Alimentaria has said that the 2018 edition of its event, which takes place from April 16 to 19 in Barcelona, will be its biggest show to date, covering more than 100,000 square metres of exhibition space, almost the entire Gran Vía area of Fira de Barcelona.
Some 4,500 exhibiting companies are expected, with more than a quarter (27%) coming from outside Spain. Around 45,000 attendees are set to attend during the four days of the exhibition.
The event was launched at a dedicated press conference held in Barcelona last week, which welcomed leading journalists from around the world.
According to J. Antonio Valls, Director General of Alimentaria Exhibitions, the launch helped reaffirm "the strengths that Alimentaria has: international positioning, the strength of the Spanish agri-food industry with the support of the great brands, the importance of the HoReCa channel, the international recognition for Spanish gastronomy, and the importance of our tourism sector.”
Alimentaria will be held in conjunction with Hostelco, one of the world’s leading exhibitions for the hotel and restaurant sector, indicating the level to which the food and beverage sectors have extended out across many different channels.
As the President of Alimentaria and Fira de Barcelona, Josep Lluís Bonet, explained, the Alimentaria model is one that “offers the industry great internationalisation and business platforms, with new spaces, content, and innovation”.
Export Strength
Speaking at the launch, Fernando Burgaz, Food and Drink Industry Director General at the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, said that the road ahead for the Spanish food industry “is one of magnificent, continuous growth in the coming years."
In addition, he pointed out that "in recent years, our exports are reaching more and more countries outside the European Union. This is one of the great opportunities for the food industry. "
His comments were echoed by María Naranjo, Director of Food and Gastronomy at ICEX Spain, who noted that "more than 52% of Spanish agri-food companies are exporters" and added that "sales to China and the United States are increasing at a much more rapid pace than in the European Union.”
In addition, Naranjo said that new agreements signed with Canada and Japan “will open interesting opportunities for the sector”.
International Buyers
With this in mind, Alimentaria 2018 will focus on facilitating contact between international buyers and their exhibiting companies, from more than 70 countries, including Germany, Argentina, Ecuador, Belgium, Holland, China, Hong Kong, Romania, Russia, Thailand and Turkey.
Alimentaria aims to increase the number of international buyers attending the event, with a 30% increase in the number of buyers from outside Spain. These buyers will participate in some 11,200 business meetings with exhibiting companies during the event.
For more information, visit www.alimentaria.com
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
