Fi Europe & Ni with record breaking visitor numbers

A marketplace for innovation, a source of inspiration and a trend barometer: Fi Europe & Ni, the world’s most important trade show for food and beverage ingredients, 2017 welcomed more visitors than ever before.

More than 26,000 attendees from over 135 nations worldwide used the three-day trade show in Frankfurt / Germany to discover innovative new concepts and novel solutions. Boasting an abundance of excellent, high quality delegates, post-event analysis showed that almost 78 % of the attendees had budget ­responsibility, with approximately 30 % having higher management roles – an ideal mix to generate promising leads at more than 1,600 stands.
Key players such as Cargill, Beneo, Roquette or Naturex presented innovative new products and solutions. In addition, several start-ups and first-time exhibitors used the trade fair as a platform to further expand their brand. Oliver Wolf, Head of B2B ­Marketing at Gelita, gave a very ­positive review, stating: “The sheer volume of visitors at our stand was immense – and the overall quality of enquiries was very high. That’s why Fi Europe was, once again, the perfect setting for us to introduce our latest innovations in gelatine and collagen peptides to a broad expert audience.” And Peter Hennebichler, Director Corporate Sales & Marketing at Agrana, added: “We counted a record number of attendees at our stand this year. ­Because of the highly relevant contacts we make here, we have exhibited at FiE for many years.”

Insight into the future of the industry

Far more than just a supporting programme, Fi Europe & Ni once again ­offered a variety of additional attractions, including more than 20 country pavilions and themed areas – such as the Expo FoodTec Pavilion – and daily Innovation Tours. In the Industry Insights Theatre and Supplier Solution Sessions, attendees were able to get up close and personal with interesting companies and their concepts. Furthermore, the New Product Zone and Ingredients in Action, hosted by Innova Market Insights, provided an overview on the latest products that made their way into consumers’ shopping carts.
With the second Future of Nutrition Summit, the pre-show one day summit, show organizer UBM EMEA ­offered detailed insight into the future of the industry; social and technological developments that will impact the ingredients industry during the next five years were put under the spotlight. In addition, the Fi Conference covered everything from clean label to regulatory issues. Jennifer Arthur of Leatherhead Food Research introduced the possibilities and challenges of personalized nutrition, whereas Dr Laurice Pouvreau, Senior Project Manager, Protein Functionality at Nizo, explained how promising sensory results can be achieved by blending different protein sources. With more than 250 delegates, the conference programme also reached a record-breaking number.
FiE & Ni 2019 will take place from 3 to 5 December 2019 at the Parc des Expositions Villepinte in Paris. •