5/5/2009 | Communication and Press Department - Alimentaria Exhibitions

The two shows together offer an opportunity for the future of the packaging and food and beverage technologies sectors

Around 60% of Spanish packaging companies are suppliers to the food and beverage industry

20% of exhibitors are foreign, mainly from the European Union

For the first time in Spain, a trade fair event will bring together, in the same exhibition centre and on the same dates, the packaging and food and beverage technologies sectors, with the aim of increasing the range of exhibits and attracting visitors, above all from the food and beverage industry, the main consumer of packaging.  From the 11th to the 15th of May, the alliance between Fira de Barcelona’s International Packaging Show, Hispack, and Barcelona Food and Beverage Technologies, Bta, will concentrate over 3,000 companies and become one of the sector’s most important European events in 2009.

Around 60% of Spanish packaging companies are suppliers to the food and beverage industry, one of the sectors which invests the most in innovation and, therefore, one of the main demanders of new materials (biodegradable; which notify the expiry date of a product or that have anti-oxidant effects, etc.), of packaging which improves the safety of food and beverages throughout the production and distribution chain, as well as designs with greater selling power. 

In order to make the most of the synergies, Hispack and Bta are being held simultaneously - although they maintain their own identity and organisation- with over 1,000 exhibitors representing more than 3,000 companies, occupying 70,000 m2 in the Gran Via exhibition centre’s 6 pavilions and an expected audience of 60,000 trade visitors.

Together, Hispack&Bta make up one of the most important events for the packaging and Point of Purchase Advertising (POPA) industry and for food and beverage technologies in Europe in 2009 and one of the three leading European events of its kind.

Future projection
According to the president of Hispack, Javier Riera-Marsá, “this strategic alliance with Bta. has a future vocation and is a decisive opportunity for the immediate future of the packaging and food technologies sectors, above all in an economic climate like the current one, since it reinforces the potential of these industries, makes them more competitive and contributes to boosting the market”.

The packaging and POPA sector in Spain, which has an annual turnover of more than 10,600 million euros, has an important impact on the Spanish economy, since it is present in many fields of activity: food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, cosmetics and perfumery, among others.

According to the latest published data, “in 2008, the agro-food industry maintained an enviable stability, increasing turnover by 2.4%, with a positive sales balance and generating employment”, said the president of Bta, Josep Arcas.

Spain provides 10% of total value of Europe’s food and beverage production, making it “a very dynamic and anti-cyclical market which is especially interesting for packaging and food technology suppliers, and, more so, in the current economic climate”, he added.

International promotion in 30 countries
At this year’s Hispack&Bta, 20% of exhibitors are foreign, above all from European Union countries, mainly Italy, Germany and France. This outstanding participation is partly due to the joint promotional campaign in various countries to increase the number of international exhibitors and visitors at both events. The aim is to attract over 6,000 foreign visitors.

Thanks to the collaboration of the Asociación Multinsectorial de Empresas (AMEC) and international delegations of Fira de Barcelona, the organisers have carried out promotional campaigns in 30 countries, concentrating their efforts in priority markets such as Latin America and the Mediterranean (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Algeria, Greece, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey). They have also planned a series of business encounters between Hispack&Bta exhibitors and representatives of 50 companies from Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Joint Activities
Hispack&Bta are organising various activities to give added value to packaging and food and beverage technology companies. Highlights of the programme are the Technological Innovation Seminar on new preservation and packaging trends for the meat and fish sectors, which will also present the latest developments in food ingredients and additives and food refrigeration systems, and the Sustainability Sessions on eco-efficient design of products and processes for the food and beverage industry.

Hispack is Spain’s most important Packaging and Point of Purchase Advertising show and is organised by Fira de Barcelona in collaboration with the Graphispack Association. Bta, Barcelona food technologies, organised by Alimentaria Exhibitions,–joint venture between Fira de Barcelona and Reed Exhibitions– is the country’s food technology benchmark event. Both shows are held every three years. 

Hispack: Montse García
Tel. 93 233 35 46
e-mail: mgarciad@firabcn.es  

Bta: Susana Santamaría
Tel. 93 452 11 04
e-mail: ssantamaria@alimentaria.com

Return to Press Index