As the curtain comes down on a busy 12 months in the fresh produce industry, it is an ideal time to see what events are already lined up for 2004. Much is planned across the globe and there are plenty of highlights.
Plans are well underway for two of horticulture's business shows that are firm niches in the calendar, according to organisers Highbury Nexus.
Fruit Focus is set to take place on July 28, and the East Malling research establishment will again be hosting the event. Organisers are hoping to build upon the success of the 2003 show, which experienced a record number of visitors, totalling 1,500. This year's show featured music, cheerleaders and TV's wine guru Oz Clarke and more of the same is planned for 2004.
The seminar programme is central to Fruit Focus. Topics debated at this year's show included; financing research and development, cooperatives, the importance of price and how to adapt to a market getting a higher proportion of retirement age consumers and fewer under 40's. Topics for next year are being kept well under wraps.
The South West Regional Growers Show has a confirmed date of October 6. The event will be hosted at the Matford Centre in Exeter, which has been its home for many years. Situated in the heart of the south west, the show is aimed at growers and plant buyers from local authorities, garden centres and other retail outlets.
The show, which is run on behalf of the National Farmers Union, is an opportunity for those involved in the production, retailing and use of ornamental plants to see the latest developments in the industry. This year's show saw a 33 per cent leap in attendance numbers on the 2002 event. Organisers attribute the success to the intimacy provided at regional shows.
Growers have the opportunity to see the latest introductions into the market place. This year Kernock Park Plants introduced the Sunsatia nemesias, which was described as a breakthrough in breeding and won best new plant.
Moving up to the midlands, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham will be a hub of activity from March 14-17, with a variety of shows taking place in this period. Food & Drink Expo and the Convenience Retailing Show (CRS) are organised by William Reed Exhibitions. Expo brings together UK, regional, international and speciality producers offering retailers and wholesalers the chance to see a mix of products from the UK and abroad. While CRS offers drinks manufacturers the opportunity to unveil new products.
Plans for Expo 2004 include “The Next Big Thing”, which has a showcase of internationally acclaimed food and drink products. Celebrity chef Rick Stein will be judging the “Ideas to Dine For!” competition. This is a 19-category product competition for UK based exhibitors aiming to find the best products at the show. Products are tasted prior to the show and the award winning products will be on display over the four-day event.
The show will also give retailers the chance to sample and buy new and unusual products. Exhibitors include Del Monte and The Authentic Food Company, which specialises in snacks and vegetarian food.
Other fresh produce exhibitors confirmed for the event include Barfoots of Botley, Langmead Farms, The Redbridge Group, TCK fresh produce ltd and United Vegetables.
Foodex Meatex is also taking place at the NEC over the same period and will be revealing a number of new initiatives not seen at the 2002 show.
Four feature areas have been announced for 2004. These are the self advancement zone, the food hygiene and safety zone, the food processing village and 21st century food.
The self advancement zone aims to offer career advice. It will feature a range of professional service providers including recruitment consultants and specialist training providers. The food and hygiene zone will showcase the latest products, services and advice and the food safety forum will run a series of seminars. The food processing village will house a variety of exhibitors from this sector and a small seminar area with daily talks. The 21st century food area is a themed area looking at innovative developments. Within this sector there will be a display of nominations for the innovation awards and finalists for the foodexcellence awards, winners of these awards will be announced on the exhibition's final day (March 17). Entry for the innovation awards is open to exhibitors, and to qualify the new products, services or processes should be launched at the 2004, or have been introduced within the 12 months prior to the show. The foodexcellence awards are open to students at all UK colleges and universities offering food courses.
In response to research following the 2002 show March 14 will be a family day to encourage time-strapped visitors to attend the show will the family. The show will also have new information points manned by Foodex personnel.
Foodex Meatex chief executive Steve Bax says: “This year we will have a radical new focus to meet the demands of the modern food industry, based on the key themes of relevance and measurability, to ensure that the needs of the industry are met more closely than ever. The key supply companies will be there, making it an invaluable networking opportunity. Exhibitors targeting the fresh produce sector are just one segment of the companies who will be at the show. More than ever, Foodex Meatex 2004 will be at the cutting edge with innovation at the forefront of its agenda and a brand new online exhibition has been added for 2004.”
Also taking place at the NEC at the end of March is an event for those interested in the sphere of packaging. Total Processing and Packaging will run at the NEC from March 29 ñ April 1. Europen, the only pan European organisation concerning packaging and the environment, has joined forces with Rockware Glass, glass recycler Berryman and Amcor Flexibles has teamed up with Packaging News to sponsor the event.
Europen's goals are to secure a fully accessible European market for packaging and packaged products without obstacles to trade and to achieve a balanced view on the role and functions of packaging.
Visitor and exhibitors will have access to an on-site facility where they can discuss the latest legislative developments and the latest environmental challenges faced. Europen's managing director Julian Carroll says: “Successful packaging policies will be those which are environmentally, economically and scientifically sound.”
Mainland Europe will also see a selection of events over the coming 12 months. The first of these is Fruit Logistica in Berlin taking place from February 5-7. Fruit Logistica project manager Gerald Lamusse is confident that the event will be bigger and better than before. He says: “Fruit Logistica has received unparalleled interest from fresh produce companies wanting to exhibit at the 2004 event. As a result, trade visitors will be able to see and contact over 1,000 exhibiting companies from more than 50 countries, representing the entire fresh produce value chain world wide. This means that a visit to Fruit Logistica in 2004 is an absolute must for all fresh produce trade professionals.”
The new Fruit Logistica dates means that it will take place separately from the International Green Week for the first time. The event seeks to offer trade visitors an excellent programme of events dealing with key issues concerning the international fresh fruit and vegetable business.
Moving on to May and the 21st Macfrut exhibition organised by Agri Cesena looks to continue its success. The event will take place from May 6-9 in Cesena's exhibiting pavilions.
The 2003 event closed with 38,000 visitors from 80 countries and 600 exhibitors, which proposed new cultivars, equipment and machinery. The show offers a thorough overview of the fruit and vegetable sectors. It features news varieties which best suit market requirements, as well as technological solutions for reefer transport of fruits and vegetables. A large and varied agenda will deal with the most up-to-date issues. These include consumption and prices, globalization of markets and the formation of new niches, such as the so-called fourth and fifth range products ñ fruit and vegetables washed, cut and ready-to-use. This will also cover issues such as traceability and new marketing strategies for fruit and vegetables.
Every year the exhibition presents the most updated information concerning purchases and consumption of fruit and vegetables by Italian families as well as information concerning the import and export of fruit and vegetables.
August sees Prognosfruit 2004 booked in to take place in the Polish city of Lublin. The conference will run from August 6-7. The organisers of this annual gathering of the European topfruit industry are expecting around 400 delegates to attend including 100 from the host nation, 100 from Eastern Europe and 100 from Western Europe and the rest of the world.
Even further afield is the announcement of the Asiafruit Congress, which will take place in Shanghai from April 23-25 in April. Some 350 people are expected to attend the event.
The three-day conference will feature a mix of trade discussion, debate and networking. Special sessions on food retailing in China, foodservice, procurement, marketing and distribution are all planned.
John Hey, editor of Asiafruit Magazine which organises the congress, said: “Shanghai has been chosen as the venue for 2004 because the market in China is changing so rapidly and we want to be as close to the market as we can be.”
No comments yet