- The professional cleaning and hygiene trade fair organized by Feria Valencia opened its doors today in Hall 3 of Ifema Madrid, drawing a remarkable turnout of professionals and international buyers from 20 countries, driven by an Ivace + i International Trade Mission.
- The event was officially inaugurated by Esther Olivar, Director General of Entrepreneurship and Internationalization of the Generalitat Valenciana.
- Hygienalia, together with ASFEL and AFELIN, pays tribute to the former president and driving force behind the fair, Josep Pinent, who passed away recently.
València, 4 noviembre 2025.- The seventh edition of Hygienalia is officially underway. The biennial professional event for the cleaning, hygiene, and industrial laundry sector, organized by Feria Valencia, opened today with optimism and a vibrant business atmosphere. The fair, which will remain open until Thursday in Hall 3 of Ifema Madrid, recorded a notably high attendance of buyers and industry professionals from the very first morning, attracted by dozens of innovations and new patents presented by 145 direct exhibitors and over 200 international firms and brands represented.
This milestone represents a major hub of attraction for the sector, making Hygienalia a key meeting and business point for both the national industry and international buyers. In fact, this morning the fair welcomed a delegation of international buyers from countries such as France, Chile, Côte d’Ivoire, Greece, Malta, Romania, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Poland, Portugal, and Serbia, among others. This trade mission is promoted by Ivace + i Internacional in collaboration with ASFEL (the Association of Manufacturers of Cleaning and Hygiene Products). Within this framework, Hygienalia will also host a series of B2B meetings between international buyers and exhibitors, organized under the European Commission’s ‘Enterprise Europe Network’.
Official Opening and Tribute to Josep Pinent
The fair was officially inaugurated by Esther Olivas, Director General of Entrepreneurship and Internationalization of the Generalitat Valenciana and head of IVACE + i Internacional. She was accompanied by Juan Carlos Cebriá, President of the Organizing Committee of Hygienalia and of ASFEL (Association of Spanish Manufacturers of Cleaning and Hygiene Products); Antonio Albesa, President of AEFIMIL (Spanish Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Industrial Cleaning Machinery); and Vicente Llatas, President of Arvet – Spanish Association of Exporting Companies. Also present were Mariano Clemente, General Director of Feria Valencia, and Esther Cano, Director of Hygienalia.
Before the inauguration, the fair paid heartfelt tribute to the recently deceased Josep Pinent, first president of Hygienalia’s Organizing Committee. Representatives from the industry and business community attended the ceremony, recalling his “enthusiasm” for driving Hygienalia to become the major sectoral event it is today. In his memory, Hygienalia has renamed this year’s conference area as the “Josep Pinent Conference Room.”
CONFERENCE PROGRAM – ‘JOSEP PINENT’ ROOM – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Key aspects of public procurement and SME access
• Álvaro Sánchez de Diego Fernández de la Riva, Board Member of AELMA and Member of DAXXI
• Federico Fernández de la Riva, Secretary of the Madrid City Council and Administrative Court Judge
• Javier García Luengo, Of Counsel at Garrigues and Professor of Administrative Law at the University of Oviedo
Organized by: AFELIN / AELMA
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Strategies to improve employee productivity
• Diana Hernández, Head of People Solutions at Jhasa Insurance GESEME
• Desi López, expert in healthy companies and corporate well-being
Organized by: AFELIN
12:00 p.m. – 12:20 p.m.
Work absenteeism in figures: Umivale Activa study on the cleaning sector in Spain and the Community of Madrid
• Jesús Martín, President of AFELIN and AELMA
• Jose María Grande, Director of Absenteeism Management, Madrid Area, Umivale Activa
Organized by: AELMA
12:20 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Results of the AI study
• Jesús Martín López, President of AFELIN and AELMA
Organized by: AFELIN
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Smart Cleaning: Real applications of Artificial Intelligence in the professional sector
• Lino González García, Founder – AI Research, In2AI
Success case:
• Alberto Guasch, CEO, Serlimar
Moderator:
• Andrea Gutiérrez, Marketing Director, Empresa & Limpieza
Organized by: Impacta and Empresa & Limpieza
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Don’t let absenteeism catch you off guard: The Culture of Care and Wellbeing, ‘CUI2’
• Anna Baguena Sánchez, CEO of Vaj Business Partner, President of ASNICLEAN
Organized by: National and International Association for the Integration of People into the Cleaning and Services Sector “ASNICLEAN”
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Application of technology in cleaning and disinfection processes for food safety
• Inmaculada Marcos, Director of the Food Division
Organized by: VIJUSA
