Co-organised by IFEMA and FEPEX, the fair took place between 4th and 6th November at Feria de Madrid
Spain: The first edition if Fruit Attraction surpasses all expectations and emerges as a grand forum for business

The first edition of FRUIT ATTRACTION, the Fruit & Vegetables  Trade Show, which is co-organised by IFEMA and FEPEX, the Spanish Federation of Fruit, Vegetable, Flower and Live Plant Producing Exporters, took place between 4th and 6th November at Feria de Madrid. It concluded with a set of highly satisfactory results, with participants fulfilling all of their commercial and trade objectives.

Throughout its three-day duration, FRUIT ATTRACTION featured a total of 12,628 trade participants, calculated in accordance with the auditing parameters established by the Spanish Fairs Association. In this respect, the first edition of the fair surpassed all expectations, based on the participation of practically the entire Spanish distribution sector and some high levels of international participation. Out of the total participation figure, some 8,480 participants corresponded to members of the industry of high professional profile and strong decision-making capacity. Specifically, 7,481 of these participants were Spanish, whilst 999 attended the fair from 52 different countries. France headed the ranking in terms of the number of foreign professionals at the fair, accounting for 16% of the total number of foreign visitors, followed by Italy with 14%, Portugal with 12%, the Netherlands with 9%, the United Kingdom with 8%, Poland with 6%, Germany with 5% and Brazil with 4%.

From Spain itself, the regions that contributed the largest numbers of visitors included the following: Madrid (2,345 visitors), Andalusia (1,328 visitors), Catalonia (777 visitors), the Valencian Region (750 visitors) and Murcia (635 visitors). These regions were followed by Aragón (310 visitors), Castile-La Mancha (252 visitors), the Canary Islands (251 visitors), Castile-León (198 visitors) and Extremadura (188 visitors). To this number we must also add the professionals who travelled to the fair from the remaining Spanish regions: the Basque Country (95), Galicia (75), La Rioja (60), Navarre (57), the Principality of Asturias (25), Cantabria (11), the Balearic Islands (10) and Melilla (2).

From a commercial point of view, FRUIT ATTRACTION made an active contribution in terms of promoting closer links among the different representatives of the distribution chain. From a professional perspective, the fair provided a magnificent meeting forum for the industry and for the distribution sector, significantly boosting expectations in the short and medium term. The fulfilment of these objectives will undoubtedly help to widen the social, financial and commercial basis of this project at its next edition in the year 2010.

At this first edition, FRUIT ATTRACTION brought together some 353 exhibitors, including 25 from abroad. Of this number, 293 were producers and distributors located in the main Spanish regions, whilst 60 were suppliers of goods and services.  In all cases, a considerable number of professionals passed through the stands, thus confirming the fair's potential with regard to future editions.

A General Level of Satisfaction

All of the companies and bodies taking part at the event revealed their satisfaction with the results they managed to achieve throughout the course of the fair. Thus, according to Antoni Costa, a representative of the Association of Onion Producers and Marketing Companies of Catalonia, "FRUIT ATTRACTION was highly beneficial, given that it enabled us to establish a large number of trade contacts, welcome a considerable number of visitors and present a large number of new features. All of this was based on excellent organisation".

The evaluation offered by Alberto Garrocho, President of the Andalusian Cooperative of Santa María de la Rábida and President of Freshuelva, was equally enthusiastic: "Nobody expected the event to be as warmly received as it has been. In three days we have made contact with clients who would have taken us four weeks to capture in different circumstances. The foreign guests - Germans, English and Italians - thought the fair was a marvellous idea, given that they were able to meet different individuals and companies that they planned to visit at the same venue, without having to travel to the different producing areas throughout Spain".

DuPont also rated its participation at the fair very highly, declaring that the event is "destined to occupy a key place on the international calendar".  In short, this company was extremely pleased to form part of the fair's first edition, "demonstrating with its presence the importance of sharing the desires and preoccupations of producers". According to Dupont, Fruit Attraction served as a forum of considerable specialised and commercial interest for the fruit and vegetable industry, a role it must continue to play in the future. In conclusion, the company declared that "as suppliers, we believe it is our responsibility to share time and space with Spanish producers, the real key players within the industry". 

According to the Murcian Range IV company, Kernel, the first edition of FRUIT ATTRACTION surpassed their expectations and established the event as an ideal forum and meeting-point for the industry. This exhibitor also pointed to the high professional profile of the visitors.

The Association of Wholesale Businesses at the Central Fruit Market of Madrid (Mercamadrid) considered the fair to be a resounding success, based on its high levels of trade and business activity. They also pointed out that a large number of professionals made repeat visits throughout the fair's three-day duration.        

Coinciding Activities

 Coinciding with the trade activity at the fair, FRUIT ATTRACTION staged a wide-ranging programme of specialised conferences, all of which were fully attended by the visiting professionals at all their sessions.  During the conference on the first day of the fair, which was devoted to the European distribution sector, the participants established that the success of distribution chains in the current economic crisis will depend on boosting promotional efforts, organising and planning supply and promoting cooperation with suppliers.

The conference staged on 5th November, which was devoted to cogeneration, established that the development of a new greenhouse exploitation model in Spain,   based on the incorporation of cogeneration and the use of CO2, is vital in terms of maintaining the competitive edge of the fruit and vegetable industry. Cogeneration constitutes the joint production of mechanical and heat energy, both of which can be used as part of the production process within a greenhouse that is equipped to this end, thus leading to improved performance and extended production calendars. At the same time, CO2 can be put to good use, with the consequent reduction in harmful emissions.

During the conference devoted to phytosanitary policy, the participants agreed that, in view of the globalisation of markets and plagues, it is essential that Spain enjoy the same access to phytosanitary products as its main competitors, both inside and outside the European Community. It was also announced that, in order to make these products more widely available, the Spanish Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM) aims to separate evaluation tasks relating to phytosanitary products from tasks relating to the management of authorisations, with the latter remaining under the control of MARM.  

Furthermore, the gastronomic programme known as FRUIT FUSION was also warmly welcomed by professionals. Organised by the Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM) in conjunction with Madrid Fusión, a key point of reference regarding the staging of culinary events, and based on the collaboration of IFEMA and FEPEX, FRUIT FUSION featured the participation of a number of prestigious chefs, including Firo Vázquez and Rodrigo de la Calle, the creator of the "Fruit Attraction Citric Caviar Tapa".

Contact:
DIRECCIÓN DE COMUNICACION Y PRENSA
Guadalupe Madueño
Tel: (34) 91 722 58 22 Fax: (34) 91 722 57 93
lupe@ifema.es
IFEMA . Feria de Madrid . 28042 Madrid
www.ifema.es

 
 

Publication date: 11/19/2009

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