Alimentaria 2018 Consolidated the Participation of European Visitors and Exhibitors
BARCELONA, Spain, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Alimentaria Barcelona, one of the main food, drink and foodservice trade shows worldwide closed its biggest edition in years to offer the food industry a major platform for internationalisation and business, with a high level of innovation, making gastronomy its differentiating factor. Europe, with close to 500 exhibiting firms and 21.500 professional visitors from around 30 countries, was the first key market in the event, that took place from 16 to 19 April 2018 at Fira de Barcelona (Spain).
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With a net exhibition space of over 100,000 sq. m, the joint organisation of the show with Hostelco, the International Exhibition of Equipment for Restaurants, Hotels and Mass Catering, offered both the retail and HoReCa sectors the most comprehensive offering to date. Some 4,500 exhibiting firms, -27% of whom came from outside Spain- and more than 150,000 professional visitors attended the show (30% international).
In Alimentaria 2018, Italy revalidated its position as first European country in number of visitors, followed by France, Portugal, Netherlands, Andorra, Germany, UK, Belgium, Poland and Denmark. In this edition, Italian companies also achieved the first position in the ranking of occupied exhibiting surface, followed by Portuguese, Belgian, German and French firms.
The main key market for the Spanish agri-food industry is the European Union which, according to the Spanish Federation of Food and Drink Industries (FIAB) figures, is the recipient of 70% of exports from Spain. France is the main external market for Spanish products, with €4,3 billion of purchases in 2016, followed by Italy (€3,4 billion), Portugal (€3,1 billion), UK (€1,8 billion) and Germany (€1,6 billion). Olive oil, pork meat, wine, canned fish and confectionery are the most exported Spanish goods in the EU countries.
Gastronomic and innovative Excellence
Close to 20,000 professionals participated in more than 200 activities that took place in Alimentaria 2018, with exceptional protagonists: a selected group of chefs that own close to 45 Michelin stars (Carme Ruscalleda, Paco Pérez or Ángel León among others), while top international wine experts such as Jancis Robinson and Nick Lander participated in the Vinorum Think event. The area The Alimentaria Hub became a knowledge, trends, innovation and business centre, in which some 12,500 meetings between international buyers and exhibiting companies took place.
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