11/26/2009 | Communication and Press Department - Alimentaria Exhibitions

Authorities, opinion leaders and top executives at Alimentaria shared a day of talks in which the current situation and prospects of the agri-food sector were analysed. Additionally, there was a presentation of the major new features of the exhibition, to be held at the Gran Vía venue in Barcelona (Spain), 22-26 March of next year.

Casa Llotja de Mar in Barcelona hosted the presentation of the major Spanish food and drinks exhibition for 55 trade journalists from over 30 countries around the world. This highly prestigious event included the participation of Catalan Minister Joaquim Llena; Junior Minister Josep Puxeu; ICEX (Spanish acronym for the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade) Executive Vice-chairman Ángel Martín Acebes and General Manager for Promotion Jaime Montalvo; FIAB (Spanish acronym for the Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation) Chairman Jesús Serafín Pérez and Internationalisation Committee Chairman José Carlos Lacasa; the chairman of the Alimentaria Organising Committee, Josep-Lluís Bonet; Alimentaria’s top executive, J. Antonio Valls; Alimentaria Exhibitions General Manager Francisco Carrió; IESE economics lecturer Antonio Argandoña; the chairman of Innoval, Josep Arcas; the president of the Association for the Advancement of the Mediterranean Diet, Francisco Sensat; and chef Fermí Puig, member of the BCNVanguardia Technical Committee. The consulting firm Synovate presented the main approaches of the study ‘What consumers of brands expect. The manufacturer’s role as brand manager’.

The main strategic themes to be focused on at Alimentaria 2010 – taking place at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Vía venue 22-26 March – will be internationalisation, brands and innovation.

Globalisation, the great challenge
After highlighting the spectacular growth of the exhibition over the past 10 years, J. Antonio Valls, top executive at Alimentaria and deputy managing director of Alimentaria Exhibitions, emphasised the globalisation of the market and consumption as the great challenge for the industry. ‘Alimentaria must be a global, outward looking platform. For this reason, we have increased our investment in international projects by 30% and in order to get to know foreign buyers better, we have developed the Hosted Buyers programme together with the FIAB and other partners.’ He went on to defend brands as ‘a country’s assets’, which must be given ‘greater recognition and differentiation’. He also emphasised that the ‘capacity to reinvent content and drive new projects’ would take shape at initiatives such as Innoval, Best Pack, BCN Vanguardia, Taste & Flavours of Spain and other R&D&I projects.

On this subject, Joaquim Llena, minister of the Catalan Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Action, indicated that ‘together with internationalisation, innovation is the most important stimulus for our companies, the gateway to normality and what will allow us to survive. And Alimentaria will ensure this.’ The minister remarked that ‘agri-food is the number one industry in Spain and in Europe, but above all, it is number one in Catalonia, where it accounts for over 17% of GDP. It is a strategic sector for our economy and as a way out of the crisis.’ In this regard, Llena expressed his conviction that ‘Alimentaria is a test which plots the course the industry will follow and we believe it will pass with flying colours.’

A macro exhibition to serve the food and beverage industry
Josep-Lluís Bonet, chairman of the Alimentaria Organising Committee, noted that ‘Alimentaria 2010 is preparing to turn Barcelona into the food and drinks capital of the world, one of the most crucial at the international level, and a true declaration of support for brands and their attributes’. He explained that this year the trade show will be held in a single venue in response to repeated requests from participating brands and buyers who attend.

J. Antonio Valls also confirmed the advisability of relocating all the pavilions into a single venue, which will occupy a total area of 94,500 m2. However, he stated that in a trade show context, ‘size is no longer the priority. Trade shows are now measured by return on investment.’ In such a changing and competitive environment, it is necessary to demonstrate profitability. For this reason, we have had to rework the show for Alimentaria 2010 in order to respond to the new challenges of the industry, without losing its essence.’

For his part, Francisco Carrió, managing director of Alimentaria Exhibitions – the company which organises the exhibition, a joint venture between Reed Exhibitions and Fira de Barcelona, stated that the priority of Alimentaria, ‘a model which has been a success in Barcelona and which has moved on to Lisbon, Mexico City and Buenos Aires’, is to ‘serve the development of the international agri-food industry. And it is for this reason that we develop contacts, content and communities with the idea of having an influence on business.’

A greater foreign presence as a way out of the crisis
According to figures provided by Josep-Lluís Bonet, of the 5,000 exhibitor companies which will take part in Alimentaria 2010, some 1,500 will be foreign, occupying 15% of the trade show’s area, or 15,000 m2. The growing presence of Asian exhibitors (China, Indonesia and India are strengthening their commitment to Alimentaria, in addition to exhibitor groups from South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam) will be joined for the first time at this edition by South Africa, with an institutional stand. Furthermore, it is expected that the show will receive some 150,000 visitors, of which 20% will come from abroad. ‘Looking at our current numbers, we are sure that the 18th edition of Alimentaria will be a success,’ predicted Bonet, who highlighted that the 2010 exhibition will be ‘very dynamic in terms of activities and more international, given that in the current economic situation, companies must fearlessly tackle expanding abroad.’

In this regard, Ángel Martín Acebes, executive vice-chairman of the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX in its Spanish acronym), praised Alimentaria, which he considers ‘one of the Spanish trade shows we can be most proud of,’ and highlighted that ‘the Spanish agri-food industry, whose balance of trade has a surplus of more than 700 million euros, is a model for exports, competitiveness, innovation and institutional collaboration.’

The outstanding role of Alimentaria as a driving force for the industry
Jesús Serafín Pérez, chairman of FIAB (Spanish acronym for the Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation), the European food and drink association CIAA and the Expobebidas show, underscored that Alimentaria 2010 ‘plays an important role as a forum for the Spanish food and beverage industry, as well as Europe,’ and he reminded those in attendance that the sector generates 930 billion euros a year in Europe and tips the balance of trade in favour of the positive side, as the European Union exports 55 billion euros in food and beverage products.

For his part, Josep Puxeu, junior minister for Rural Environment and Water, described Alimentaria 2010 as ‘the exhibition of the recovery, the start of a return to normality for the “consumption party”’. Puxeu stated that ‘the Spanish agri-food industry is continuing to grow in volume (around 1.4%). Although there has been a certain drop in value, the number of companies lost during the downturn has been minimal.’ The minister also highlighted that ‘it is a leading sector because it has succeeded in adapting its supply to the changing demands of the marketplace and this leadership and its ability to hold firm can be found at Alimentaria 2010.’

55 international media outlets invited
A total of 55 foreign journalists took part in the international presentation of Alimentaria 2010, representing key food and drink industry publications. In addition to attending the press conference at Casa Llotja de Mar, the journalists – from 31 European, Asian, American and African countries – enjoyed an intensive two-day programme of leisure and culinary activities in Barcelona.

Communication and Press Department
Susana Santamaria / Xavier Bertomeu
C/ Diputació, 119. 08015 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 452 11 04 – Fax: +34 93 452 18 01
prensa@alimentaria.com

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