From 12 to 15 September three trade fairs will be opening their gates at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre: InterMopro, InterCool and InterMeat (international trade fairs for dairy products, frozen food, meat and meat products). Over the last few years this food fair trio has developed into the most important B2B platform for all the relevant sectors in Germany and its European neighbours. “As I see it, InterMopro ranks much higher than any other trade fair in Germany. It covers a wider spectrum and is not as much export-focused,” says Marco Mumm from Cheese and Frozen Food Procurement and Fresh Food Procurement & Sales at coop eG. He explains: “InterMopro combines both domestic and foreign business. You’ll find contacts from both sales channels (domestic and foreign) at the various stands.”
The organisers in Düsseldorf consciously build on a perfect three-part trade fair model that is entirely geared towards specialist visitors, offering the best possible platform for top-level decision makers in trade and industry and enabling them to talk to experts about innovative brands and a very wide product range. One feature that is particularly appreciated is the pleasant atmosphere of a “working trade fair” with plenty of space for intensive meetings: “For me, the most characteristic quality of InterMopro, InterCool and InterMeat is that they give us an opportunity to meet in a completely different atmosphere and to talk about topical issues, trends and strategies with experts in trade and industry,” says Achim Wibel from the Procurement Division of Dohle Handelsgruppe.
Although it’s still another six months before the event, the list of registered exhibitors has already reached impression proportions for all three trade fairs: InterMopro Baackes & Heimes, Bauer, Bergader, Cono Kaasmakers, Emmi, Fromi, Milch Union Hocheifel, Nord-Contor Milch, Omira, Schwälbchen Molkerei, Zentis; InterCool Agrarfrost, Aviko, Délifrance, Erlenbacher, Frisch & Frost, Harry Brot, Hiestand, Humana, Pickenpack, R&R, Rosen, Salomon; Vestey Foods InterMeat Abraham Schinken, B. & C., Dachser, Erlander, GS Schmitz, Hans Kupfer, Ishida, Heinrich Noelke, Meica, Plukon, Rügenwalder Mühle, Sprehe, Tönnies, Velisco, Wiesenhof, Zimbo.
“For us InterMopro is the most important trade fair for the German market. In the past it has certainly demonstrated its place as the leading trade fair for dairy products. Every two years we are repeatedly impressed by the high quality standards of this trade fair,” says Jens Fischer, Marketing Manager at J. Bauer GmbH Co.KG. Michael Ebeling, Head of Marketing at Tönnies Fleisch, believes that InterMeat is very important for his company: “InterMeat plays an important role in the sustainable expansion of our customer relations where we concentrate especially on the European Market. Our focus in Düsseldorf will be on industrial, retail and mass catering customers as well as on buyers from non-EU countries.”
Hans Böttcher, export manager for Germany at Frisch & Frost, sees some crystal-clear benefits at InterCool, partly because it takes place in Düsseldorf and partly because it is held in parallel with hogatec, the international trade fair for hotels and for general and mass catering: InterCool has the largest catchment area among German trade fairs. All major commercial head offices and procurement chains are based in the immediate vicinity of Düsseldorf. This means that InterCool attracts specialist buyers with the greatest purchasing potential. We believe that this trade fair has a very high strategic value for the food retail trade. However, as our focus is also on cash & carry, we feel that it’s ideal to have it in parallel with hogatec.”
The Düsseldorf trade fair organisers are continually creating new industry-specific themes, while endeavouring to find genuine innovations and producing attractions that will provide added value for visitors. This year’s forward-looking thematic area of Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility is a recurring theme that will run through the entire trade fair period. One outstanding point of attraction will be the special show entitled “Tomorrow’s Fresh World!” Working with several well-known partners from trade and industry InterMopro, InterCool and InterMeat will present a range of sustainably created products and also various themes to accompany products and product ranges, e.g. sustainable transport, sustainable packaging and energy-efficient refrigeration. The special show will be supplemented by an all-day stage programme.
One highly promising innovation will be a project called Wheylayer, which will presented for the first time at this trio of freshness fairs by Fraunhofer IVV and which involves the participation of 14 partners from seven EU countries. This global innovation will provide us with a high-tech material that uses the excellent barrier qualities of whey proteins for protection against oxygen and moisture. The added value for trade and industry will be immense: This natural product will allow the inexpensive and environment-friendly replacement of polymer-based coats in packaging while at the same time ensuring more lasting freshness in products.
Another attraction at InterMopro, InterCool and InterMeat 2010 will be the new Gourmet Plaza. Visitors can expect a feast for all five senses. This is where delicatessen products and regional specialities will be shown to the specialist public along with numerous product innovations in the high-quality food segment. For the first time a specially created exhibition space for delicatessen food will bring together manufacturers, food retailers and food chains and also visitors to the parallel hogatecexhibition which targets those in the catering and hotel trades.
InterMopro, InterCool and InterMeat 2010 in Halls 12-17 at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre will be open to visitors daily from 10:00 to 18:00 hrs, from 12 to 15 September 2010. Together with hogatac – held in parallel in Halls 9 to 11 – they will give the visitor a “highly superior menu” as the entrance ticket will be valid for all four events. Day tickets are EUR 30.00 (EUR 18.00 if purchased online in advance, plus p&p), and 2-day tickets are EUR 47 (EUR 35 online). Students pay EUR 10.00. Each ticket includes free transport to and from the Exhibition Centre on local VRR buses, trams and trains (Verkehrsverbund-Rhein-Ruhr).
