Final steps close the chapter on the Alicante Fair Authority, a public company transition now moving forward. The Trade Registry Office and the Official Gazette have recorded the guarantee for transferring the assets and liabilities of the institution to the newly formed public limited company. The change is slated to occur this Friday, marking a decisive moment for the Alicante Fair.
The obvious question remains: what is the last outstanding item to complete the process?
With the exception of any unexpected hold‑ups, the next milestone is set for Thursday when the Board of Directors will formally appoint the leadership of the new public company. Beatrice Serrano, who has been serving as CEO of the IFA, is expected to take the helm of the new entity. The board will also appoint the vice presidents, with the chairmanship to be held by the Minister of Economy, Rafa Climent, and the board will address remaining costs associated with this transition.
Following this session, the full council will meet on Friday to validate the asset transfer once more, ensuring everything is in place for the official handover. The very next day, 1 April, the Torrellano fairgrounds will operate strictly as a corporate entity. This marks the culmination of a long recovery effort for facilities that teetered on the brink of insolvency due to debt of 76 million euros accumulated after the failed expansion plan.
Relief arrived when the current regional administration agreed to assume the debt in return for restoring control of the land where the extension had been planned. Today, that site is set to welcome an ecosystem of innovative companies, including a future home for the aerospace enterprise PLD Space.
Queues formed during one of the competitions hosted by the IFA illustrate the renewed public interest and activity. The photo caption associated with this moment has been removed here to maintain focus on the factual narrative of the transition.
The newly named Fira Alacant will oversee operations for only two exhibition pavilions, reactivating fair activity that has already shown profitability despite the debt burden. The organization finished the previous financial year with a positive result of 32,800 euros, even as Expo Nadal faced interruptions. In the inaugural year of the new publicly traded company under Generalitat oversight, turnover is expected to reach about 3.2 million euros, with an additional 2.5 million euros to be allocated by the district administration for pavilion installation work.
A clean slate for IFA: Fira Alacant advances after a painful decade in the fairgrounds
To integrate the business community into the new public entity, and in line with the legal requirement that the majority of the board comprises representatives of the administration, a presidencies committee will be established. This committee will include leaders from various manufacturing sectors to ensure the province has a voice in future strategy and governance.