The Industry and Technology Summit will open its doors in September as a high value-added business forum. To that end, the organisation has prepared a design that is marked by new initiatives; such as the guest of honour country, an innovation area, diversification seminars, the catalogue guide for on-line buyers, promotion tools for exhibitors and on-line applications for arranging meetings.

The attractive pricing policy for this campaign and the participation of contractors and strategic buyers -Aernnova, Daewoo, Danobat, Hiriko, Inmotec, Irizar, Itp, La Naval, Michelín, Peddinghaus, Sener and Tubos Reunidos, among others - will complete the profile of this event, that positions itself as a profitable business meeting point that is adjusted to the current circumstances.

The Summit will group the offer in three main areas Subcontratación (Subcontracting Fair), Automatización (Automation Fair) y Trasmet; the latter is related to machinery and supplies for iron and steel industry, forge and foundry, rolling and surface treatments.

In 2011, the Summit will have a new space dedicated to a Guest of Honour Country. This first year the organisation has appointed France because of the large business volume it generates in the domestic market. Therefore, French companies will become one of the main exhibiting groups and foreign visitors of this edition thanks to the work developed by Ubifrance, the Chambers of Commerce, French Industry Associations, the Consulate of Bilbao, ICEX and BEC!.

The efforts to coordinate a French delegation of purchasers and contractors are going smoothly and over 70 have already confirmed their interest in visiting the Summit to seek new suppliers. These delegations primarily belong to the aeronautics and aerospace industry, in addition to professional manufacturers of machinery for the railway, wind and solar power and the automotive industry.

The opportunities offered by the French market will be analysed in several conferences and round tables, such as "The French demand for industrial subcontracting", "Industrial subcontracting from 2012 to 2020" or "How to enter and consolidate your business in the French market", inviting participants to analyse and debate these topics. This special programme will also include the celebration of "France Day", which will take place on the third day of the event. Interviews with all participants will be held and there will be presentations at the French Embassy of Madrid and the Spanish Embassy of Paris during the months of June and July.

2011 will mark the 30th anniversary of "Subcontratación", which is the only international trade fair devoted to this specialisation in our country. During this time, the event has striven to give due response to the industrial subcontracting sector by providing an efficient tool for SMEs to promote their activities and the exchange of technical and commercial information.

To reinforce this goal, the 15th edition of the Trade Fair will have two very outstanding features: the area of new projects and the contractor/subcontractor booked interviews.

The new projects area will offer manufacturers, from industries that are not usually involved in subcontracting, the possibility of showcasing their novelties. This way, subcontractors can know, first-hand, the needs and goals of the manufacturers in the most innovative fields. To date, participation of the BHR Fandango helicopter, the Inmotec GP motorcycle and the Hiriki electric car has been confirmed.

For the first time ever, the Industry and Technology Summit will have a specific space in the hall where the technical seminars and the activities for exhibitors and visitors take place. Among other activities, they will hold the "Machining SME Day", during which ASPROMEC (The Professional Association for Competitive Machining) will organise a highly relevant business event; the "Innovation and Technology Conferences" by IK4, Tecnalia, SPRI and the Basque Government; the presentation of "Internationalisation Promotion Programmes" by the ICEX and the VII International Foundry Technical Forum, by the TABIRA Foundry Institute and the AZTERLAN Metallurgical Research Centre.

Moreover, in the Seminars on Industrial Diversification, specifically addressed to subcontractors, the High Council of Chambers of Commerce will expound on the reasons for diversification and the keys to achieve it, opportunities in emerging sectors and products in the base of manufacturing technologies.

Communications Department, April 2011