HAMBURG – Internorga, the leading European HORECA show, was held from 13 to 18 March in Hamburg, with some 1,300 exhibitors from 25 nations presenting their product innovations and giving a comprehensive market overview on 100,000 square metres of exhibition space.
Internorga was attended by visitors from all parts of the world and from the whole of Germany. And the mix was right – with restaurants of every size, big caterers, hoteliers, traders, planners, bakers – all the key players in the HORECA sector.
This year’s Internorga featured a wide range of premieres. FH Nord, the new trade show for butchery in the North, was held for the first time, and was well received by the trade.
A great many launches were successfully held in the INTERNORGA supporting programme – the CRAFT BEER Arena, two innovative formats for bakers and confectioners (BACK Stage and Blue Box), and the Food Truck Village located on the forecourt in front of Internorga’s main entrance.
Internorga continued to build on its leading international position, in combination with the number one food service and institutional catering conventions, which once again proved a great attraction with high-powered international speakers.
A total of 98,000 visitors attended INTERNORGA and FH Nord. “We are extremely pleased – the response of exhibitors and visitors was more positive than ever in 2015.
We had the right mix here, with numerous product premieres by our exhibitors, with international conferences, and with our new formats in the supporting programme – couldn’t be better for a leading trade show!” said a delighted Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH.
Internorga 2015 gets top marks
The excellent mood at Internorga is confirmed by the survey conducted by an independent market research agency. Satisfaction levels are usually high at Internorga, but this year they were even higher. 90% of trade visitors assessed Internorga 2015 as good or excellent. 91% said they would recommend Internorga to others.
A remarkable 85% of visitors are decision makers. The international character of visitors maintained a consistent high level, at 7%. That is why it is classified by the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) as Germany’s only international trade show for the HORECA sector.
Successful premieres
2015 was a year of premieres for Internorga. A special highlight was the new CRAFT BEER Arena, with a total of 19 brewers presenting some 80 beers.
That was backed by an extensive supporting programme, with Food Pairing, Costing for Restaurants, Beer Cocktails, and a Panel Discussion on Craft Beer in the wholesale drinks trade – the CRAFT BEER Arena and the presentations attracted big audiences at all times.
Brewers and visitors were delighted. “We are especially pleased that this premiere worked out so well – the Craft Beer market is developing with amazing dynamism.
We are keen to see how things develop, and you can be sure Internorga will be with it all the way,” said Bernd Aufderheide.
The international conferences attracted record numbers of participants. More than 2,500 participants attended the International Foodservice Forum, the German Institutional Catering Congress and the School Catering Forum – definitely a highlight in the Internorga supporting programme, and an unbeatable combination together with the trade show.
The Pink Cube Trend Forum took a big leap forward – it was redesigned, and relocated to a new position between Halls B1 and B2 (ground floor). The presentations by trend researcher Karin Tischer, food & more, were better attended than ever, and the main attractions alongside the presentations were the question & answer sessions, and exchange of views.
Another eye-catcher, on a glamorous pink carpet this year, was the 30 metre SKYWALK Table in the glass bridge that connects A-site and B-site, showcasing all things related to Table Top.
And the Newcomers’ Area was a major attraction for visitors, as usual. The exhibitors, some of whom were presenting products completely new to the market, were highly satisfied with the positive response.
FH Nord well received
FH Nord, the new butchery trade show in the North, was launched this year and likewise turned out to be highly successful.
The butchery exhibitors were located in an exhibition hall at CCH – Congress Center Hamburg, presenting in the areas of working & operating equipment, raw materials & semi-finished products, food safety & hygiene, fittings & fixtures, and environmental engineering.
“The course of this first event shows how right it was to add this new trade show to Internorga. Firstly, this creates a new meeting point for the butchery trade in the North, and secondly our concept worked – more than half the visitors attended both FH Nord and Internorga,” said Bernd Aufderheide.
Positive conclusions are also drawn by the Butchery Guilds of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, together they developed the extensive supporting programme.
And the next highlight is not far off. “In 2016 we will celebrate the 90th anniversary of INTERNORGA,” explained Bernd Aufderheide.
“That means we have to start preparations straight away, there’s no time to lose! Our exhibitors and visitors can look forward to new ideas and inspiration.” The next INTERNORGA will be held from 11 to 16 March 2016.
