• The first edition of this trade fair is taking place today and tomorrow at the Agüimes Exhibition Centre, with the presence of more than 50 exhibiting companies
• FILCA begins its journey as a space where professionals and businesses from the Canary Islands can showcase their products and services, while also sharing experiences and innovative solutions

The Canary Islands Logistics Innovation Fair, FILCA, opened its doors today at the Agüimes Exhibition Centre, “with the intention of expanding and creating opportunities for key sectors within logistics and local business,” stated the president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, during the opening ceremony of this first edition.

Held over two days, the fair aims to “identify new market niches, new opportunities and, above all, to generate possibilities through research, knowledge and logistics for businesses—taking advantage of the fact that the Canary Islands are a hub of opportunities in the middle of the Atlantic,” the president noted. He also highlighted the success of this initial edition, with more than 50 participating companies from logistics, transport, innovation and related fields.

Promoted by the island council and organised by Infecar – Feria de Gran Canaria, FILCA begins its trajectory as a platform for companies and professionals to showcase their work. More specifically, this first edition includes over 45 regional companies, along with nearly ten firms from mainland cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Girona and Santander. Many of them also represent or distribute European technologies and products from countries like Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, China and France, among others.

In addition to the exhibition area, attendees at the two-day fair will be able to share experiences and innovative solutions across all areas related to logistics and transport, including warehousing, digitalisation, automation and industrial machinery.

Until Thursday, 5 February, visitors will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the capacity and expertise of companies operating in the Canary Islands—many of them leaders in their fields—and to connect and build business relationships. The fair also offers a complete programme of talks and roundtable discussions, featuring experts in various areas of logistics and transport, tackling topics of high relevance to the sector.

Following the opening, the session “Logistics as a Strategic Axis for the Canary Islands” was held, where participants emphasised the cross-cutting nature of the sector and its importance for the economic development of the islands. Pedro Suárez, Vice President of the Canary Islands Transport and Logistics Cluster, spoke about the specific challenges and proposals for improving public transport on the island, highlighting the need for a comprehensive modernisation of the network “to ensure accessible, high-quality service.”

Beatriz Calzada, President of the Las Palmas Port Authority, added that “no one can question the importance of ports in a territory like ours—remote and fragmented—where 80% of goods arrive by sea,” and stressed the urgency of digitising maritime traffic, “which comes with its own complexity.”

The roundtable concluded with remarks from Manuel Carmelo López, Director of Transport for the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, who valued the collaboration between institutions to meet “a long-standing demand from the sector: the need to come together, share experiences, and debate the future of this essential industry.”

The next session, “Freight Mobility in Island Territories”, featured speakers including José Ángel Hernández, Secretary General of the Canary Islands Federation of Transport Businesses (FET); Jesús Dionis, Head of Cargo at Fred. Olsen Express; José Luis Becerra, Managing Director of Atlantis Cargo (Binter’s GSA); and Sonia Herzog, CEO of the JSV Group.

This discussion focused on the main challenges and opportunities in transporting goods within a fragmented territory such as the Canary Islands, including the issue of double insularity. The debate touched on route optimisation, intermodality, operational efficiency, cost-reliability balance and the need to adapt to new market demands. All participants agreed on the importance of adopting innovative solutions to reduce costs, overcome customs complexities, improve delivery times and move toward more modern and sustainable logistics models based on decarbonisation.

The programme of talks and roundtables will continue throughout the afternoon and on Thursday, covering major topics such as the future of logistics, the integration of digitalisation in the industry, and customs and tax regulations as applied to logistics in the Canary Islands.

This afternoon, the programme opens with an inspiring conversation featuring Yaiza Canosa, founder of the logistics startup GOI and current CEO of Boudica Canosa, who will speak about the future of logistics. This will be followed by a second roundtable, “Digitalisation and Logistics”, featuring Marco Antonio Suárez, Director of Supply Chain Development at Spar Gran Canaria; Airam Rodríguez, CEO of Híades Business Patterns; David Falcón, Head of Data & Revenue at Fred. Olsen Express; and Víctor Socas, Director of IT and Digital Transformation at Grupo CopiCanarias.

FILCA is promoted and funded by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and organised by Infecar, with the support of the Agüimes Town Council. It is also a joint initiative involving several strategic stakeholders committed to modernising the business fabric of the islands, including the Association of Entrepreneurs of the Arinaga Industrial Zone (AENAGA), the Arinaga Business Conservation Entity (ECOAGA), and the Gran Canaria Chamber of Commerce.

Numerous organisations and companies have also shown their support as sponsors, including: the Port Authority of Las Palmas, Fred Olsen, Grupo Raminatrans (a leader in international transport solutions), ICP Canarias (a key player in integrated logistics and distribution), JSV Move to Green (focused on sustainable transport), Grupo CopiCanarias (providing comprehensive IT solutions for digital transformation), and Tonik24 Trading, offering logistics brokerage services between Germany and the Canary Islands through its innovative online order platform alogtra PRO.