Construct-Ambient Expo - trade fair diary

Between March 14 and 17 I was at Romexpo where not one but six events took place simultaneously: Construct-Ambient Expo, Mobila Expo, Expo Flowers&Garden, Romtherm, Modexpo and Antique Market. Those interested in home building and home design will find the latest materials and technologies and interesting ideas for home design.

Impressions after the first day

The fairs were smaller compared to previous years, fewer exhibitors, but many conferences and workshops taking place every day, all day long. Although there are other channels of information I believe that attending a fair is important. Products are on display, technicians can give the necessary explanations, you can see how they work, what qualities they have, how they differ from other products on the market. The face-to-face meeting is important and may result in a contract. The way you present yourself, your openness to communication and information, your willingness to be there with the customer and talk directly, answering questions, not reciting slogans, is a very good selling method.

These meetings only take place at fairs. They are all over the world, they have not disappeared with the advent of the internet. I am one of those people who value the internet very much, but I know a lot from trade fairs where I have talked to the specialists present, seen demonstrations, made connections. Do not neglect such a source of information.

I continue to believe that if you are involved in construction and interior and exterior design, you should come to the fair. You have someone to talk to, there are specialists who can give various demonstrations, who are keen to talk to you. I have had a couple of these talks about energy efficiency of homes, we noticed the presence in the fair of some authorized persons for passive cell, we learned about sensors that, if you have a "smart" phone, let you know if the temperature or humidity in your home has dropped below a certain limit. Best for everyone to come and find out what interests them. Until then, a bit about what I've seen and more photos to convince you.

Pavilion B1

In B1 are the fairs Construct-Ambient, Romtherm and Flower&Garden Expo. Here we are, if you want to meet us, at stand 137. As you know, we've been interested in wooden constructions for some time and we try to find out as much as we can about this field, even if not all the information is related to wood and wooden frame houses.

Those interested in parquet flooring can see different types of parquet and flooring in classic, modern or antique finishes at the stands Vicla, Floor Expert or Prime Floors. There are other types of flooring: stone, marble, epoxy, cork, materials with which you can achieve different textures. For walls, too, materials are used to create interesting textures and patterns. The Giorgio Graesan and friends they made presentations about what can be achieved with their products and with some skill on the part of the applicator. I understand they will be doing this daily. You will also find wall cladding materials that mimic brick, wood or other materials.

You can also find companies with double glazed windows, with 2 or 3 layers of glass, interior and exterior doors, garage doors, various devices and mosquito nets, even for terraces with openings as large as the wall. Several chimney fires of all kinds, from the classic ones, in which real wood burns, to ... with the image of a wood fire.

There are companies presenting options for home heating, metering and control systems, ventilation or heat recovery. There are also exhibitors for those who are interested in traditional heating methods.

Saunas, roofing materials, insulation, Velux windows, composite materials for house cladding, fencing or decking, water softening systems and much more. You can come and see them and find out more.

Pavilion B2

Unfortunately, the furniture side of the B2 pavilion is even less represented. But there are companies that will catch your eye. I liked the furniture presented by Octostil (designer furniture) and the way he finished the wood. Workshop 89, present with furniture in industrial styleis also interesting.  ITA Production has come with tables with oak and cherry countertops and is waiting for you with horincă, as they're from Sighetul Marmației.😉 There is classic furniture, kitchen furniture, rustic furniture, stairs and turned wood elements and other things that might interest you.

A large part of the pavilion is dedicated to antiques of all kinds (there's even a vintage car). If you like antiques, it's a great opportunity to enjoy wandering around and admiring them.

External platform

On the outside platform you'll find lots of flowers, tree saplings, even lemon trees full of fruit. A tall structure made of lamellar beams raised by Technical Switzerland. Next to them, the firm Old Wood Romania with an interesting construction, a dome dwelling of the future. Also outside, some machinery, lots of flowers and if you get hungry, food vans are waiting for you.

Impressions at the end

At the end of the 4 days of the fair we were left with the same impression that demand exceeded supply. There were many people who came to the Construct - Ambient Expo fair who did not find answers to the problems they had come with. They would have liked to find companies with whom they could talk about building options and possibilities, new materials or technologies of the future. There was also a lack of people from the design and especially of structural engineers (strength calculations). The presence of young people from the Faculty of Construction was welcomed.

The conferences were very interesting, especially those on energy efficiency in new buildings. Very few people know about the new regulations and I have heard this from people in the industry. There are those involved in this process who are not aware of the regulations of Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union of May 19, 2010 on the energy performance of buildings. It requires new buildings to be more efficient and requires all new buildings to be nearly zero-energy efficient (nZEB) by the end of 2020 and public buildings by the end of 2018. Nor is there much talk about the Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU, which obliges Member States to set efficiency targets by 2020. These directives were adopted by our country as a Member State and an Emergency Ordinance was issued to implement them. Very few people are aware that, by not complying with the requirements, they will no longer be able to obtain planning permission.

That's why these fairs are good: to meet, discuss, see what the problems are and find solutions. Fairs are not just a way to showcase our products. They are much more than that. Don't ignore them!