Interpoma 2018 is fast approaching and promises to offer plenty of content and innovation, all in the context of a general increase in European apple production compared to 2017 (12.5 million tonnes according to the latest forecasts by the World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA), reformulated compared to Prognosfruit). From 15 to 17 November, in addition to the leading companies in the sector from all over the world, Fiera Bolzano will also host numerous training sessions, meetings of associations, workshops, press conferences and the traditional “The Apple in the World” Congress: all proof that Interpoma is recognized internationally as the industry benchmark of the apple-growing trade and offers the perfect place for comparing, meeting and networking. Alongside the exhibition and the conference section there will also be nine tours and the “Bolzano loves Apples” initiative that will allow the apple to take center stage outside the exhibition halls, in the city’s restaurants and bistros.
One of the new features of the 2018 edition of Interpoma is that the traditional international congress “The Apple in the World” will be concentrated on the first two days – Thursday, November 15 and Friday, November 16 – omitting the Saturday session. Some 25 speakers will take the stage over the two days, each to be divided into two parts: Thursday will be dedicated to “Trends in Eastern Europe and Asia” and “International Trends in Varietal Innovation, the Apple Genome and the Wild Apple Forests in Kazakhstan”, while the focus on Friday will be “Sustainability in Apple Production: Organic and Integrated Production” and “High-Tech Apple Production of the Future”.
The speakers, all experts of international renown, will come from Austria, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, China, India and New Zealand. The event is set for Thursday, November 15, from 9.00 am to 4.30 pm and Friday, November 16 from 9.00 am to 4.50 pm in the Ortles Room of the MEC Meeting & Event Center – Fiera Bolzano.
Conferences and workshops, exhibiting companies and associations at the forefront
Exhibiting companies and associations are all organizing various training events this year. At 10.00 am on Thursday, November 15, at a press conference in the Tribulaun Room of Fiera Bolzano, the Laimburg Research Centre will be unveiling its “Frudistor” application, whose name derives from fruit, disorder, storage and aims to identify and prevent the cell damage to apples arising from storage; at 2.00 pm, also in the Tribulaun Room, the Grena company is organizing a conference – in German – dedicated to “Bio-stimulants for plants and soil”, to be repeated the following day in Italian.
The Belgian company Beaulieu Technical Textiles will be holding a workshop at 4.00 pm on its stand on the effect of light reflection in improving fruit color, with a presentation of the results of certain tests. The first day will end at 6.00 pm in the Südtirol Lounge with a ceremony for the Interpoma Technology Award. On Friday, November 16, from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm, the Bolzano Chamber of Commerce will play host to a conference organized by ANDMI (National Association of Wholesale Market Directors) on critical issues and developments in Italian foodstuffs markets and centers: major speakers from Italy, Germany and the European Union will alternate throughout the day, together with contributors representing markets, production, retailing, marketing and consumers.
On Saturday, November 17 at 11.00 am, in the Südtirol Lounge, the National Association Women in the Fruit and Vegetable Sector will be staging a conference on “Openness, innovation, teamwork: Italian apples face the test of new markets”, with contributions from women involved in the exporting of apples and the opening up of new markets, sales, logistics, lobbying, and the technical and political aspects.
Interpoma: apples are also “glam”
The apple takes center stage on the Interpoma evening program. Trade shows are places to meet and do business, but they also represent an opportunity to get to know new cultures and sample the culinary traditions of the host territory. On Thursday, November 15, there will be the Golden Delicious Night at the on-site Forst Season restaurant, a “golden” night for locals, but also an opportunity for companies to dine with their customers and meet each other in elegant and pleasant surroundings. Then, on the evening of Friday, November 16, the Bolzano exhibition center will stage the “Rouge et Noir” party, organized by the Forst Season restaurant.
For more information:
Elena Vincenzi
Tel: +39-059-7863894
Email: elena.vincenzi@fruitecom.it