ICEX-FEDAI Reverse Mission 2026: €20,000 to Connect Decorative Lighting Manufacturers with International Buyers

Key data

Spanish manufacturers of decorative lighting have a concrete internationalization opportunity on the table: ICEX and FEDAI have signed an agreement to organize a reverse mission at Feria Hábitat Valencia, with a budget of €20,000 fully financed by ICEX. The Resolution of May 25, 2026 formalizes this agreement and publishes it in the BOE on June 3, 2026.

A reverse mission inverts the usual logic: instead of Spanish companies traveling abroad, it is international prescribers who come to Spain. ICEX covers their flights, transfers and accommodation. The result is direct, high-value contact with buyers from markets that would otherwise require significant investment in travel and participation in international trade fairs.

What does this regulation establish?

The agreement between ICEX and FEDAI regulates the organization of a reverse mission of opinion prescribers from the decorative lighting sector. The mechanism is as follows: ICEX provides €20,000 in cash to cover eligible expenses for foreign visitors (flights, transfers and accommodation), while FEDAI manages the local operational part valued at €2,500 in-kind.

The invited prescribers come from the following 10 countries:

The mission takes place within the framework of Feria Hábitat Valencia, one of the main showcases for the habitat and decoration sector in Spain. FEDAI assumes the management of accreditations, the provision of meeting spaces and the logistical coordination of the visit.

Economic and operational impact

The economic value for participating companies is not in receiving a direct subsidy, but in free access to meetings with high-value prescribers in markets where direct commercial penetration would be costly.

To put it in perspective: organizing a business visit to 10 different markets (flights, hotels, local trade fairs) can easily cost between €15,000 and €30,000 per company. This mission inverts that cost: ICEX assumes it to attract buyers to Spain.

FEDAI's in-kind contribution (€2,500) covers the meeting infrastructure: accreditations, rooms and coordination. This means that companies associated with FEDAI can access these meetings without additional management on their part beyond preparing their commercial presentation.

The only formal economic requirement of the agreement falls on FEDAI: to economically justify the mission within a maximum of 3 months after its completion.

Who does it affect?

• Spanish manufacturers of decorative lighting associated or linked to FEDAI who want to open or strengthen exports to the 10 represented markets.
• Exporters in the sector who participate in Feria Hábitat Valencia and can take advantage of the enabled meeting spaces.
• FEDAI as the organizing entity, which assumes logistical coordination and the obligation to provide economic justification to ICEX within 3 months.
• Companies with interest in markets in southern and eastern Europe, the Mediterranean and Turkey: the 10 selected countries range from mature markets like Switzerland or Poland to emerging markets with high potential like Morocco or Turkey.

Practical example

A design lamp manufacturing company based in Valencia, associated with FEDAI, participates in Feria Hábitat Valencia. Thanks to the reverse mission, it has access to scheduled meetings with opinion prescribers from Poland and Turkey, two markets where it has had no presence until now.

Without this mission, obtaining a qualified meeting with a Polish or Turkish prescriber would require traveling to local trade fairs (such as Warsaw Home or Istanbul Furniture Fair), with travel, stand and time costs that easily exceed €3,000-5,000 per market and visit.

With the reverse mission, those meetings occur in Valencia, in its own fair space, with the prescriber's travel costs covered by the €20,000 provided by ICEX. The company only needs to prepare its commercial pitch and be present at the fair.

What should companies do now?

1. Contact FEDAI immediately to confirm if there are available spots to participate in meetings with international prescribers. As this is a mission with a limited number of visitors, access may be restricted.
2. Confirm attendance at Feria Hábitat Valencia if not already registered. The mission takes place within the framework of this fair, so participation in it is a necessary condition to take advantage of the meetings.
3. Prepare commercial materials adapted to the 10 represented markets: catalogs, product sheets and presentations in English at minimum, with special attention to priority markets for the company.
4. Identify which of the 10 markets are strategic for the company's export plan and prepare specific pitches for those prescribers.
5. If you are FEDAI: record all eligible expenses from the agreement (flights, transfers, visitor accommodation) from the start, as economic justification must be submitted to ICEX within a maximum of 3 months after the mission.

Official source

Consult complete regulation at official source (BOE-A-2026-11934)

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-11934