Exhibitions around the world
Whether exhibitions are worth attending or not is a frequently debated question. Which exhibitions should be attended is another big question. It is already time for us to decide which events we’ll attend this year. Owing to the financial crisis and recession, we need to be more careful in making such decisions than ever before. Although the food industry and retail are not the areas which suffer most from the crisis, inevitable changes in consumer habits will have an effect on these as well. Some trends will remain, but it is hard to tell whether consumers will continue to be willing to spend a little more on new products or not. Apart from the question of attending exhibitions, innovation strategies will also need to be revised. However, prestige will continue to remain a major consideration. Failure to attend events attended regularly in the past might be interpreted as a sign of problems by the market. The following information is intended to help you in decision making. SIAL held in Paris in October 2008, broke all previous records, with more exhibitors and visitors than ever before (5,500 exhibitors from 104 countries and 145,000 registered visitors). A substantial increase in the number of visitors from the USA, Canada, Brazil and Russia was recorded. In November, the atmosphere of gloom prevailing in Hungary did not have much effect on the IFE Foodapest exhibition. Both the number of exhibitors and visitors were up. In 2009, events held only once every two or three years will probably remain popular. Organisers of IFE held in London have come up with a new slogan: Innovation For Everyone. This event to be held in March will focus on innovation as the best tool for maintaining market position. Visiting the SIRHA exhibition in Lyon with 2000 exhibitors from 120 countries and 600 innovations also seems to be a good idea. Finals of Bocuse d’Or, and the World Pastry Cup will also be held during this event. A wide range of anti-theft solutions and checkout systems is to be presented at EuroCIS in February, in Düsseldorf. The G+H exhibition of the hotel and catering sectors is to be held in Brno, with Vinexpo. ProWein held in Düsseldorf in March is the leading event of the international wine and alcoholic beverage sector. A new exhibition is to make its debut in Budapest in May. The 50+ exhibition focuses on the special needs of the 50+ age group. We have a special article for you about the events to be held in Cologne. A number of specialised events organised by HUNGEXPO Zrt will be held in September: Budatranspack, Printexpo, Promotion and Ökotech. IBA (a bakery exhibition) held every three years in Düsseldorf in October might also be a good idea.
