3/26/2010 | Communication and Press Department - Alimentaria Exhibitions

The show exceeded expected attendance figures

International attendees reach 36,000 visitors, 25% of the total

Alimentaria 2010 closed its doors today, leaving a good taste in the mouth of all involved. With final numbers still to come, the show succeeded in bringing in 140,542 professionals, 8% more than initial forecasts, with close to 4,000 exhibitor companies. These figures are especially important considering the current economic and trade show environment. Following a week of intense trade show activity at Fira de Barcelona's Gran Vía venue, Alimentaria defended its status as the benchmark Spanish event for the agri-food sector and its position among the top three most important food and drink trade shows in the world.

By the close of the show today, Friday, at 3.00pm, 140,542 professionals had visited Alimentaria 2010 since last Monday, 8% more than anticipated by the organiser, Alimentaria Exhibitions, a joint venture between Fira de Barcelona and Reed Exhibitions.

Alimentaria 2010 exceeded expectations in terms of both the quantity and quality of the professionals who attended the event. In the words of the organisers, this represents a 'boost of optimism' for an industry such as agri-foods, of great economic importance in the future.

The companies participating, some 4,000 firms from 75 countries, offered a very positive assessment of the large influx of international professionals, more than 36,000 from 155 countries, 9% more than initially forecast. Foreign visitors accounted for 25% of the total, which meant that one in every four visitors came from abroad.

Josep Lluís Bonet, chairman of Alimentaria and Fira de Barcelona, emphasised that Alimentaria 2010 has more than fulfilled expectations, thanks to a great deal of work and two years of preparation. 'It's impossible to improvise a success such as this,' he said, after indicating his satisfaction with how the show went at an edition which was anticipated to be 'especially decisive'. 'Alimentaria has demonstrated the strength and energy of its trade show model, as well as that of a sector which is strategic for the country's economy,' Bonet underscored.

Bonet also highlighted the 'wonderful platform for international expansion which Alimentaria has shown itself to be for thousands of agri-food companies for which the show is the only way to promote themselves abroad.'  The chairman of Alimentaria also gave thanks for the support and presence of the Prince and Princess of Asturias, who inaugurated the 18th edition of Alimentaria together with Minister of the Natural, Rural and Marine Environment Elena Espinosa; the president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, José Montilla; and Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Action Joaquim Llena, among other officials.

For J. Antonio Valls, director of Alimentaria and deputy managing director of Alimentaria Exhibitions, Alimentaria 2010 established itself as 'a major opportunity for the Spanish food and drink industry to make contacts and do business through the International Projects, among other tools which the show makes available to exhibitors'.

More than 8,000 meetings were held at these business conferences put together by the show's organisers in collaboration with FIAB (Spanish acronym for the Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation) and ICEX (Spanish acronym for the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade), in addition to numerous bilateral meetings held by ACC1Ó (a Generalitat of Catalonia agency for the promotion of Catalan companies abroad) and other important organisations from the sector. The 30% increase in Alimentaria's budget for international promotion undoubtedly contributed to the success of these meetings between Spanish manufacturers and international distributors, something which is 'clearly beneficial in times of crisis and extremely useful for building the future,' concluded Valls.

Brands as a standard
In addition to internationalisation, if one thing defined this edition of Alimentaria, it was the emphasis placed on the role of brands as an essential tool for food and drink companies to build a presence abroad. Brands thus appear as a standard for the necessary and pressing international expansion of an agribusiness such as Spain's, whose premier products and quality are known to all.

The values and attributes of brands and how they are perceived by consumers were spotlighted at the International Food Forum, with a model which combined theory in the Synovate study 'What consumers of brands expect. The manufacturer’s role as brand manager', with practice in the form of real success cases such as the launches of Danacol (Danone), Nespresso (Nestlé), individual pizzas from Campofrío and salads and ready-meals by Isabel – all compiled by Instituto Internacional San Telmo – and a round table discussion with some of the country's leading food and drink brands.

For its part, the International Conference on the Mediterranean Diet included several talks on the main foods which make up the dietary model, as well as its development and current status; although the highlight was the reformulation of the traditional dietary pyramid.

Showcase for trends and new products
Over the course of the week at Fira de Barcelona, Alimentaria presented the latest from the industry, from non-alcoholic wine to chocolate cheese, including sparkling wine with edible gold, oxygenated water and seaweed caviar. Antioxidant green coffees, tapas with seaweed, chocolates with Cabrales cheese, ham for sushi, Aztec walnuts and hundreds of other new products made their debut at the show. In this regard, Innoval 2010 has established itself as the international observatory for R&D&I at Alimentaria.

BCNVanguardia, Ferran Adrià and Harvard
The BCNVanguardia gastronomy conference passed the test of experimentation and interactivity with flying colours. At its most participatory edition, the audience was able to sample the creations presented by chefs: from Denia red prawns (Quique Dacosta) to caramelised olives from El Celler de Can Roca. The co-operation agreement between Alicia Foundation and Harvard University through which several Catalan chefs will give classes at the American campus starting in September was announced by Ferran Adrià, attracting a large ground of media representatives. Almost 2,000 journalists were accredited to cover Alimentaria 2010.

Communication and Press Department
Susana Santamaria / Xavier Bertomeu
C/ Diputació, 119. 08015 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 452 11 04 – Fax: +34 93 452 18 01
prensa@alimentaria.com

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