Alimentaria 2012 will include two new exhibition halls at the Fira Gran Vía venue and expects to provide close to 100,000 m2 of product offerings and culinary, business and innovation activities
Alimentaria, the International Food and Drinks Exhibition, will return to Barcelona 26–29 March 2012. The event's Organising Committee has now been established – although new additions with ties to specific sectors are anticipated. This body will set the guidelines for the show in preparation for the event. The trade fair is warming up for a new edition that will focus all its strategic attention on competitiveness, international expansion and brands in the food and drinks industry.
Josep-Lluís Bonet, chairman of Fira de Barcelona and Freixenet, once again assumes the role of president of the Alimentaria 2012 Organising Committee. The committee includes new members Bernard Meunier, managing director of Nestlé España, and Horacio González Alemán, secretary general of the FIAB (Spanish acronym for the Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation).
In the words of Bonet, 'Alimentaria’s success is based on its great professionalism, significant knowledge of the sector and the experience gained over its long history. In this regard, the role of the committee, together with the organisers, is unquestionable.'
The most authoritative voices In addition to the members mentioned above, the Alimentaria 2012 Organising Committee includes Jesús Serafín Pérez, managing director of Aguas de Fuensanta, president of the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA) and president of FIAB; Ignacio Ferrero, managing director of Nutrexpa; Javier Robles, chairman of Danone; José María Bonmatí, managing director of the Spanish Commercial Coding Association (AECOC); Pere Camprubí, expansion manager for Fira de Barcelona; Juan José Guibelalde, deputy manager to the chairman of Grupo Campofrío; Josep Pont, chairman of Aceites Borges Pont; Jaime Rodríguez, managing director of Euromadi; Juan Mª Vieites, secretary general of the Spanish National Preserve and Seafood Manufacturers Association – National Fishing Product Preservation Technical Centre (ANFACO – CECOPESCA); Montserrat Gil de Bernabé, managing director of Mercabarna; Antonio Llorens, chairman and managing director of Serunión; Francisco Sensat, president of the Association for the Advancement of the Mediterranean Diet; Juan Mª Torres, vice-chairman of Bodegas Miguel Torres; José Arcas, former chairman of Nestlé España; Jorge Jordana, former secretary general of FIAB; Silvio Elías, manager of Ecoveritas; José Carlos Lacasa, chairman of the FIAB Promotion Committee; Francisco Carrió, managing director of Alimentaria Exhibitions; and J. Antonio Valls, director of Alimentaria and deputy managing director of Alimentaria Exhibitions.
Competitiveness, international expansion and brands
The major food and drinks industry event will return to Barcelona 26–29 March 2012. Alimentaria will defend its position as an international leader, positioning itself as the 'think tank for the entire agri-food industry,' says the show's chairman. Competitiveness, international expansion and brands will be even more driven to assume a decisive strategic role in the make-up and profile of the show. 'Now, growth comes from foreign sales and these can only be achieved from a competitive position with the brand as the hallmark of quality,' summarises Bonet.
In this regard, with this edition Alimentaria 2012 will once again be the trade show which attracts the sector's major global operators. With an anticipated 4,000 companies – one third of them from abroad – and 140,000 buyers – 25% international, the show will confirm its position as an international hub for business transactions. This is how the show's exhibitors view it, with 60% indicating their intention to expand into the international market before too long. To this end, the show includes the International Projects, more than 8,000 business meetings to promote international expansion for Spanish food and drinks companies.
The Spanish food and drinks industry has demonstrated its ability to withstand the current economic environment. With 439,000 workers, it ended 2010 with turnover of 85 billion euros and a 13-billion-euro export surplus (period January-October 2010), 10% more than in 2009. This demonstrates the competitiveness of Spanish companies, which have not only held on to their traditional markets in the European Union, but are also successfully exploring new markets such as the U.S.A., China and India. Among the sectors with the highest growth are olive oil, meat products and wine, all of which will be represented at Alimentaria 2012.
Two new exhibition halls
Building on the success of concentrating the entire show in Fira de Barcelona's Gran Vía Venue at the previous edition – a move rated very highly by exhibitors and professional visitors – Alimentaria 2012, which has already given the green light to promoting the show, will also feature two new exhibition halls, 5 and 7. This will make it possible to provide an additional 40,000 gross m2 of exhibition space. The next edition of Alimentaria expects to occupy close to 100,000 m2 with product offerings and activities focusing on business, promotion, gastronomy, R&D&I, nutrition and health.
In consideration of the interests of both exhibitors and visitors, venue size, potential organic growth of each of the sectors and commonalities between sectors in terms of purchasing channel, the shows making up Alimentaria 2012 will be organised differently. Alimentaria is tackling its next edition with the clear aim of removing time constraints on its activity by supporting strategic events such as the Chef of the Year Competition, taking part in FIAB (Spanish acronym for the Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation) trade missions, various agreements with partners in the academic and R&D&I world, and a presence on social networks and the Web 2.0, as well as other related activities which will extend its life cycle beyond the dates of the event itself.
New image
Not to be left behind, the show's graphic image has been updated for 2012, using the egg as a distinctive and inseparable aspect of the event. This time the symbol of Alimentaria – and by extension the concept of food itself – is contained in any everyday object in both haute cuisine and every household's cooking. The whisk envelops and contextualises Alimentaria – as gastronomy does with the food and drinks industry – while also casting the shadow of a world map which reflects the global scope and presence of the trade show and Spanish agribusiness.
For further information please contact:
Susana Santamaria / Xavier Bertomeu
Tel: + 34 93.452.11.04
Email: prensa@alimentaria.com