A decade ago, many people began to wonder about the hotel contract channel as a feasible business way for their companies (also called hospitality in the English-speaking world). Contract is well known as a growing sales channel for companies with different products and services, with an input capacity to hotels, restaurants, office buildings, shopping centers, public buildings… with the premise to convince the project´s key figure, whoever was, the architect, the interior designer, the project manager or the owner.
Hotel Castillo Son Vida Mallorca by Ruarte Contract, Starwood Hotels and Resorts
Today we want to share with you some reflections from our experience and a short list of international trade shows, events and organizations to take into account. We just ask for your feedback in order to know more keys, events and organizations to have in mind. Because life is sharing.
Stand of Ruarte Contract at Horeq Madrid 2015
The first point that a company without experience should face is to get convinced if its product is suitable for the contract channel, if it is as customizable as the project may require. We have to be clear, if your company don´t have a solid commercial and financial stability, you shouldn´t look for any architecture or interior design project, since it´s necessary to create an extensive network of contacts before seeing results, and there isn´t usually a regular rotation of orders with the same specifier.
Somebody may be wondering about the advantages… Without any doubt, there are some of them, for example the turnover that some projects record and, above all, the very high brand image that they can mean to your projects portfolio. Just these reasons are worth to try it.
Project for Amstel Beer, Toledo
Furnishing at Son Gual Golf Club, Mallorca
High-end decoration project in a residence, Toledo
Lobby, common areas and rooms by Ruarte Contract at Hotel Juliá Madrid
Another important requirement is the added value of the product: it can be its aesthetic, technological value or the brand image… Price is always a must but it isn´t a differential factor in the high-level segment developments and when you work at an international level you shouldn´t focus on competing on price or you´ll get a short sales record after a couple of projects.
Big and modern residence at Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid, for the Spanish designer Luis Puerta
International contract shows, events and organizations
The Hotel Show (Dubai/United Arab Emirates, 28-30/9/2015), a hotel projects trade fair in Dubai, epicenter of Gulf market, where many professionals attend from places like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and rest of the U.A.E.
Hospitality Show (Las Vegas/ USA 13-15/5/2015) is the biggest contract trade fair in USA, in which Spain exhibits inside its National Pavilion managed by ICEX (Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade).
Batimat (Paris/France 2-6/11/2015) although it´s a great construction trade fair with the aim to find distributors of construction materials, it also organizes individual meetings with architects.
The Big 5 Show (Dubai/United Arab Emirates, 23-26/11/2015), following the line of work of Batimat, it´s the biggest construction trade fair in the Gulf and there is a growing interest in architect´s figure.
UNEX (Habitat and contract Spanish Association) it´s a point of reference when we talk about contract in Spain, probably the best event organizer with architects and interior designers from Central America and Caribbean in Spain. They have been invited to manage the contract area at the IMM Furniture Trade Fair Cologne (Germany) and Habitat Valencia (Spain).
ANIEME (National Association of Furniture Exporter Companies of Spain), it’s surely one of the Spanish sectorial associations with a greater international activity and gradually developing more contract promotion projects for Spanish companies in the last years.
Bond Events, private company devoted to organize meetings with recognized architects and designers in US, Latin America, Emirates…
Madison Events, event management company for workshops with architects and interior designers in Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey, fit for hotels or specialized services for hospitals. In the next few months in Maggiore lake (Italy) and Barcelona.
Wood decoration and furniture for a luxury villa in Cercedilla, Madrid
Sure, there are more trade fairs, promotion companies and events, but we´d appreciate your advice on this matter to make grow the list of the ones that are worth. Thank you in advance.
