The fair, which covers the integrated water cycle, is to hold its second edition from 13 to 15 November 2018
Pau Relat, new president of Iwater 2018
The Governing Board of Fira de Barcelona has appointed Pau Relat, Chief Executive Officer of MAT Holding, as new president of the Iwater fair. Relat will bring his knowledge of the market and experience in the water sector to the table, in order to assist with the positioning of the event as an international benchmark with regard to technology and innovation applied to water management. Iwater is to take place from 13 to 15 November 2018 at the Gran Via fairground, and will coincide with the Smart City Expo World Congress events, dedicated to smart cities, Smart Mobility with respect to sustainable mobility; and the Circular Economy European Summit on the circular economy.
Since March 2004, Pau Relat has been the Chief Executive Officer of MAT Holding , a business group which includes IQV, which specialises in crop protection, and another five dedicated to water management: Regaber, Hidroglobal, Dorot, STF and VICAN, all highly respected companies in the areas of irrigation, hydraulic control, filtering, treatment and the movement of water. In addition, he is a member of the Consell General de Fira de Barcelona, member of the Board of the Cambra de Comerç de Barcelona, and president of its Internationalisation Commission.
Relat is taking over the position from Angel Simón, executive president of Agbar, and promoter of the first edition of the event. The new president is delighted to hold the Iwater Event in Barcelona, and has set its goals as “Boosting innovation, stimulating the market and promoting the international profile of companies that operate within the integrated water cycle sector. The aim is to make this event a global benchmark in the sector; a meeting place for companies, and a platform for opportunities.”
Incidentally, this edition of Iwater also features a new director. Ángel Celorrio, the head of the Piscina & Wellness Barcelona fair, is also taking on the management of the Iwater fair. Celorrio, 47 and from Barcelona, has a degree in Psychology in Work and Organisations, form the University of Barcelona, and also has a Masters in Commercial Management and Sales. He has worked at Fira de Barcelona since 2004, where he has held various positions of responsibility, including director of hall operations; director of Servifira –the area which sells services in the halls to the exhibitors–, and since 2016, director of the Piscina & Wellness Barcelona event, which recorded excellent results in its latest edition.
Through its commercial opportunities and programme of activities, Iwater brings together three of the essential strands required for growth in the water sector: The industrial element, through innovation and technology, and shared knowledge aimed at promoting sustainable management of water resources. The event will place special emphasis on the promotion of internationality, in order to increase the international profile in Europe, the Mediterranean and Latin America of Spanish companies working with the integrated water cycle.
In its first edition, held in 2016, Iwater brought together 127 companies from 10 countries, 4,562 visitors of its own, and an additional 11,500 due to the event coinciding with three others; the Smart City Expo World Congress, the European Utility Week, and the Circular Economy European Summit.
Barcelona, 5 April 2018