debate focusing on projects and products that will drive the sector towards greater environmental sustainability.

Innovation and sustainability, development themes
The event will focus on topics addressing innovation, such as digital transformation, remote maintenance and sustainability as basic themes that support the evolution of the sector and its investment in R+D+i, with the aim of improving the swimming pool experience, achieving maximum energy savings and protecting the environment. Other important issues will also be safety, cleanliness, sustainable disinfection as well as the reuse and quality of water.

The consequences of COVID-19 on public swimming pools related to leisure, sport and well-being in sports centres, water parks or hotel establishments will be the central theme of a debate that will take place on the third day of the Forum among leading professionals involved in the design, construction, maintenance and management of public swimming pools. Case studies and specific projects, both new and reformed, will be presented, and the way in which the new reality has been managed will be analysed in order to identify possible future challenges with the aim of ensuring its operation with health guarantees, even in complex contexts.

The last day of the Forum will be dedicated to a round table discussion on community pools with the presence of experts and property administrators who will analyse how the crisis was dealt with, what follow-up was performed to the prevention protocols and how to act to guarantee safety, reduce costs and improve the management of these facilities in the future.

The talks will be carried out by recognised experts in the different areas of the value chain of the swimming pool and wellness product, such as the general director of the Hotel Technology Institute, Álvaro Carrillo; the head of the Environmental Health Area of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Irene Corbella; the manager and project director of the Barceloneta Swimming Club, Hector Cruz; the president of the General Council of Associations of Farm Managers (CGCAFE), Salvador Díez; the president of the Mexican Association of Water Parks and Spas (AMPABA), Gerardo Gallo; the president of the Spanish Federation of Camping Businesses (FEEC), Ana Beriain; the president of the sectoral committee of swimming pool maintenance, José María Vega Sánchez; the Sports Promotion Technician of the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN), Carlos Bellón; the physiotherapist of Brain Health Institute Guttmann, Bruno Madirolas; and the Operations Director of Ohtels Hotels & Resorts, Sergio Ibarbuen.

The Forum is geared towards manufacturers, distributors, installers and sellers of swimming pool products, as well as architects, engineers, designers, builders, managers of public swimming pools, sporting facilities, hotels and campsite establishments, tour operators, water park designers, wellness and spa centre professionals, gym owners and building administrators among other profiles.

All the activities will take place virtually in the afternoon, using a specific and interactive platform. This new format makes it possible to reach a greater number of people, allowing professionals from European and Latin American countries to join the conference and participate in working meetings and interviews with experts.

The Piscina & Wellness Forum is held every two years since 2016, alternating with the Piscina & Wellness event held in Barcelona, the leading event for the swimming pool and wellness industry in Spain and one of the most international in its field in Europe, organised by Fira de Barcelona and whose next edition will take place again from 29th November to 2nd December 2021 at the Gran Via venue.

Barcelona, October 2020

Register here

Programme of the 3rd Piscina & Wellness Forum here

Mª Gloria Dilluvio / María Dolores Herranz

Tel. 93 233 21 72-  25 41

gdilluvio@firabarcelona.com / mdherranz@firabarcelona.com