Attendees and exhibitors from around the world will gather in Germany this week for the Fruit Logistica trade show. We asked John Giles, divisional director, for London-based Promar International (one of the U.K.’s largest agricultural and agri-food consultancy and a subsidiary of Genus plc.) to share some tips about how American visitors can take full advantage of all the show has to offer:
Fruit Logistica, held each February annually in Berlin over three days, has now grown to be a major trade-based event. Although, in reality, many exhibitors start turning up several days before and invariably hold meetings with clients and suppliers across the city for most of the week.
It has now been running for some 20 years and has grown beyond all recognition from its early days. At that stage, it was in effect a trade show aimed at primarily the German fresh produce trade, which then expanded to the rest of continental Europe before finally developing into a truly international event. It is still sometimes, very mistakenly, seen as an event for the EU market.
Exhibitors attend from all round the world — regardless of their geographical location, or the markets they serve. In a normal year, it is estimated that about 56,000 visitors attended from some 140 countries. The number of U.S. attendees always seems lower than maybe it should be.
Fruit Logistica/Berlin attracts some 2,500 trade exhibitors from 80 countries. Foreign exhibitors account for around 90 percent of the total. More than 1,000 media representatives from 50 countries are accredited to attend in a normal year.
Its equivalent in other parts of the world would be the likes of the other Fruit Logistica event held in Hong Kong in the autumn months. This is very small, but growing rapidly, in comparison, around 6,000 visitors attend from 35 countries, and involve around 350 exhibitors. In the US, and as a comparison, the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) would be the equivalent event, which attracts some 20,000 visitors from an estimated 60 countries. As such, Fruit Logistica established itself as the leading event in the global fresh produce calendar on an annual basis.
What can an American visitor to Fruit Logistica expect?
As well as a three-day trade show, held in up to 26 huge aircraft hangar-size halls (which are split on a geographic basis — e.g. the Americas, Central and Northern Europe, the Mediterranean Countries, International/Africa and Asia,
Machinery and Fresh-Cut Produce), there is an active program of seminars and workshops running alongside the main trade fair. These workshops are held throughout its duration. The highlight might well be the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award.
The companies attending this event cover just about every aspect of the horticultural supply chain – from crop protection, packaging, grading, labeling, shipping, insurance, production, importing, exporting, market information as well as consulting services, retailing, foodservice and processing.
A few practical tips for any visitors:
* Book a hotel room early – the city is packed with international visitors, not just for Fruit Logisitca and most people seem to book up on a year to year basis.
* The same applies to eating out, especially in large groups. In the evenings, the restaurants in the city center are normally doing a roaring trade.
* Arrive early and stay late — the three days seem to fly by. Before you know it, you are heading back to the airport. Make the most of your time there.
* Take lots of business cards — the networking opportunities are enormous. Expect to meet a lot of people from all round the world and maybe not too many fellow Americans.
* Plan meetings in advance as much as you can – the atmosphere in the show is sometimes a bit frantic and “just turning up” at trade stands to meet people often doesn’t really work.
* Get the hang of the Berlin public transport/free shuttle bus system — the queues for taxis at the end of the day are massive.
Each year, a country of supply acts as the main country sponsor for the event. This is known as being “the main official partner” country. In 2012, this was Turkey. In 2013, it was Peru. In 2014, it was Argentina and in 2015, it will be Portugal. In past years, countries such as Chile and Morocco also carried out this role. There is a normally a queue of countries lined up to potentially fulfil this role and it might be a two to three year process to sort out all the details and reach agreement on the final contents of the sponsorship deal.
Fruit Logistica in Berlin is now a “must attend” event for any company/organisation seriously involved with the global fresh produce sector and do not think of it as a European only event — this couldn’t be further from the truth! It’s a great event. I have been attending this event for over 10 years and my overall impression is that most people seem to go home from Fruit Logistica — very tired — but also very happy!
Source: Promar International