Alimentaria 2006 surpasses the best edition in its history, with 152,000 professional visitors

Alimentaria 2006 closed its doors on 10 March with the best figures in its history, both in terms of the number of occupied square metres (122,000) and of professional visitors (152,000) and participating companies (5,000). These data consolidate the Spanish exhibition in the second position in the world ranking and serve as a driving force to continue growing in the next edition, scheduled for 2008. TRH the Prince and Princess of Asturias officially inaugurated the sixteenth edition of the exhibition, which celebrated its thirtieth anniversary.

Finally, 152,000 professionals -2,000 more than expected- visited Alimentaria during a frantic week of exhibition activity in Barcelona. There was a significant increase in the number of visitors from 155 countries –about 33,000 professionals-, which represents 10% more than in the previous 2004 edition. Alimentaria thus consolidates itself as the Spanish exhibition with the greatest number of international participants and one of the top-ranking in the world.

By countries, 67.78 % of those accredited came from the European Union; 10.04% from Central and South America; 9.38% from non-European-Union countries; 4.64% from North America; 4.02% from Asia; 3.37% from Africa; 0.71% from Oceania; and the rest from other countries.

By facilities, 41.33 % of the professionals (59,059) visited the Fira Barcelona facilities at Gran Vía, where the Restaurama, Intervin, Expoconser, Congelexpo, Interpesca, the Autonomous Communities Pavilion, Olivaria and Expobebidas halls were located; and 58.67 % of the participants (83,941) visited the Montjuic facilities, which hosted Mundidulce, Interlact, Intercarn, Innoval, the International Pavilion, Vegefruit, Ecological Nutrition and Multiproducto.

International exhibitors
Close to 5,000 leading companies in the manufacturing and distribution of food and drink products from 70 countries showed their offer in Barcelona, transforming the city into the world’s food capital for a week.

Alimentaria 2006 strengthens its position as an international business centre: 30 % of the exhibiting companies, about 1,500 firms, came from abroad, which represents a 6% growth with respect to the previous edition of the exhibition. Moreover, the number of international visitors –33,000 professionals- follows an increasing trend, with an international representation of 21.7 %, that is, almost one of every 4 buyers is from outside Spain.

International participation by companies at Alimentaria continues to grow, in exhibition surface area and in number. However, it not only increases, but becomes specialised, since these companies participate in the exhibitions pertaining to their sectors, in addition to being present at the International Pavilion.

The EU contributed the greatest number of international companies to Alimentaria 2006. Italy, with 200 companies, Germany, with 65, Belgium, with 90, France, with 110, the Netherlands, with 20, Portugal, with 60, and the United Kingdom, with over 40, are the countries with the highest representation. Regarding other continents, China contributed 35 companies, Egypt close to 20, the U.S. 25, and Turkey 40.

Latin America participation is worth highlighting, as is the presence of the new EU member countries and that of the Asian continent.

The most international exhibitions
In terms of space, approximately 16,500 m2 of the total 115,000 m2 of net exhibition surface area were devoted to foreign products, which represented 15% of the total (this includes the international pavilion and the corresponding integrated percentage at each hall).

Although international companies were present in all sectors, the hall with the greatest presence of foreign exhibitors was Intercarn, with a total of 822 m2, followed by Restaurama, with (804 m2), Congelexpo (663m2), Intervin (535m2) and Mundidulce (489 m2).

Almost all the countries which participated in previous editions did so again in March, 2006. France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Austria, Greece, Morocco, Tunisia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the U.S., Peru, Venezuela, China and the Ukraine are some of the regular participants which, moreover, have participated with their own pavilion.

New participants
New participants came from countries such as Syria, Turkey, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Singapore and Thailand. In addition, Hungary, Egypt and with the support of AECI (Spanish International Co-Operation Agency), Central American countries such as Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama were present at Alimentaria for the first time.

The Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark, Russia, Cyprus, Malaysia, Indonesia, Monaco, Israel, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Egypt, Paraguay, India and Sri Lanka also attended Alimentaria 2006.

Alimentaria, international business centre
One of the Alimentaria activities that was most successful and will have the greatest impact in the future in the form of new business were the Business Co-Operation Projects (Latin America, Asia, Expansion Countries and Five Continents), where over 7,200 work meetings took place which will foreseeably materialise in commercial agreements for a value of Euro 1,800 million. José Antonio Valls, director of Alimentaria, stressed that, although Latin America continues to be the leader in terms of contacts and contracts, the new project devoted to Asia “has aroused great interest”.

The meetings designed to promote foreign trade are organised by the Spanish Federation of Food and Drink Industries (FIAB), with the collaboration of the Foreign Trade Institute (ICEX) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.

Moreover, Alimentaria is the ideal exhibition framework for the exchange of commercial interests and business opportunities between exhibitors, buyers and visitors, as was confirmed by the International Co-Operation Projects. Approximately 200 Spanish companies and 150 top buyers from all over the world, such as Wallmart from Mexico, Woolworth from Australia, Pesco from Poland, Wilde Oats from the U.S. or Carrefour from Argentina participated in these meetings.

Royal Inauguration
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias, Felipe de Borbón and Leticia Ortiz, officially inaugurated this sixteenth edition of Alimentaria. The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Elena Espinosa; the President of the Generalitat of Catalunya, Pascual Maragall; the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Generalitat of Catalunya, Antoni Siurana; and the Minister of Health, Marina Geli; the Mayor of Barcelona, Joan Clos, and the Mayor of Hospitalet de Llobregat, Celestino Corbacho, were some of the authorities who accompanied the Prince and Princess of Asturias during their official visit to the exhibition.

From the modern building at Gran Vía to the extraordinary Montjuic complex, the group visited some of the most significant points in the 122,000 square-metre exhibition surface area. As could not be otherwise, the President of Alimentaria, José Luis Bonet; the CEO and General Director of Alimentaria Exhibitions, Francisco Carrió, and the exhibition Director, J. Antonio Valls, also officially inaugurated Alimentaria 2006. In addition, vice-presidents José Arcas and Jorge Jordana, accompanied by the presidents of the different exhibition halls, visited, jointly with the Prince and Princess, the facilities of Alimentaria, the second most important food exhibition in the world.