Trade fairs exceed expectations
About 11,700 visitors at fish international and GASTRO IVENT
Exhibitors and organisers drew a positive balance in the Bremen exhibition halls at the end of the 15th fish international and the second GASTRO IVENT. With about 11,700 visitors the fair even surpassed the organisers’ expectations. And the exhibition of Fleischer-Einkauf AG which took place parallel to the main event also achieved a good result with about 1,800 visitors.
Germany’s only trade fair for fish and seafood once again proved its reputation as the industry’s meeting place, and with numerous product innovations set the tone for the entire industry. “fish international stands out for its great audience”, said Stefanie Görtz (Vidal Feinkost from Staudt): “It’s not only the right place for maintaining existing contacts but also for attracting new ones.” For Egil Magne Haugstad (Pelagia, Norway), a producer of raw materials for industry, the special charm of the fair is in its compact size: “Here you have time combined with short distances – that leads to interesting, in-depth discussions. In comparison, larger trade fairs have more the character of speed-dating.”
Among the biggest exhibitors at fish international were Deutsche See and Transgourmet Seafood from Bremerhaven. “The fair was marked by good discussions, not only with our regular customers but also with new prospective ones”, said company spokesman Andreas Kremer in an initial assessment. Jürgen Bergmann, Communications Manager at Transgourmet, came to a similar conclusion. Transgourmet had brought with them 20 partner companies. “It was a very good opportunity to present the full product and service portfolio”, said Bergmann: “The fair isn’t only important for us as a company but also for the location Bremerhaven.”
Andrew Bing from Great Britain was in Germany with his “Loch Duart” salmon for the first time and was surprised by the possibilities that the fair offered: “The internationality was a positive surprise for us. We came to meet potential customers from Germany. And then we were thrilled to see that the market is much bigger and extends far into Eastern Europe.”
Surprise premieres at the fair included “Kaviar Cocktails” that the German-Danish producer Royal Greenland presented in Bremen: “Their success surprised us. But that’s not the only reason why it was a good decision to come here. The fair is simply an important meeting place for the entire industry”, underlined Managing Director René Stahlhofen.
GASTRO IVENT, too, was dominated by dialogue and exchange of ideas between exhibitors and business partners. “The second GASTRO IVENT has shown that this fair is the right idea”, said Christian Klatt, the Manager of Kaffeeplan: “With the Coffee Style zone we have created an offer for which there is a great need in the restaurant and catering sector.”
The second major trend topic – the Crafted Area – also proved to be an ideal offer: “For us as a young company in Bremen the fair is perfect for showing who we are”, said Dr Markus Zeller, from Freie Brau Union Bremen: “GASTRO IVENT once again confirmed and underlined the Craft Drinks trend that beer cannot only be sold via the price but also via quality, flavour and individuality.”
Most exhibitors have already noted the dates for the next GASTRO IVENT in two years’ time and will be keeping them free till then. “A key success factor is the regionality aspect of GASTRO IVENT“, emphasized Klaus Recker, CEO of Recker Feinkost: “Here you really meet the people you want to meet, the people you have to meet. We’ll definitely be here again next time”. And that was also confirmed by Giuseppe Gencarelli, CEO of S.A. Frega Bremen GmbH: “I’d like to come back again with a larger offer.”
The positive development is a reflection of the “good mood within the industry but also shows that our concept is right”, says Hans Peter Schneider, the Managing Director of MESSE BREMEN & ÖVB-Arena: “The trade fairs are highly complementary and due to their broad positioning create added value for the visitors.”
For more information please visit www.fishinternational.com or www.gastro-ivent.de.