Three days of Fi & Hi Europe 2021 in Frankfurt/Germany proved that for many professionals face-to-face trade fairs are still the unrivalled networking format. Amidst challenging circumstances, participants from a wide range of countries attended the world’s leading food and beverage ingredients show to discover industry innovations and meet customers and partners. Those who were unable to attend in-person had the opportunity to connect, network and watch all content sessions online.
Obviously, visitor numbers were lower than in previous years, but we had good traffic at the booth – and the contacts were more qualitative.” This statement by an exhibitor at Fi Europe 2021 applies to many and reflects the situation at the ingredients show well. And although some booths were unoccupied due to the pandemic and some actually booked booth areas remained deserted, the visitors surveyed were largely satisfied: “I’ve missed this show! It’s very interesting to see new products and new trends,” was one typical statement.
On the exhibitor side, 710 companies from all over the world were present. More than 10,600 products were showcased at the booths spread across three exhibition halls, and on the online platform. The fact that Fi & Hi Europe is the central hub of the ingredients industry worldwide, was demonstrated by the international spectrum of attendees on site: professionals from 106 countries attended the in-person event. In total, more than 13,000 attendees participated in-person and online.
Julien Bonvallet, Fi Europe Brand Director, said: “I am happy that despite the travel restrictions, we saw high quality visitors at the event.” 73 % had budget responsibility, and more than 36 % were in top management (C-level).
Highlights of the three-day trade show included the live presentation of the Fi Europe Innovation Awards and the Startup Innovation Challenge, the New Product Zone, and a broad programme of presentations and trend analyses streamed live.
During the Fi Europe Innovation Award Ceremony, which took place on the first day of the trade show, six companies from 19 finalists received a coveted award recognizing their achievements. The awards recognize outstanding achievements in the food and beverage industry. This year’s winners address current consumer trends with their solutions – from gut and immune health, to naturalness and sustainability.
The Clean Label & Natural Innovation Award went to Bunge Loders Croklaan (The Netherlands) for Karibon, a 100 % shea-based cocoa butter equivalent (CBE) that combines all the processing benefits and versatility of leading CBEs with the nutritional and sustainability benefits of shea.
The Sensory Innovation Award went to AAK (Sweden) for AkoBisc GO!, a biscuit fat that is low in saturated fatty acids and free from tropical fats, offering a high sensory biscuit quality with a crunchy bite, no fat bloom and no discoloration over time.
Next year, Fi Europe, again co-located with Hi Europe, will be digitally smarter and offer even more on-site opportunities. The show will take place at Porte de Versailles in Paris, a new venue for the event that was chosen as a result of feedback received by clients and partners. This location is both central and easily accessible, and also allows visitors the opportunity to enjoy the delights of Paris. The trade fair’s online version will start on 28 November 2022, while the in-person event will open its doors from 6 to 8 December 2022.
