City of vending machines to be built in September

“Vision of Vending” – a vision of the future in the world of vending machines. This is the main concept of the Eu’Vend exhibition to be held in Cologne, in September. We have been invited to attend the introductory press conference in Vienna by Márta Kakuk, head of the representative office of Köln Messe in Hungary. We were greeted by Peter Grothues, head of the food division of Köln Messe. He said that their main objective with the exhibition to be held between 20-22 September is to make the Vending exhibition a leading event in Europe. Eu’Vend shows the way to develop in the Vending industry, with innovative concepts and new target groups. Two years ago, 4,200 visitors attended the exhibition, with 1,600 from foreign countries. While 178 companies from 13 countries participated in 2003, there were 203 exhibitors from 19 countries in 2005. This year, 230 exhibitors have already registered five months before the opening. In addition to vending machines and products sold by these, related equipment and logistics are also topics represented at the exhibition. The slogan of the event is “Vending-City”. The exhibition will be staged in an environment resembling a real city, with traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. Peter Grothues emphasised that today’s vending machines should be “alive”, able to provoke emotions and to promote communication, as well as to fit into their environment.