Welcome to Paradise: trade fairs in Germany

Crowds of visitors at the Green Week (Internationale Grüne Woche, Berlin, 16-25 January 2014)

The 79th Internationale Grüne Woche trade fair brought 1,650 exhibitors from 70 countries to Berlin and attracted more than 410,000 visitors. Hungary was also part of the extravaganza with a political delegation, an information stand and a restaurant-community stand. The majority of Hungarian exhibitors have been participating for years but there were newcomers too. One of them sold everything they brought by the 10th day…Next year Grüne Woche will be held between 16 and 25 January 2015, with Latvia as the partner country.

Fruit season in Berlin (Fruit Logistica, Berlin, 4-6 February 2014)

Exhibitors said good bye to this year’s Fruit Logistica with a smile on their faces: 90 percent were satisfied with their presence, for instance 44.3 percent of them established new business relationships. There were 2,600 stands by 84 countries and 62,000 trade visitors came from 141 countries; this year’s partner country was Argentina. Hungarian exhibitors were of the opinion that this is the most prestigious event in the trade, where important deals are made. Hungary will start negotiations in order to become a partner country.

The sweetest in the world (ISM – Internationale Süsswaren Messe, Cologne, 28 February – 2 March 2014.)

The world’s biggest confectionery trade fair was visited by 35,000 people from 140 countries – exhibitors came from 68 countries (84 percent of them from abroad) and built 1,476 stands. This year the partner country was Brazil. Hungarian participants established many new partnerships and some orders were placed already. They said there were fewer visitors but more professionals turned up.

25 years of success (Biofach and Vivaness, Nuremberg, 12-15 February 2014)

More than 42,000 trade visitors from 135 countries took part in this year’s major natural cosmetics and organic food event. IFOAM president Markus Arbenz told that stakeholders need to work together if they want to realise their dream: a sustainable and healthy agriculture and food industry. Biofcah received great attention from the media and the conferences were popular, too.