50 YEARS IN REUS

The Reus Commodities Exchange is proud to host the 50th European Commodities Exchange in the year 2010 in which, as well as the traditional session with operators from all over the world, we will be celebrating half a century of these prestigious meetings which began in Strasbourg.

Reus is an eminently commercial town, with a tradition of holding agricultural markets going back 700 years. In an excellent position, south of Barcelona on the Mediterranean arc, it possesses natural advantages which make it a favourite, due to the quality of life enjoyed by its inhabitants and its numerous visitors. It is not just the climate which makes this area attractive; Reus is a modern European town with all the facilities and services of a capital, but in a privileged setting.

This special, typically Mediterranean setting has given the world figures like the architect Antoni Gaudí or the painter Marià Fortuny. Fruit of the genius of these sons of Reus is a town like an open-air museum, filled with examples of the Art Nouveau styles which emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Because of this, Reus is also the cultural capital of southern Catalonia.

THE COMMODITIES EXCHANGE

The 2010 European Commodities Exchange is fortunate enough to be held in the new Reus congress and trade fair centre, replacing the former one, which was over thirty years old. A brand-new facility in the middle of the Human Nutrition Technology Park.

Its hotel facilities, taking in the tourist resorts of the Costa Daurada, make it possible to cater for an unlimited number of visitors in all types of accommodation.

As regards communications, Reus has its own airport and this, together with the high-speed train and the best motorways in Spain, connects the town to anywhere in the world. The port of Tarragona, ten kilometres from Reus and currently being expanded, is the most important port for cereals in the western Mediterranean. The Tarragona port authority, together with the town council and chamber of commerce of Reus, plays a major role in the organisation of the 50th European Commodities Exchange.

OUR COMMITMENT

The Reus Commodities Exchange is working to offer all its colleagues at the 2010 European Commodities Exchange, some unforgettable days in this Mediterranean region, which was inhabited by the first known trading people, the Phoenicians.

The Reus Commodities Exchange is using and will use the best means at its disposal to satisfy participants in the Exchange. In particular, it has the support of a whole town committed to this organisation.

THE REUS COMMODITIES EXCHANGE

The Reus Commodities Exchange represents the modern version of a privilege originally granted by King James II of Catalonia, who on 22nd February 1309 gave the town of Reus the right to hold a market every Monday. This has continued down the years among traders from a large area around Reus who met, first in the Plaça del Mercadal and then in the Plaça Prim, to conduct their commercial transactions. These set basic prices which were then sent all over the world.

The Reus Commodities Exchange compiled and announced prices, as well as laying down rules for the standardisation of products, making it possible to conduct transactions without the merchandise being physically present.