All the world’s a stage – Act Four: April

Sandra Schindlbeck has since 2000 been a member of Krones AG’s trade fair team, tasked with handling organisation, coordination and scheduling of the group’s participation in various trade fairs all over the world. One thing is clear: she knows what she’s doing. Logically enough, she was accordingly the first person I talked to on the subject of “trade fairs in April”, and was kind enough to answer all my questions.

This month, there are two trade fairs scheduled: from 12 to 14 April the Empack in Utrecht and from 18 to 21 April the Djazagro in Algiers. “Two different worlds” in geographical terms, though structurally in fact very similar. But let’s have Sandra explain it all to us in her own words…

 

Sandra, for a long time now you’ve been pivotally involved in trade fair planning, which means you’re optimally informed about the various events that Krones AG takes part in. Could you sum up in a few words where the two fairs differ or what they have in common?

Both of them are food and beverage fairs, both of them are regional – that’s what they have in common. At the Empack, the primary focus is on technology. The Djazagro, by contrast, offers a broad platform not only for the technology involved, but also for the foods and beverages themselves.

What order of magnitude are we actually talking about with these two fairs?

By reason of their regional character, both these fairs are relatively modest in terms of visitor numbers, though the Djazagro, with over 20,000 visitors and more than 600 exhibitors, is a larger event than the Empack in the Netherlands. For the latter, just under half the number of visitors are expected, with 350 firms exhibiting.

What sort of people can you expect to meet at the Djazagro and the Empack?

As I said, they’re both regional fairs, meaning that the majority of visitors will be coming from Algeria and the Netherlands respectively. But as far as the exhibitors are concerned, there’s definitely a discernible international presence. All the big names in the food and beverage industries will be present there, showcasing the latest sectoral trends.

What makes the two fairs so attractive for firms and visitors alike?

For the exhibitors, of course, it’s important to maintain their existing contacts, to keep abreast of innovations on the market and to expand their customer base. But you’ll also come across some who aim to use the fair as a springboard for their companies, to gain a foothold, so to speak, in a high-growth dynamic market, which the food and beverage industries most definitely are. The opportunity to be able to catch up with more or less all the latest trends and news from the food and beverage industries in a relatively small space and to meet many exhibitors (lots of them competitors), plus existing and potential customers, at a single location sounds definitely promising.

The visitors benefit similarly from this “window-shopping”.

Can you give us a rough idea of how each event is structured, and in which sector Krones AG can then be found there? 

Both the Djazagro and the Empack are quite “classical” fairs in terms of structure. Like almost all trade fairs, the Djazagro is divided up into several different sectors: Process & Conditioning (Halls 1, 2, 4); Ingredients, Food Products, Bakery/ Pastry, Food service (Hall 3).

Krones AG, as a machinery and line manufacturer, is always to be found in the technological sector. In the case of the Djazagro, you can find us in Hall 1, in the “Process & Conditioning” area.

Sandra, you’ve been actively involved in planning and organising both these fairs for 2016. Would you like to attend them yourself, or will you perhaps do so in April?

Most regional trade fairs are handled by the subsidiaries responsible, and that goes for these two cases as well. In each subsidiary, there’s a Global Partner, with whom we work very closely together –not just for trade fairs. A presence on the spot is at our own discretion, and will depend very much on the current workload, which is particularly high in the year’s 2^nd and 4^th quarters.

So the answer for the Empack and the Djazagro is “unfortunately not”.

 

Finally, I should like to thank my colleague Sandra for an illuminating overview of the trade fair events in April. I’m already looking forward to “Act Four” of Krones’ trade fair tour in 2016, and will definitely be keeping you updated on Krones AG’s “appearances” through our social media channels.