Hygienalia Continues to Grow, Reaching 7,000 Professional Visitors — A 9% Increase Over the Last Edition
The professional cleaning and hygiene trade show improves in all aspects and increases its international reach, with 13% of buyers coming from markets such as Italy, Belgium, France, Portugal, Serbia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Algeria, and Morocco.
A new success for Hygienalia. Spain’s leading trade fair for the professional and industrial cleaning, hygiene, and laundry sectors closed its doors this afternoon in Hall 3 of Ifema, marking another positive milestone in professional visitors and buyers. Initial data estimates indicate a total of 6,980 professional visitors, representing a 9% increase compared to the previous edition held in 2023. This figure sets a new record for the event organized by Feria Valencia, which had already expanded significantly in its exhibition offering, reaching 145 direct exhibitors and 200 international brands from 14 countries — an 11% increase over the previous edition.
These figures confirm the strong performance seen throughout the three days of the fair, with daily attendance surpassing previous records. Exhibitors reported robust business activity and full occupancy across the 15,000 square meters of exhibition space. A particularly noteworthy aspect of this year’s Hygienalia was its high international attendance — 13% of total visitors came from countries such as Italy, France, Portugal, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Serbia, the United States, Morocco, and Algeria. It is also worth noting that Hygienalia hosted an international buyers’ trade mission supported by Ivace + i Internacional and the ASFEL industry association.
For Esther Cano, director of the Feria Valencia show, “This year’s edition of Hygienalia has been a resounding success. We’ve had three days of intense business activity and a steady flow of buyers from across Spain and from key markets for our exhibitors.” Cano emphasized “the effort our exhibitors have made to showcase the best of the industry, with a fair that has grown in presence, outstanding booth presentations, and a clear, decisive commitment to innovation in its broadest sense.” She also noted that “Hygienalia continues to grow — not only in numbers but also in the range of sectors and products represented. This year we’ve seen strong growth in robotics, machinery, and technology, as well as in segments like laundry, which now complement the already powerful offering in professional cleaning and hygiene equipment and products. I’d also like to highlight the firm support of industry associations such as ASFEL and AEFIMIL — Hygienalia’s promoters — as well as AFELIN, AELMA, Quimeltia, and the Association of Polishers for Hygienalia. This is their home, where they can once again showcase the best of Spain’s industry.”
Conference Program Wrap-up
Hygienalia also concluded today an intensive conference program that drew notable attendance. Today’s sessions focused on three key topics reflecting current challenges in the professional cleaning, applied chemistry, and sustainability sectors.
The day began with the conference “The Challenges of Entrepreneurship in the Chemical Sector and How to Overcome Them,” organized by Quimeltia and presented by Pedro and María Rodríguez. The session addressed the numerous obstacles faced by entrepreneurs looking to start chemical manufacturing projects — a sector where legal and environmental requirements can be daunting. Speakers emphasized that, beyond common business challenges, regulatory compliance is a critical barrier, covering production, handling, transport, and storage of substances. Nonetheless, examples were presented of initiatives that have succeeded through proactive compliance strategies and collaboration with industry associations.
Next came the talk “Measure to Decide: Metrics and Performance in the Cleaning Sector,” organized by ISSA and moderated by Javier Montesinos from Avanti Blue.
This session focused on the importance of professionalizing cleaning service management through objective performance indicators. It advocated moving away from traditional time-based measurement to adopt verifiable outcome-based metrics, such as ATP testing to assess hygienic effectiveness. Attendees learned about service level agreements (SLAs) and templates for properly sizing teams, frequencies, and tasks to improve operational efficiency and provide quantitative arguments in tenders or audits.
The day concluded with “SCRAP Punto Greta and the Challenges of the New Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations,” presented by Enrique Pla Embuena and Mar Berlanga Belda of Punto Greta. This session analyzed the impact of recent packaging legislation, especially Royal Decree 1055/2022 and Law 7/2022, which require manufacturers, importers, and distributors to take on greater responsibility for the waste they generate. The speakers explained how Collective Extended Producer Responsibility Systems (SCRAP) help companies meet these obligations and outlined new requirements for traceability, recycling, and reporting.
Overall, today’s Hygienalia program offered a balanced view of business innovation, operational efficiency, and regulatory sustainability. From boosting chemical entrepreneurship to measuring cleaning performance and adapting to new packaging legislation, the conferences reflected a sector in full transformation — where technical management, regulation, and profitability must move forward together.
