STUTTGART, Germany – All participants experienced an eventful, inspiring and above all successful trade fair. The 29th Intergastra was once again able to claim a top spot among the European trade fairs for the hotel and gastronomy sector.
The larger exhibition space available, thanks to the opening of the new Paul Horn Hall, was reflected not only in the square footage (115,000 m²): Approximately 100,000 visitors from over 70 countries obtained information from 1,420 exhibitors on the latest products and trends.
The positive response is “a beautiful acknowledgement for the beacon function of Intergastra”, states Ulrich Kromer von Baerle, President of Messe Stuttgart, with delight. “The positive development in recent years also continued in 2018.
The concept of combining a comprehensive product offering and an attractive accompanying programme was convincing. On top of this, there is the good economic data which generally gives fresh impetus to the industry.”
“Enormous innovation potential”
The partners were also thrilled: “In 2018 Intergastra not only increased in size, but also gained in terms of quality”, praised Fritz Engelhardt, Chairman of Dehoga Baden-Württemberg (German Hotel and Restaurant Association).
“The commitment of the exhibitors was impressive and showed the enormous potential digitalisation, as well as many non-digital new developments, are opening up for our industry. At the same time, the great response to our accompanying programme showed that a strong trade fair is much more than just a product showcase.”
Klaus Vollmer, State Guild Director of the State Association of Guilds of Baden-Württemberg Confectioners, also gave an overall positive review: “We felt very much at home in the coffee hall among our expert partners with coffee machines and coffee-roasting equipment and made new connections – the concentration of all relevant themed areas was a big advantage here. We felt on top of the world with our appearance of the state association with competition, workshop, forum and lounge for colleagues.”
“Super start” for decision-maker forum Gastro Vision
Like a magnet Intergastra attracts more and more events. This year the decision-maker forum Gastro Vision celebrated its première. It got off to a “super start”, states event organiser Klaus Klische, who found the cooperation with Messe Stuttgart both successful and pleasant: “The development of Gastro Vision was excellent. For us to realise an additional industry get-together in the south is a logical and good investment in the future – Intergastra has become an important element of the German exhibition scene. We are happy to act as a partner in the coming years in the further expansion.”
Kick-off for IKA/Olympics for Chefs 2020
At Intergastra chefs also looked ahead to the future: Delegations from over 20 countries made their way to the kick-off event for the IKA/Olympics for Chefs 2020 to get acquainted with the conditions and rules. “For us the kick-off event couldn’t have gone any better”, stated Andreas Becker, President of the German Association of Chefs. “Our partners – Messe Stuttgart and Dehoga Baden-Württemberg – gave us a warm reception and the representatives of the national teams of chefs from all over the world felt completely comfortable in Stuttgart. We were able to get a little taste of what we can expect in two years. We can’t wait!”
Gelatissimo is an “important trade fair for the entire industry”
Gelatissimo, the trade fair for the world of gelato, has firmly established itself in the industry and the fifth event occupied its own hall with a balanced, top-quality range from well-known exhibitors. “I believe that the industry will concentrate its potential here at Gelatissimo in the future”, stated Alexander Epp, President of Carpigiani Germany. He added that “lots of synergies” with other industry sectors were created. Vito Ciniero, President of MEC3 Germany, also agreed: “Gelatissimo has developed extremely well and has become a very important trade fair for the entire industry.”
Financially strong public, satisfied exhibitors
The high quality of the visitors in Stuttgart received consistent praise. “The visitors in Stuttgart are financially strong and extremely high quality”, stated Michael Schärf, President of EKU Großküchentechnik, and this also represented the generally prevailing opinion of exhibitors. “We were impressed by the trade fair. Intergastra is fantastic!” Christina Lauber, President of Badischer Wein GmbH, was also enthusiastic: “We are all happy. The visitors were high quality and the importance of this trade fair proved to be true. We received outstanding feedback, served lots of samples and logged many concrete orders. We will be back again in two years with an even bigger stand!” Stuttgart is an “excellent place for the industry” according to Martin Ubl, authorised representative of MKN Maschinenfabrik.
With an almost 80 percent share of decision-makers Intergastra was once again able to set standards. The prospects for good business, also after the trade fair, are therefore perfect: 39 percent of the visitors surveyed definitely want to invest, 46 percent maybe and soon, 54 percent in the next six months. 86 percent were totally convinced of the extent of the trade fair offer. The themed areas gastronomy and restaurant (44%) were in high demand, followed by hotels/guest houses (21%), as well as home, community and hospital catering (11%).
Good ratings from the visitors
With an average rating of 1.8 Intergastra/Gelatissimo received a consistently good overall rating from the visitors. This is also confirmed by the high number of visitors who plan to attend the trade fair again. 82 percent have already marked the next Intergastra in the calendar, 90 percent would recommend the trade fair. Over half (52%) of the visitors confirmed the growing importance of the trade fair for the industry. The next Intergastra will take place from 15 to 19 February 2020 at Messe Stuttgart.
More information and images online at www.intergastra.de
Exhibitor testimonials for Intergastra
Martin Ubl, Authorised Representative, MKN Maschinenfabrik:
“Intergastra is one of the most important events for us as it represents our target group extremely well. Right from the start we were able to achieve very good results, some of which were significantly above the level of the previous event. It is generally proven that our expectations of this trade fair are exceeded time and again. Stuttgart is an excellent place for the industry!”
Michael Schärf, President, EKU Großküchentechnik:
“We were impressed by the trade fair. Intergastra is fantastic! The who’s who of the industry met in the halls and there was high volumes of customer traffic. The visitors in Stuttgart are financially strong and extremely high quality. We are also extremely satisfied with the stand location, the connection and the organisation. We will be delighted to come back again in 2020.”
Horst Mühlmeier, President, Pint-Inox GmbH:
“We have been coming to Intergastra for many years and were once again satisfied with how the trade fair went. The market is currently experiencing a change of mentality: Sustainability, environmental compatibility and short transport routes are in demand. The public is even prepared to spend more money for this superior quality. It was therefore very important for us to present our products made in Italy, which were very well received here.”
Dirk Witt, Sales Manager for Germany, Kröswang GmbH:
“For us Intergastra is very important as it covers our supply area. Representation here is a must. I think the number of professional visitors to this trade fair has increased again. We certainly had some very interesting customers at our stand. Also the stand location, organisation, etc., – everything was right. I am therefore assuming that we will be back again in 2020.”
David Heidelberg, President, DIRS21:
“We noticed that our topic – digitalisation – has finally reached the industry. We were able to benefit from this at Intergastra. At our stand we had our high market share in South Germany, roughly 50 percent existing customers, but also got to know many new customers. We are carrying great momentum from Intergastra into the new year!”
Eva Ploss, Head of Press and Public Relations, Brauerei Gebr. Maisel:
“Intergastra is an important trade fair for us and we are always very happy to come to Stuttgart. The atmosphere in our beer garden was fantastic as always. We were delighted to welcome both regular and new customers, from whom we obtained lots of valuable feedback. Intergastra is perfect for this!”
Ralf Biehl, Brand Communications, Häfele GmbH & Co. KG:
“Intergastra is an important and strong trade fair. The quality of the contacts is decisive and I am confident that we can also expect successful follow-up business this time round. We have been a partner of Fokus Hotel for a long time. We are therefore keen to further advance such an important trade fair for the industry, which offers a good opportunity for exchanging opinions and ideas and transferring know-how within its own network.”
Dr. Steffen Schwarz, Managing Director, Coffee Consulate:
“The enormous internationalisation of the trade fair is impressive. This year there was a clear increase in the number of countries, roasters and product manufacturers represented in the coffee hall – the figures increased considerably. The networking opportunities of the different areas of the industry are unique within the framework of the Coffee Summit. The symposium also contributed to the success and brought together international specialists.”
Philipp Kocherscheid, Key Account Manager, Alois Dallmayr KG:
“Intergastra has developed very positively. The integration of coffee and coffee machines in one hall is very useful. This way the restaurant owner obtains a compact offer and there are also synergy effects for the exhibitors. In addition to the excellent connection, another advantage of Intergastra is that it is the first trade fair of its kind in the year – new topics are presented here for the first time!”
Christian Schmitt, Sales Manager for Germany, Melitta Professional Coffee Solutions:
“We had many interested visitors at the stand, established good contacts and were also able to make a good few sales. The trade fair audience was largely made up of professional visitors, which meant we reached our target group here at Intergastra. Overall, there was a positive investment sentiment. We were also very satisfied with the organisation and support from the trade fair team. For example, we had a minor power issue that was rectified immediately.”
Christina Lauber, President, Badischer Wein GmbH:
“We are all happy. After a few years of ‘abstinence’ it was the right decision to come back to Intergastra again. Our winemakers are all very satisfied. The public was first-class and the importance of this trade fair was proven. We received outstanding feedback, served lots of samples and logged many concrete orders. We will be back again in two years with an even bigger stand!”
Markus Luthe, CEO, German Hotel Association (IHA):
“This was the first time we were represented with a stand at Intergastra – and certainly not the last! We are very impressed by the quality of the discussions, the commitment of the members and the identification with the trade fair. The acceptance of our information offer geared specifically to the hotel sector on the Dehoga stage really impressed us.”
Johannes Fuchs, President, Trias Food:
“FOODSpecial as a trade fair in the trade fair within the framework of Intergastra was a complete success. This year we recorded around 20,000 visitors at the FOODSpecial. As the first trade fair of the year the trends for the year are set in Stuttgart, to which Stuttgart as a trade fair venue also contributes. We also appreciate the friendly and excellent cooperation here, in addition to the connection and logistics.”
Federal Labour Office:
“At this year’s Intergastra the visitors were able to benefit in a number of ways at the stand of the Federal Labour Office. The concept of making available individual presentation areas to companies at the exhibition stand of the Federal Labour Office also proved to be very successful. Jobseekers and individuals looking for apprenticeships and vocational training were able to have a personal discussion with the HR managers of the companies.”
Exhibitor testimonials for Gelatissimo
Thomas Brück, Managing Director, Eisunion:
“We have experienced a constant crescendo here ever since the first Gelatissimo. Everything has developed extremely positively in terms of exhibitors, customers and quality meaning today Gelatissimo is a wonderful, well-established gelato trade fair, which is also attended by many prospective customers from abroad. We even received positive feedback from critical customers.”
Vito Ciniero, President, MEC3 Germany:
“We are very satisfied, had a good response and were able to land many direct orders. The high number of professional visitors was very positive for us. Gelatissimo has developed very well and evolved into a very important trade fair for the entire industry.”
Laura Casagrande, Marketing Specialist, PreGel Germany:
“We were very anxious to hear the customer response and were positive surprised! For many Gelatissimo is now the trade fair for gelato in Germany. This is true without a doubt, and also in fact for the neighbouring countries. We had good contacts and interesting discussions and visitors flocked to the stand. The compilation of exhibitors was also successful because there was a bit of everything. Gelatissimo is on the right path!”
Leonardo Mazero, Director of Export Sales, Prodotti Stella:
“We like Gelatissimo because it is one of the few trade fairs outside Italy dedicated to gelato. We attend roughly ten to fifteen trade fairs per year, but Gelatissimo is the only one with a comparable level of professionalism as at home in Italy. It also takes place at exactly the right time. It is very important for us to be represented here. On a scale of one to ten – ten!”
