HAMBURG, Germany – Smart kitchen equipment, digital services, sustainable production and delivery chains, a continuing boom in snacking, exciting competitions including young talent contests, and innovative food and gastro concepts – these are just some of the attractions at the 93rd Internorga, the leading trade show for food service, hospitality, bakery and confectionery.
From Friday 15 to Tuesday 19 March 2019, trade visitors will be attending the fully booked Hamburg Messe site to experience live what is needed for success in the out-of-home market. “Winning Business” is the watchword of this year’s Internorga.
Two days before the start, Trade Fair CEO Bernd Aufderheide and industry experts Jochen Pinsker and Jean-Georges Ploner met for a press conference in Hamburg. Alongside the Internorga highlights, they discussed how people eat during their workdays, and the impact of their consumption behaviour on food service, putting the main focus on canteens.
Internorga, a recipe for success
Hearing, smell, taste, sight and touch – Internorga is a must for everyone seeking success in the out-of-home market. It enables market players to experience the trends and innovations in food service, hospitality, bakery and confectionery with all their senses, and to engage in direct exchanges with colleagues and experts.
About half the population in Germany go out to work, and this target group is increasingly at the focus of food service and food business models. Their needs differ on an individual basis, and the market range is correspondingly large.
Nowadays they can satisfy their hunger whenever, wherever and with whomever they want – with a quick snack at the bakery store, an inexpensive lunch at the restaurant round the corner, or over a chat with colleagues at the company canteen. So a company that wants to stand out in the market and keep its finger on the pulse of developments has to be familiar with the needs of its target group and to meet those needs.
“It is exciting to see the role of canteens for working people in the food service industry today, and to identify the resulting opportunities and risks,” said Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO Hamburg Messe und Congress.
“At Internorga we have the right ingredients and the equipment needed for forward-looking business in the dynamic food service market”. The tremendous diversity of the industry is reflected in the range of products and services showcased by the 1,300 exhibitors and in the supporting programme at the 93rd Internorga, highlighting areas like digital services and innovative business ideas, and mega-topics such as snacking, sustainability and regionality. The trade show is backed by high-quality specialist conferences, competitions (including young talent contests) such as the Next Chef Award with Johann Lafer (16-18 March 2019, South Entrance (upper floor)), the German Gastro Start-up Award with Tim Mälzer (at 15:00 on 15 March 2019, Central Entrance, Chicago Hall), and the German Qualifier for the World Pizza Championship (10:00 to 18:00 on 18 March 2019, Hall A2). Further highlights are the popular Newcomers Area, CRAFT BEER Arena and CRAFT SPIRITS Lounge in Hall B4 (upper floor). The Italian special Bellavita Expo celebrates its premiere at INTERNORGA; it is the leading trade show for Italian food & beverage products outside of Italy, presenting typical Italian specialities in its own area at the South Entrance (upper floor). Trend researcher Karin Tischer is back again with presentations on exciting food and food service concepts from all over the world, in the Pink Cube at the transition between Halls B1 and B2 (ground floor).
Company canteen as an element in employer branding
The figures speak for themselves – consumers in Germany spent €80.6 billion on food service in 2018, up 3% on 2017. That is the key result shown by the current CREST consumer panel by market research agency npdgroup deutschland GmbH. The biggest growth is in the breakfast sector – people in Germany spent more than €3.5 billion on the first meal of the day out-of-home, eating on the way to work or at work. That is almost double the figure for 2010.
“The clear winner in the continuing snacking trend is bakeries, followed by food retail and delivery services,” says Jochen Pinsker, Senior Vice President Foodservice Europe, npdgroup deutschland GmbH. Classic company canteens continued to grow in 2018, up 2.6% year-on-year. The total spend was nearly €7 billion including student canteens. That was still the largest segment of consumer spending, but the number of alternatives for working people is rising. “Mealtimes are increasingly times to mix with colleagues, whether at the company canteen or at restaurants outside,” added Pinsker, adding that “employers should not underestimate the importance of the company canteen. Apart from simply meeting the need to eat, getting the company canteen right can be an important part of employer branding.”
“Quality over quantity” – important for company canteens, as elsewhere
If more and more employees are avoiding the company canteen because of the wide choice of restaurants located nearby, what are the vital factors to keep this target group? Jean-Georges Ploner, and industry expert, Head of Global F&B Heroes and President of Leaders Club International, notes that “satisfying hunger is by no means the only need of consumers these days. They are looking for self-optimisation, well-being, individualisation, communication with colleagues, and finally also more quality and inspiration. The industry has to respond to these needs.”
The advantages of restaurants over company canteens are clearly specialisation and smaller portions, rather than large quantities but limited choice. And Ploner also sees great potential for players in canteen sector in the individualisation of dishes, and focus on the socialising aspect of lunchbreaks when designing their concepts. “There are occasions that generate certain needs and activities. We have to accommodate such unpredictable behaviours in the future. That means successful company canteens are becoming more and more like classic restaurants.”
Analogue exchanges in a digital world
The trade show format of Internorga is identified by Bernd Aufderheide as a longstanding constant in the dynamic out-of-home market – “What counts for business success in this age of digitisation and busy schedules is face-to-face, analogue exchanges with colleagues and experts, and close-up observation of competitors. I am delighted to say we can offer all of that at Internorga, and I’m confident we have something for every taste and every need.” Internorga 2019 will be held from 15 to 19 March with some 1,300 exhibitors from 25 nations presenting their products, trends and innovations. Some 95,000 trade visitors are expected to attend.
About Internorga
Internorga is the leading trade fair for hotels, restaurants, bakery and confectionery. It has more than 1,300 exhibitors from Germany and abroad and over 95,000 trade visitors. It showcases products, innovations, trends and innovations for the whole of the foodservice and hospitality market. The trade show is accompanied by international conferences, an extensive supporting programme, and innovative industry competitions. INTERNORGA is recognised by the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) as Germany’s only international trade show for the HORECA industry.
