Grocery Foods; Snacks, Biscuits & Confectionery; Intercarn; Interlact; Expo Conser; Fine Foods and Organics are some of the Alimentaria sectors that have already reached full occupancy. Together with Hostelco, the leading trade fair for the food industry and its value chain, it plans to occupy 7 pavilions of the Gran Vía venue at Fira de Barcelona, with a net exhibition area of almost 85,000 m2, including spaces for congresses and other activities complementary to the commercial offering.
Thus, nearly 3,000 companies will comprise the overall offering of Alimentaria and Hostelco. According to the information on exhibitors that have signed up, the international presence will be considerable: some 400 companies, 18% of the total, will come from 52 countries and will occupy an area of 15,000m2. Prominent among them are first-time exhibitors from Brazil, Slovakia, Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Puerto Rico.
87% of the firms that exhibited in 2020 remain loyal to the show and are once again reaffirming their participation. In addition, more than 200 companies are attending the event for the first time in search of business opportunities or to explore export possibilities.
For J. Antonio Valls, managing director of Alimentaria Exhibitions, the next edition of the show “will allow us to promote the development of the food and beverage industry, which is a strategic sector for the Spanish economy, as well as to continue strengthening the positioning of Spanish food and beverage products in international markets, connecting businesses and promoting face-to-face networking with key decision-makers in the market”.
Therefore, the show will invite 1,400 key buyers, importers and distributors from Europe, Latin America and North America to conduct nearly 12,500 business meetings with exhibiting companies participating in the show.
Maximum occupancy
Of the 10 specific shows that make up Alimentaria, Intercarn, the meat and meat products sector, stands out for its dynamism, with more than 14,000 m2 of floor space, making it the largest show at Alimentaria. This sector is thus the standard-bearer of Alimentaria 2022, endorsed by the Spanish meat industry, which recognises the show as its main platform for business and internationalisation.
For their part, all of Spain’s autonomous regions have already confirmed their presence at Alimentaria and the rest of the shows are already fully booked or with participation levels close to 90%. These include Interlact (dairy and dairy products), Expoconser (preserves), Snacks, Biscuits & Confectionery (confectionery industry and impulse channel), Mediterranean Foods (Mediterranean Diet foods, fresh produce, olive oils and vegetable oils), Restaurama (Food Service), and the new Alimentaria Trends space, which will include in-vogue production sub-sectors such as delicatessen Fine Foods, Organic Foods, Allergen-Free, Halal Foods and Functional Foods; and Grocery Foods, which will bring together mass market food companies. Finally, International Pavilions will bring together the entire international representation and Lands of Spain follow suit for the regional production of Spain’s autonomous communities.
Levers for the future
Innovation, gastronomy and management linked to sustainability and social responsibility will define Alimentaria’s programme of activities, which will combine its classic content with experiences and knowledge that have emerged in the post-pandemic business environment.
The Alimentaria Hub will be the forum on trends and the future of food. More than 200 experts have confirmed their participation in the congresses, presentations and fast talks that will focus on innovation, sustainability, digitalisation, new retail habits, nutrition, health, and booming segments, such as alternative protein and halal products.
Among the new features of The Alimentaria Hub is the Digital Food Arena, which will bring together eight start-ups set to revolutionise the food sector. The eight will be chosen in a programme (Food Hospitality Startup Revolution) promoted by Alimentaria & Hostelco in which emerging companies from the foodtech area have participated. Eight more startups, also selected by a multidisciplinary panel of judges, will be exhibited in the Hostelco Startups Area. The participants will compete for the Food & Hospitality Startup Revolution Awards, which will reward the most innovative startup and the one with the greatest prospects.
For its part, gastronomy will express its status as a strategic and differential cornerstone of Alimentaria at The Experience Live Gastronomy conference with a programme of live cooking, workshops, tastings and presentations of culinary techniques in sustainable gastronomy, regions, the recovery of traditions and research into the food of the future, among other trends. More than 30 top chefs with more than 36 Michelin stars between them will take part on the six stages of this great gastronomic space.
Synergies with Hostelco
The simultaneous staging of Alimentaria with Hostelco, the International Equipment and Machinery Hall for the Restaurant trade, Hospitality and Collectives, will show both the Horeca distribution and channel the most complete and cross-sectional offering of the entire value chain of the restaurant and catering and gastronomic industries.
The synergies that are produced between the offerings of both shows allow us to offer the market around 20,000m2 net area dedicated to the restaurant and catering industry with the participation of 600 firms from this country and abroad.
Barcelona, 31 January 2022
Susana Santamaria
ssantamaria@alimentaria.com