Internorga 2008: Final Report on Internorga
Internorga 2008: Upswing in the out-of-home market
Trade visitors ready to spend, exhibitors satisfied
The trade fair confirms its reputation as an innovation platform and ordering event
Some 112,000 trade visitors at the INTERNORGA 2008
The mood in the hotel and restaurant sector is good – and this was reflected by the strong appetite of trade visitors for investments, looking for new ideas and concepts. Exhibitors are very satisfied. That is the positive conclusion at the closing of the Internorga on Wednesday, following this six-day event at the Hamburg Fair site. The 82nd International Trade Fair for the Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Bakery and Confectionery Trades attracted some 112,000 trade visitors from Germany and abroad, to gather information on innovations and trends from about 1000 exhibitors coming from more than 20 nations.
The Internorga has grown again this year, adding another new hall for its exhibits. “Internorga has taken the next step forwards with Hall B5,” said Bernd Aufderheide, Chairman of the Management Board of Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC). “It has once more confirmed its reputation as the leading fair for the modern out-of-home market, with outstanding quality of trade visitors.”
Satisfaction was also expressed by Ralf Hübner, the Managing Director of Hobart and Chairman of the Exhibitor Advisory Board of the Internorga, who said “The new halls are boosting the appeal of this event for trade visitors. Our stand was even busier than last year. All in all, Internorga has made further gains in quality. And the large number of decision makers among the trade visitors suggests that there will be good business from the leads generated there.”
HMC’s visitor survey showed that more than one visitor in two (about 55%) were from the top decision-making level. About 60% of visitors placed an order at the fair itself, or intend to do so in the near future – strong confirmation of Internorga’s reputation as an ordering fair. And the findings of the HMC exhibitor survey point in the same direction – some 90% of companies participating said that this is the most important trade fair in Germany.
“The restaurant business is starting the new season with optimism,” said Rose Pauly, Chair of the Internorga Organiser Committee, and President of Dehoga Hamburg. “Investment plans are running high, and so is interest in innovations. This premier event has provided answers to a whole range of questions that are important to trade visitors, and provided new ideas particularly in the organisation of operations and design of products and services. The Hospitality Forum attracted many more people than last year, thanks to its appealing new look.”
Exhibitors likewise report positive results. Many of them commented on the high level of expertise of trade visitors, enabling them to close business transactions directly at the fair. Christian Strootmann, Head of Marketing/Distribution at BHS tabletop, noted that “It was a great Internorga and we did great business. The working atmosphere in the new Hall B5 was excellent.” Dieter Knospe, Business Spokesman at the HKI Industrial Federation for Facility Management, Heating and Kitchen Equipment, said “We are very satisfied with the way this fair has gone, and with the high quality of the trade visitors.” Carsten Grüschow,Marketing Director Nestlé Food Deutschland, said “The Internorga maintains its position as the most important trade fair for the out-of-home market.”
The buoyant mood in the industry is also reflected in purchasing by trade visitors. “The Internorga went very well for us,” said Franz Hobelsberger, Marketing Manager Electrolux, and trade visitors are much more willing to spend money.”
Many companies presented innovations at the Internorga. Wolfgang Kirchner, Project Manager for Trade Shows, Metro Cash & Carry Deutschland, said “We presented a whole lot of new products in Hamburg and are very satisfied with how it went. The trade visitors were from all parts of Germany, and placed orders in all sectors.” Manfred Praller, Sales Manager Germany for Bauscher, said “Our exhibits included a new range for high-end restaurants, and that was very well accepted. The Internorga is also important for our export markets, because it always brings us a large number of visitors from abroad.”
The growing international importance of the Internorga is confirmed by exhibitors from all sectors. Hans Böttcher, Export Manager Germany at Frisch & Frost, said “We were able to close deals in Hamburg, both at national and international level – specifically in the airline business.” Rudolf Liermann, Distribution Manager Wachtel, said “The Internorga is becoming more international year by year. We had many trade visitors from abroad at our stand, e.g. from the Baltic States, the Ukraine, and even from Kazakhstan.”
Gunnar Steffek, Managing Director Tchibo, said “It was a very good Internorga for us. We used this trade fair among other things specifically as a meeting point for important customers from other European countries.” Sylvia Okuliarova, Marketing Manager Voglauer hotelConcept, remarked “We are more than satisfied, and were able to make many high-level contacts with visitors, including visitors from other parts of Europe.”
The position of the Internorga as the top meeting point of the industry is reflected in statements by many exhibitors. Jörg Barth, Project Manager Unilever Foodsolutions, said “The Internorga lived up to our high expectations. We were not only reached all our key customers, but also made more new contacts than last year. This event is gaining in quality, with even more potential at the new site.” Jörg Croseck, Member of the Management Board of Carlsberg Deutschland, said “We are very satisfied with the INTERNORGA. We held numerous discussions at high level, including discussions with key representatives from the food retailing business.”
Oliver Blank, Head of Marketing and Distribution at Aichinger, said “We met all the key customers at the Internorga, and were able to continue building our networks with allied companies.” Ulrich Mittmann, Director Out-of-Home Marketing Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Kraft Foods, said “We were at the Internorga again for the first time for many years, because we wanted to show our relevant target groups the new look, innovative products and complete range for our hot beverage line Jacobs Professional. That worked very well, with positive response from all trade visitors.”
The supporting programme at the Internorga likewise met with a great deal of interest this year, with quality conferences such as the International Foodservice Forum, the German Congress for Bulk Catering and the international bakery conference Hamburg Global Bake, together with prestigious competitions such as the “Chefs’ Grand Prix”. Gretel Weiss, Organiser of the International Foodservice Forum, said “The Forum was a fantastic success, setting up a new record with some 1450 participants.” Ctefan Wohlfeil, President of the Chefs’ Federation of Germany, said “The competitions went exceptionally well, with ideal conditions. The standard of contestants was even better than last year.”
The 83rd Internorga will be held at the Hamburg Fair site from 13 to 18 March 2009
