“We have very bold plans for 2021,” says ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA’s commercial director, Will Wollbold. “Our ambition is to welcome our clients back into the halls next September and open our doors in Hong Kong at the right time for Asia’s fresh fruit and vegetable business to meet conveniently and productively.”
Wollbold says surveys of ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA visitors and exhibitors underline a strong preference to meet in person at the first viable opportunity. The return to the physical trade show at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo next September is the best platform.
“Our face-to-face format lets customers meet and interact in person so they can maintain their relationships and make many new ones with trade partners in Asia,” he says. “Ours is the best-quality trade show experience in the halls of AsiaWorld-Expo. Hong Kong is also a highly advantageous location because of its global connectivity as well as the convenience and business efficiency of this great world city.”
ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA ON, the digital edition of the trade show, connected Asia’s fresh fruit and vegetable business with suppliers and buyers across the world when it took place on 17-20 November 2020. Feedback from exhibitors underlined the importance of face-to-face meetings.
“Online is clearly not the same as the normal, face-to-face format, which we prefer,” says Franciso Rotella, commercial manager of Argentinian exhibitor Citrusvil.
“ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA ON served its purpose in challenging circumstances, but it’s hard to see these online events replacing face-to-face in the future once borders reopen,” says Michael Simonetta, chief executive of Perfection Fresh Australia, one of 14 leading Australian companies and organisations that exhibited under the Taste Australia National Campaign Track.
ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA’s return to a physical format in 2021 also benefits from key features of this year’s digital edition. The trade show will continue to offer its easy-to- use business matching and meeting technology to enable clear scheduling of productive business meetings. It will also provide a virtual content platform to enable visitors and delegates who cannot attend in person to join sessions live or view them on-demand.
“Our commitment is the same as always: it is to attract the widest possible range of international suppliers to ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA to connect with decision-makers from across Asia’s fast-growing fresh produce markets,” says Wollbold.
“Our network of international sales representatives continues to support clients and suppliers who come from across 40 countries worldwide, and we expect to attract attendees from over 70 different countries as we have done in previous years.”
“We’ll also run a continental invitation campaign in more than 20 different markets in Asia to focus on Asian buyers and trade visitors.”
Exhibitor registrations for ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA will open in mid-January 2021
