The International Tourism Fair held every year in Madrid, at IFEMA, is a good opportunity to show the world some of the most interesting corners of Spain, and vice versa. The format in which each autonomous community shows its best face is fundamental. In recent years, for example, there has been an increase in the proliferation of sustainable materials in the construction of infrastructure on the site. A line of work that has been applied in the ecological stand for Fitur 2020 proposed by the Basque Country.

The Bilbao architectural studio Zorrozua has developed the idea and general approach to the design of the stand. They have commissioned Cartonlab with the structural design, production and assembly of most of the decorative, sculptural and dividing elements.

The space has considerable dimensions, 20 m wide by 35 m long, divided into an area for public attention, another for work and meetings and even a bar to enjoy the local cuisine.

A cordial and rocky welcome to the visitor

Upon entering the reception area, the visitor finds the three main volumes, which we call ‘rocks’. These are three large, very showy stone shapes, two of them 5 m high and a third one 6 m high. They function as warehouses covered with an outer decorative faceted perimeter in EB kraft cardboard.

Some parts of the cladding show images of emblematic places in the Basque Country printed on the material. The internal substructure, also made of Cartonlab, is made of 45 x 45 mm thick wooden strips.

Under each rock there is a main public service counter. Euskadi’, ‘The Basque Route’ and ‘Urban Getaways’ are the three blocks that articulate the information, one per counter. The decorative front part is also inspired by the orography of the rocky landscapes.

Elevated, welcoming work area

Slightly elevated in relation to the rest of the stand is the work area, distributed in several sets of tables and chairs to encourage professional meetings. It extends over a platform protected around the perimeter by a cardboard bench of 30 linear meters. This is one of the most striking functional elements of the stand, as the bench is made up of a grid of cardboard pieces designed especially for this event.

Decorative structural walls

The dividing elements of a tourism fair stand like this one are fundamental. Not only to structure the space but also to introduce decorative contributions by making use of the resulting surfaces.

Here, for example, we find faceted walls at the back of the work area that serve to differentiate it from other rooms such as the bar, the meeting room or the projection room. Aesthetically, they fit in with the rocks in the reception area, and even show printed images of different landscapes or traditions such as rowing boats.

But this is not the only type of wall we find, those with perimeter coating (and some internal ones) also have interesting details to highlight, combining printing and die-cutting with 3D effect.

There are various tributes to such emblematic places as the bridge of Vizcaya, the skyline of Vitoria , the façade of the convent of Loyola or the reproduction of a very recognisable part of the Ysios de Laguardia winery designed by Calatrava. This ecological stand for Fitur has many windows on the Basque Country.

A gastronomic oasis with cardboard walls

The perimeter that delimits the always appealing bar combines faceted walls in printed white cardboard with other smooth ones finished in kraft. The prints show images of typical Basque dishes and are not only applied to the walls.

We also find them on top of some honeycomb circles that, fitted together, form a kind of cloud that floats over the heads of the diners.

Corporeal signs and iconic cardboard sculptures

This ecological stand for Fitur stands out for its volumes thanks to its dynamic structural design with die-cut motifs creating different planes. The corporeal signs play their part in this.

We find three giant posters and one backlit with the legend ‘Euskadi Basque Country’ and the hashtag #Basquexperience that preside over the stand. The same legend is reproduced in other formats in different parts of the space, which also presents corporeal objects in areas such as the bar.

The icing on the cake is the sculptural reproductions inspired by highly identifiable originals. The Wind Comb of Chillida (San Sebastian), The Skyline of Vitoria or the rail ing and the street lights of the promenade of San Sebastian are some of the most striking reproductions made for this project.

An ecological stand for Fitur with a lot of activity

In this edition of the fair, Euskadi aims to show how in a relatively small geographical space all kinds of activities can be carried out and a great variety of landscapes can be found. As the Basque Councillor for Tourism stated: ‘Euskadi is not only home to thousands of experiences, it is an experience in itself’.

Among the activities scheduled for this versatile stand, we find presentations such as ‘Responsible shopping tourism’, the new tourist brand of Gipuzkoa, wine tourism in Bilbao Bizkaia, the ‘Gran Ruta BH’; the ‘II Maritime Festival of Pasaia’; inclusive Alava and sports tourism, the putxeras of Balmaseda and many others.

The space for the LGTBIQ collective, also in cardboard

Fitur will have a space dedicated to the tourism sector from the perspective of the LGTBIQ collective. We have also taken care of the extension of the Basque Country stand for this area. It is a small and very practical place, 3 x 3 m, with a simple double back. It has a first kraft beehive background and a second layer with representative images of places in the Basque Country cast in the colours of the rainbow flag.