1. upfront TRADE TALK
STRAIGHT FROM SPAIN
This spring, manufacturers and
retailers from around the world
will be flocking to Barcelona,
Spain, for the Alimentaria
2012 trade fair. With an es-
timated one-third of the show’s
expected 4,000 exhibitors coming
from abroad, Alimentaria officials
are saying this show will have a
stronger international presence
than ever before—and they will
have more to offer international attendees.
Held at the Gran Vía exhibition site from March 26 to 29, Alimentaria
is adding a number of new elements in 2012 to help facilitate international
business and commerce. Among these include The Alimentaria Hub, an exhi-
bition hall dedicated to promoting new business opportunities. The hub will
host 12 sector-specific shows, including three targeted towards international
delegations, autonomous communities and organic food products.
Other events to take place in this area include the International Conference
on the Mediterranean Diet, the Innoval awards (15 awards recognizing the
most innovative products in the sector since last year’s show), the Best Pack
awards (awards that recognize the industry’s most innovative and noteworthy
creations), the Research and Technology Transfer Conference and Spanish
Food and Drink Industry business conferences, along with other activities such
as establishing new forms of communication using social networks. This area
of the show will group these initiatives under a single umbrella, augmenting
their synergies and common elements, say officials at Alimentaria.
“The food and drinks industry is the most important for the Catalan econ-
omy and it is the sector which has best withstood the [economic] crisis,” said
Josep Maria Pelegrí, secretary of the Government of Catalonia’s Department
of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishing, Food and Environment, at the organization’s
September press conference.
Isabel Bombal, director of food manufacturing and markets for the Ministry
of Natural, Rural and Marine Environment, agreed. “It is important to lend
strength and visibility to the food industry because of how much capacity it
has for job creation,” she said.
The International Pavilion will return, welcoming back delegates from nu-
merous countries around the world with a strong focus on the Asian market,
as well as new stands from Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Dubai and Sweden. New
to the International Pavilion in 2012, Alimentaria will feature a guest country,
Mexico, which will play a prominent role throughout the show and be fea-
tured in events and through its products.
“We want Alimentaria to continue to grow because it is an excellent
business forum for our industries and a showcase for the strength of Spanish
industry,” said Bombal.
For more information, visit www.alimentaria.com/en. —Elizabeth Louise Hatt
24 NOVEMBER 2011 WWW.GROCERYHEADQUARTERS.COM