VENDIBÉRICA 2017 attracted a record number of participants, chalking up 9,000 trade professionals and 150 exhibitors.

The vending sector’s leading event took place on 18, 19 and 20 October, achieving enormous success among trade professionals. VENDIBÉRICA was scheduled to coincide with EAT2GO, the first monographic event for the Food Delivery and Takeaway industries. A total of 150 companies from seven countries - Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom - took part, giving the show an international flavour. There was an overall improvement in participation figures, which were up 54% since the last edition of VENDIBÉRICA in 2015. Occupation was up by 50.28%, with 5,500 m2 of exhibition space. Trade visitor numbers were also noteworthy, with 9,000 attendees from 45 countries, or 30% more than those registered at the 2015 edition.

As usual, international visitor numbers were up by 44%, accounting for a significant proportion of attendees at this trade fair. Most of the international visitors to the event were from Portugal (45%), Italy (13%) and France (5%). VENDIBERICA has cemented its international areas of influence, while strengthening the Iberian character of the event.

Among national visitors, it is interesting to note the increase in total visitor sales from the Madrid region, whose share of overall participation was nevertheless lower. This has strengthened and expanded the geographic scope of the event in autonomous regions. Thus, visitors from the region of Madrid accounted for 36.7% of visitors at this edition, while there were slightly more participants from other autonomous regions.  Visitor numbers from Andalusia were up 2.5 points, and those from Valencia, Andalusia and Galicia, were up by more than one point. Holding this fair at the same time as EAT2GO made it possible to attract an enormous number of vending (36.81% of all visitors), and public vending operators (21%), encouraging attendance by professionals from the Horeca channel (bars, cafés, restaurants, hotels and fast food), which accounted for 21.6% of all visitors.

VENDIBÉRICA included an exhibition of some of the most modern vending technologies, the MaquiVending sector (coolers, automatic dispensers, dispensers, machines, OCS); Technology-TechnoVending - management, security, payment systems, software, telemetry; Components for distribution - CompoVending (accessories, consumables, entertainment, packaging); Equipment-EquipaVending (accessories and replacement parts, storage, decoration, cleaning, maintenance, auxiliary furniture, security); Services-ServiVending (insurance companies, consultants, financial companies, training, franchises, media, transport); Food products - ProductVending (hot and soluble drinks, cold drinks, fresh and healthy, snacks and nibbles, sandwiches), and Non-food products - ConsumVending.

For the second time ever, VENDIBÉRICA 2017 organised Vía Innova, an initiative consisting of a directory of the main innovations presented at the trade fair, with a Work Shop, where participating companies can make product presentations. These were very well received by sector professionals, and enabled exhibitors to raise the profile of the latest innovations in vending, an industry with a turnover of more than €1,210 million. These presentations took place in the Training Box, a new space provided at the fair, which hosted around 40 presentations on Thursday, 19 October. This is how VENDIBÉRICA has helped to drive R&D+i in the vending sector, to continue establishing itself as the main sector trade fair on the Iberian Peninsula.

Once again, technical seminars took pride of place at the trade fair, the perfect addition to the VENDIBERICA exhibition area, suggesting professional solutions to the challenges faced by the industry every day. A strong programme of seminars organised in collaboration with ANEDA, which responded to the great business opportunities in the vending sector, in an increasingly technological environment, and with a variety of products and a never-before-seen offer, as a formula for responding from a sector seeing growing consumer demand for healthier products, in line with modern times.

VENDIBÉRICA 2017 put the spotlight on the roasting sector with “coffee day” which, among other activities, featured the  Madrid Region's 6th Barista Championship, organised by the Forum Cultural del café.

In short, VENDIBERICA 2017 broke all its own records for participants and for exhibiting companies, more than exceeding the sector's expectations. It has become a magnificent business opportunity for the food sector, with more than 1,500 companies taking part in VENDIBERICA, EAT2GO, FRUIT ATTRACTION and MEAT ATTRACTION.

Read more: