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Exclusive: Fi Europe and Hi Europe enter a new chapter together

Fi Europe, the leading trade show for food and beverage ingredients, and Hi Europe, its counterpart for health ingredients, will become co-located events, alternating between Germany and France.

On 1 December 2020, Fi Europe and Hi Europe will open the doors as co-located events in Frankfurt for the first time. This is set to be the most comprehensive food ingredients trade show covering specialty food ingredients from sensory to functional, as well as processing solutions and services across the whole supply chain.

The strategic decision to co-locate the two events was based on extensive research conducted amongst visitors and exhibitors. Over 65 percent of exhibitors stated that they would support an annual co-located Fi Europe and Hi Europe, and 75 percent of visitors confirmed that they would visit the show every year.

When asked about innovation, more than 80 percent of both visitors and exhibitors stated that they had launched a new product or a new ingredient in the past 12 months – a statement that backs the decision to offer a yearly event at which novelties can be shared with a wide audience while they are still “hot”.

With this new co-located setup, organiser Informa Markets is taking into account the rapid pace with which new trends, consumer demands, and challenges now occur.

Group Director Natasha Berrow explains: “We want to offer our exhibitors and visitors a trade show that is unique not only in its thematic coverage, but also in its innovative and fresh character. It should be a platform for tomorrow’s trends, not only today’s. We want to give our exhibitors and visitors a wider spectrum of alternatives and options. With Germany and France alternating as hosting countries, we will be covering the two most important markets for the European food and beverage industry.”

Importantly, both countries are central and accessible hubs in Europe for visitors as well as exhibitors.

Julien Bonvallet, Fi Europe Brand Director, comments: “Clean label, free from, sustainability and functionality are the trends that have moved and advanced the industry in recent years, and they have a common denominator: the health-conscious consumer. With a desire for better, more natural and healthier food and beverages this consumer has brought those issues to the table.”

Many food and ingredients manufacturers therefore now offer functional products or specialist foods within their portfolios, in addition to standard solutions – and more and more ingredients’ suppliers already exhibit at both events.

As innovation cycles become shorter and shorter, exhibitors and visitors alike expect to be able to attend an event every year. By bringing together the most diverse audience yet, the co-location of the two shows provides the ultimate opportunity to do business face-to-face with top buyers and specialists from across the F&B supply chain.

This year’s Fi Europe & Ni will remain unchanged as a single event, running from 3-5 December in Paris. Following Frankfurt in 2020, Fi Europe, co-located with Hi Europe, will return to Paris in 2021.