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The results of Fruit Attraction were even better than expected, since the event drew more than 68,000 trade professionals from 110 countries.
Fruit Attraction 2017 is over, and the 9th edition proved that this has become of the main international events in the fruit and vegetable sector, in a key month for business meetings between the offer and demand. A total of 68,161 professionals from 110 countries took part (17% more than last year) with 1,500 companies from 34 countries, an increase of 20%. The trade fair fulfilled its objective of creating an effective business scenario for agents in the sector. Organised by IFEMA and FEPEX, Fruit Attraction 2017 took place from 18 to 20 October in Halls 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 at Feria de Madrid. This was the biggest and most comprehensive edition ever, covering 45,000 square metres –an increase of 10% over its predecessor.
One of the most outstanding features was the noticeable increase in international participants which, with a total of 19,947 professional attendees, grew by more than 97%., Europeans predominated among foreign visitors, particularly those from Italy, France, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Belgium, confirming the fair is a key business event for European production, marketing and distribution.
From Spain, the five best-represented Autonomous Regions attending Fruit Attraction were Andalusia, Madrid, Valencia, Murcia y Catalonia, accounting for 54% of domestic visitors. There were also healthy numbers from Extremadura, Aragón, la Rioja, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, the Basque Region, Navarre and Galicia.
In terms of exhibitors, international participants made up 37% of the total, with 557 foreign companies from 33 countries. Participation was strong from France, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands, showing the strength of the European and Spanish production area. Some new countries also came along for the ninth edition, such as Colombia, Greece, Israel, Senegal and South Africa.
In the domestic area, there were representatives from all Spain’s autonomous regions at Fruit Attraction 2017. A total of 935 companies, 62% of the total, took part in the Trade fair on a surface area of around 34,400 square metres.
Once again, the producers’ exhibition area, Fresh Produce, was the segment with the largest number of representatives, with 1,089 exhibitors., The auxiliary industry was also out in force, with 376 companies showing the strength of the entire fruit and vegetable chain. For the first time ever, this year, the trade fair included new specific areas like Smart Agro, focused on the use of technologies to generate new agri-food products and services, to improve farm productivity, Nuts Hub, especially for nuts, and Fresh´N´Star, a new programme encompassing the entire directory of participating companies, seminars and product exhibition of the two stars of this edition, which were lettuces and pomegranates. In the meantime, the Lanzadera Programme was designed to raise the profile of new sector companies created in the last two years, and had 15 exhibitors.
The Lanzadera Prize was awarded to Paturpat cooperative which said it was delighted to have been acknowledged and that “Fruit Attraction is our most important trade fair, and we have coming since the first edition. As soon we get our new calendars at the beginning of the year, with block of the days in red. It has always been a very strong event, but year after year it has improved and evolved into an unmissable trade fair for the entire Spanish and international industry and, of course, for our team”. The twelve-thousand-euro prize will be donated to a development cooperation project in the Republic of the Congo.
Technical Seminar Programme
At the same time as the trade show, Fruit Attraction hosted an extensive schedule of technical seminars and activities, which offered professionals a space for debate and exchange of knowledge.
Among others, these included the Global Fresh Market Forum, organised by FEPEX in collaboration with ICEX and the Ministry of Agriculture, and Stone Fruit Attraction, by APOEXPA-FEPEX, Lettuce Attraction: the world of leafy vegetables, courtesy of PROEXPORT, and with or without phytosanitary products? by AEPLA/FEPEX.
The Trade Fair was also the chosen setting for the VI International Postharvest Unlimited Conference, and for other seminars like, The pomegranate: new opportunities for an emerging fruit by D.O. P. GRANADA MOLLAR DE ELCHE, Technology Attraction. Science, business and technology revolution by BIOVEGEN, Seed Planet Forum –ANOVE, Adaptation of the stone fruit tree industry to climate change by FECOAM, Innovation in the agrifood sector made reality by AMETIC, and ecological chains in Spain staged by REVISTA F&H.
Pasarela Innova and Foro Innova
Yet again this year, another leading initiative was the sixth edition of the Pasarela Innova, a space that highlights the latest products, varieties and brands launched by exhibiting companies to the fruit and vegetable market. This time, a total of 34 innovative products were exhibited in the area.
In the meantime, Foro Innova hosted different talks, presentations and technical seminars on new developments and solutions for the fruit and vegetable sector, staged by participating companies.
The sector’s most important trade exhibition also featured Fruit Fusion, a space set aside for dissemination, innovation and interpretation of the best fruit and vegetable products used in catering. This was the gastronomic area of Fruit Attraction, featuring attractive demos and cooking shows.
Madrid Food Bank
Fruit Attraction supported the collection of fruits and vegetables from exhibitors for the Madrid Food Bank, which gathered more than 42,000 kilos of produce for charitable purposes. This is a higher figure last year. The fruit and vegetables went to 14 organisations that will benefit 7,500 people.
Organised by IFEMA and FEPEX, the ninth edition of Fruit Attraction took place in Halls 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 at Feria de Madrid, from 18 to 20 October and was officially opened by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Isabel Garcia Tejerina.
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