Update
Fi Europe & Hi 2023 will take place in Frankfurt, Germany, as a hybrid event. The trade fair will occur between 28.11.2023 and 30.11.2023. At present, the country and the venue do not feature Covid-19 safety measures due to the removal of the related domestic and travel restrictions.
Calling Card
Fi Europe is the leading event for professionals in the F&B ingredients industry. The event takes place in Frankfurt or Paris on alternative years. The venues of choice are Messe Frankfurt and Paris-Nord Villepinte Parc des Expositions. Fi Europe is a biannual event that has been occurring since 1986.
Business Profile of the Event
Fi Europe is the leading event for many professionals in the food and beverage industry. Among them are distributors and manufacturers. Import/export specialists, research & development experts and sales specialists also attend. So do purchasing/procurement and marketing experts. Often, the sectors that attend include finished food products, ingredients & additives, and bakery. They also feature dairy, food supplements, confectionery, and beverages. Among the notable companies that attend are Danone, Unilever, Ferrero, Herbalife, and Nestlé.
Did You Know?
Fi Europe is a trade show that can help professionals in completing several goals. Among them is meeting existing clients and finding new buyers. Additionally, they can network with other suppliers/customers and showcase their products. Fi Europe also can help them in promoting brand awareness and educating customers. The fair is, furthermore, an ideal location for launching new products/services.
One of the main events at the fair is the exhibition. It is a showcasing event that features over 1700 exhibitors. The exhibition showcases a diverse range of ingredients. Among them are dairy, proteins, synthetic components, starches, flavouring, and others. The exhibition serves as the meeting hub for exhibitors, visitors, decision-makers, and stakeholders.
The exhibition features many zones of interest. Among them is the New Product Zone. The Zone is the area where attendees of the fair can examine a selection of innovative products. The zone also features leading industry players providing detailed insight about each product. This allows visitors to learn valuable information before purchasing. The Exhibitor Showcase is another zone of interest at the exhibition. It is like the New Product Zone in that it showcases new innovative products. Yet, there is an important difference. Within this area, the exhibitors themselves provide information about the products.
Besides the exhibition, Fi Europe also features other events in its support programme. Among them is the Innovation Tours and the Innovation Hub. The Innovation Tours allows attendants to learn about new suppliers and products. For the task, they schedule a guided tour around the showground led by experienced guides. The Innovation Hub is where attendees can learn about innovative food technologies. For the task, they can attend a variety of lectures hosted by leading industry experts. As already mentioned, new food technologies are among the leading topics of discussion. Yet, they also focus on other topics. Among them is the increasing demand for sustainable health ingredients. They also discuss the issue of feeding future generations.
Another event of interest at Fi Europe is the Fi Conference. It is a conference during which professionals can learn about different topics. Such include plant-based proteins, botanicals, and gut health. They also feature topics such as reformulation, active & performance nutrients, and others. Each lecture provides attendees with an opportunity to network. This is due to them featuring leading food & beverage experts as lecturers.
One of the events of interest for start-ups and leading companies is The Fi Innovation Awards. This is due to the ceremony providing an opportunity to gain recognition. The Awards reward the innovations and contributions of both professionals and companies. Attendees of the fair can compete in one of 8 categories. The categories are:
- Future of Nutrition Award
- Sensory Innovation Award
- Plant-based Innovation Award
- Diversity & Inclusion Innovation Award
- Clean Label & Natural Innovation Award
- Health Innovation Award
- Food Tech Innovation Award
- Sustainability Award
The Future of Nutrition Award rewards the contributions of professionals or teams. It lauds those who have contributed to or supported pioneering ideas. It also acknowledges specialists for contributing to or supporting novel educational initiatives.
The Sensory Innovation Award is receivable by companies or organisations. It is for novel food production processes or ingredients that augment sensory experiences. Such include improved taste, texture, smell, and appearance. At the same time, the processes, or ingredients, must not increase application costs. Innovations that have independent sensory analysis support will receive preference.
The Plant-based Innovation Award acknowledges organisations/companies. It lauds the ones that have created novel plant-based ingredients. The Award rewards innovations related to sensory or physical properties and application costs.
The Diversity & Inclusion Award can reward the work environment-improving efforts of organisations. It acknowledges companies whose programs have created equal opportunities for all employees. This includes ones where employees can work in all positions regardless of gender or age. Likewise, they can apply for positions regardless of their race or religious background. The same applies to those with different mental and physical abilities.
The Clean label & Natural Innovation Award rewards clean label ingredients or processing innovations. This applies to novelties that improve sensory and physical properties. It additionally applies to innovations that reduce application costs without compromising quality.
The Health Innovation Award honours ingredients or applications with great contributions to health. It lauds novelties that improve digestive, cognitive, physical or immune health. This can include new supplements that reduce loss of mental ability. It can also apply to additives that better physical health.
The Food Tech Innovation Award recognises innovative technical solutions or services. Above all, it lauds novelties related to finished products or food ingredient processes. Such include the processing, manufacturing, packaging, or waste reduction of such items.
The Sustainability Innovation Award acknowledges companies with high sustainability contributions. It lauds innovative supply chain strategies that increase economic, social, or environmental sustainability. Such include approaches that encourage waste production reduction through means such as upcycling.
An Esteemed judge panel will assess each of the nominees for the Fi Innovation Awards. The Panel consists of leading industry professionals.
Another opportunity to gain recognition is the Start-up Innovation Challenge. The Challenge allows start-ups to receive acknowledgement for their innovations. For the task, they can pitch their novel ideas to a selected jury. The jury consists of Research & Development experts, investors, and leading company representatives. The entry criteria for the challenge are:
- The nominee’s start-up company must not be older than 5 years
- The service or product must be novel in a de facto sense
- The start-up must have a clear business plan. It must also have either developed concepts, prototypes, or final products.
When applying for the Challenge, nominees can choose more than 1 category. Yet, they should note that they will receive a reward for 1 of the selected categories. For example, they can select 2 categories, but they will receive the award for 1 of them. This is to allow more start-ups to gain recognition. The jury chooses which of the selected categories is the most ideal for the nominee in question. They make the shortlisting choice based on the submitted information.
The categories start-ups can compete in include:
- Most Innovative F&B Ingredient
- Most Innovative Processing Technology
- Most Innovative Healthy F&B Ingredients
- Most Innovative Technology or Service
Most Innovative F&B Ingredient rewards food and beverage ingredient/additive innovations. The Processing Technology category acknowledges food processing technology novelties with high impact potential. Such include innovations that improve long-term processing goals or improve quality. The Most Innovative healthy ingredients' division rewards F&B ingredients/additives. It lauds novelties with the most health contribution. Said innovations must also have a high focus on sustainable processes. The Most innovative technology or Service lauds innovations that improve certain processes. These include ingredient sourcing and production. The award is also available for novelties that improve food safety and traceability. It additionally can provide recognition for transparency or supply chain management improvements.
Fi Europe is a fair that provides opportunities for many F&B industry professionals. Such include distributors, import/export specialists and manufacturers. It also applies to sales specialists and research & development experts. Purchasing/procurement and marketing experts should not overlook attending. It can be beneficial for professionals working in several sectors. Among them are ingredients & additives, finished food products and dairy. The bakery, food supplements, beverages, and confectionery sectors should not overlook attending. Among the professionals who should opt to visit are food technologists. Dieticians, food development specialists, and animal scientists should visit as well. Community health workers should also consider attending the trade show.
Your Hotel Room in Frankfurt and Paris
Invest in your business trip with hotel accommodation selected for your specific need. Travel 2 Fairs Ltd works with you to send you hotels in Frankfurt and Paris with an ideal location and price tag. This allows you to select the hotel offers that work best for you. Such as placing you near Messe Frankfurt or Paris-Nord Villepinte Parc des Expositions. We have long worked with large groups, so you can query for parties of twenty people and more. The entire registration process takes up to a day, and you leave all details to us. Also, Travel 2 Fairs ltd assists with logistics as well. You can request a rent-a-car or an airport transfer in both directions, whether it is private or shared.
Logistics
Fi Europe often takes place for 3 days. There are exclusions such as the 2021 edition, which featured 11 event days. The fair takes place at Messe Frankfurt or Paris-Nord Villepinte Parc des Expositions. Fi Europe is a biannual event organised by Informa PLC. The visiting hours of the event are between 10 am to 6 pm or between 10 am to 4:30 pm.
Messe Frankfurt and Paris-Nord Villepinte Parc des Expositions are accessible venues. For example, you can reach the Messe from Frankfurt’s Central Station in 35 minutes. This is due to the various transportation options available. Such include taxi, tram and in some instances walking. Both venues are close to the city’s respective airports. For example, the Charles de Gaulle airport is a 15-minute tram ride from the venue in Paris. This allows you to save time when travelling. Both venues are close to nearby cities such as Offenburg or Chartes. For example, the distance between Offenburg and Messe Frankfurt is a 2-hour drive.
Plenty of dining/accommodation options are available in Frankfurt and Paris. For example, you can opt to stay at a hotel, hostel, apartment, or guest house. Dining alternatives include restaurants, bars, clubs, supermarkets, and diners. The 2 metropolises are easy to navigate due to their public transport.
There are several recommended districts to stay or dine in Paris or Frankfurt. Among the popular tourist neighbourhoods in Frankfurt are Sachsenhausen and Bockenheim. When staying in Paris, opt for the Montmartre, the Le Marais and the South Pigalle.
Audience and Statistics
Fi Europe is a high-profile and high-attendance event. For example, its 2019 edition featured over 1700 exhibitors and over 24,000 visitors. 75% of the attendees were leading decision-makers. Attendants of Fi Europe include sectors such as food manufacturing and others. Many countries send trade delegates to the fair. Among them are France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. Italy, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, and Denmark are also among the represented nations.
