MILAN, Italy – As the first event organised by the European Vending & Coffee Service Association (EVA) in person since the pandemic began, we were encouraged to see such a high number of members interacting and participating in the Annual General Assembly (AGM) and Conference, both in Milan as well as online.
The EVA recognised that it may not be easy or practical for everyone to attend the event in person, so during this transitional period the event was organised in a hybrid format and it was interesting to see that out of the 160 participants who participated in the event, they were divided almost equally between attendees who joined online and those who were able to make the trip to the Radisson Blu hotel in Milan.
The Conference “Shaping the industry for the new normal” focused on ensuring that both the strategy of the EVA and the Member companies are ready for and adapting to the changed business landscape as a result of Covid-19. Divided into three segments, the Conference took place as a relaxed discussion between the EVA Director General Erwin Wetzel and a range of experts, looking at the expectations of operators, the digital transformation and the key equipment needed to ensure that the vending & OCS industry is ready to embrace a changed unattended retail environment. The Conference aimed to provide some ‘food for thought’ for company representatives as new strategies are considered.
Attendees who joined online did so through the Vending & Coffee Solutions Hub (www.vending-europe.vfairs.com), a platform the EVA set up this year to allow companies to meet and interact with each other virtually as well as to present new products. The Hub, including the virtual exhibition, is always freely accessible and continues to run until May next year.
During the AGM, the diverse range of EVA services provided this year were highlighted, including recent activities related to public affairs and upcoming legislative topics for vending. Due to a recent vacancy in the EVA Executive Committee, a vote took place between Sergio Barbarisi (BWT) and Maurits de Jong (Rerun Strategy), candidates for the seat representing the Office Coffee Service (OCS) segment. Following a close result, former EVA Treasurer Maurits de Jong was re-elected as a Board member.
To coincide with the publication of the new and much sought-after EVA market report on vending & OCS – covering now 24 European markets – detailed insights and observable market trends were presented by Martin Colston (Colston Consultants) to the event attendees. While members already have free access to the latest study, the EVA will make the report available for purchase very soon.
The complete EVA AGM, Conference and market insight presentations will furthermore available in the coming days to (re)watch on the Auditorium part of the Hub.
The EVA would like to extend its thanks and gratitude to the event sponsors – SandenVendo & 365 Retail Markets (Welcome Lunch) and Evoca Group (Coffee Break).
The EVA is pleased to announce that our next event will be the return of the European Vending Experience (EVEX) during Venditalia 2022 from 25-28 May in Milan in collaboration with the Italian Vending Association (CONFIDA) and Venditalia.
