31 May As of today, a memorial monolith just outside the FMY will commemorate Juan Carlos Muñoz, winner of the 2024 Arema Award, “for the 30 years of constant commitment and dedication to the sector”

His enthusiasm, entrepreneurial spirit and export vocation led him to tirelessly travel for over 30 years, promoting Yecla’s name worldwide

HE WAS THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF ANIEME, CETEM AND AN AREMA BOARD MEMBER

The Regional Association of Furniture and Wood Entrepreneurs of the Region of Murcia (Arema) acknowledged this Thursday, on the third day of the Yecla Furniture Fair (FMY), the role and work that the Yecla businessman Juan Carlos Muñoz Melero carried out until his passing away last February 19th, “in supporting the furniture and wood sector, not only at the Yecla city scale, not even at the regional scale but also both nationally and internationally”.

Therefore, after granting him the 2024 Arema Award a few months ago, a tribute to him was held today at 10.30 a.m. outside the Yecla Furniture Fair, where a monolith was unveiled to commemorate the figure of the Yecla manufacturer.

Patricia Cuadrillero, general manager of Arema, the journalist Carmen Ortín, José Antonio Ortega, president of Arema, Remedios Lajara, president of the Executive Committee of the FMY and Mayoress of Yecla, and relatives of the honoree, including his daughter Natalia and his widow Marga, took part in the event.

Also present at the ceremony were, among other authorities, José Ramón Revert, president of the Spanish Habitat Federation, Joaquín Gómez, director of the Development Institute (Info) of the Region of Murcia, Arema’s board of directors, Juan Miguel Zornoza, director of the FMY, as well as members of the Executive Committee of the FMY, José Antonio Puche and Pedro Arcas, director and president of Cetem, respectively, along with members of the municipal corporation of Yecla.

Patricia Cuadrillero, Arema’s secretary general, was in charge of opening the ceremony and reading the minutes by which Juan Carlos Muñoz was awarded the distinction, which this year, as she acknowledged, ‘has been tremendously special for us’. The goal of the award is to honour the efforts and commitment of individuals, organisations and companies that have made the furniture and wood sector in the Region of Murcia possible, conditions which Juan Carlos Muñoz more than met.

Although the fair usually hosts the award presentation, as Cuadrillero explained, “this year we are organising it in a special way. We will unveil a sculpture made by the Yecla artist Pedro José Santa Puche, giving meaning to the tree planted in this Furniture Industry square on the initiative of his fellow entrepreneurs and in memory of Juan Carlos. A tree is the origin of our industry and the symbol of what remains and what takes root”.

Afterwards, Carmen Ortín, a journalist from Yecla and the first recipient of the Annual Arema Award, took the floor and highlighted the importance that the association will have for future generations of entrepreneurs from the sector, as well as “the export and excellence in the work, quality and design of production” that Juan Carlos achieved for decades, “with a visionary spirit and together with the excellent workers and great craftsmen he had on his staff”.

In turn, José Antonio Ortega, Arema’s president, highlighted the hard work and dedication of Juan Carlos Muñoz in the various associations where he participated and in which he played a leading role, such as the Spanish National Association of Furniture Industrialists and Exporters (Anieme), the Technology Centre of Furniture and Wood of the Region of Murcia (CETEM) or even Arema itself.

After a brief thank you speech by Juan Carlos Muñoz’s daughter, Natalia, the mayoress of Yecla and president of the Executive Committee of the FMY, Remedios Lajara, commented on the importance of his role as an entrepreneur for both the sector and the city. “Juan Carlos belonged to a generation of professionals capable of creating business and employment”, something he learnt ‘through the example of Antonio, his father”, added Lajara. Then, the honoree’s widow and the president of Arema and the mayoress unveiled the monolith that will commemorate his figure and career just outside the Yecla Furniture Fair from this day onwards

A strong advocate and supporter of the furniture sector’s globalisation

Juan Carlos Muñoz’s work has been crucial in various associations and organisations in which he was deeply involved: as president of CETEM, as president of ANIEME, along with being a member of various associations related to the sector, such as AREMA itself, where he was a member of the board of directors for three decades.

In addition, his entrepreneurial spirit, enthusiasm and export vocation led him to travel for more than three decades, carrying the name of his company and his native city of Yecla to every corner of the world. These are enough reasons for the Board of Directors of the Regional Association of Entrepreneurs of Wood and Furniture of the Region of Murcia to grant him this annual award.  It is also worth noting that Muñoz Melero, a keen advocate for the internationalisation of the furniture sector, contributed to the international positioning of Spanish furniture during his time as president of Anieme.

Paolo Mauri’s masterclass, closing ceremony and delivery of certificates

The third day of the fair was also the closing of the masterclass given by Paolo Mauri, one of the world’s most prestigious architects in the contract sector, who, over three sessions, offered the keys for the successful development of a contract project.

In the first of these, the Italian architect focused on narrowing down the definition of a ‘hotel project’ to better identify the factors involved in its planning and presentation, offering the project with the greatest guarantees. The second session of his masterclass focused on the methodology needed for a successful presentation, in which the coordination and management of multidisciplinary teams play an important role. Finally, today, Thursday, Paolo Mauri tackled how to ensure the success of hotel projects, considering the resources and tools required.

On this second to last day of the fair, a Networking Café and a talk organised by the Mapfre delegation and delivered by the Solunion group were held. Those attending the meeting, which was held in the Conference Room of the FMY, have been able to expand their knowledge of the so-called ‘credit insurance’, which aims to ensure the collection by a natural or legal person when there is a payment default and is particularly used to cover the non-payment risk. Tomorrow, Friday, the 62nd edition of the Yecla Furniture Fair (FMY) will come to an end after four days of intense business and networking activity. The president of the Executive Committee of the FMY and mayoress of Yecla, Remedios Lajara, will be in charge of the closing ceremony at the Espacio Ocio/Negocio from 1 P.M. onwards.