IFEMA, the main trade show operator and venue in Spain, and international event organiser Diversified Communications, have today confirmed a new collaboration agreement for the co-organisation of a major annual international event for the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean region.
The show, which will be held under the Organic Food Iberia and Eco Living Iberia brands over 6-7 June, already enjoys the support of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Portugal Foods, as well as the country’s main organic production regions. A raft of international stands and pavilions will also be supporting the event. To date, over 70% of exhibition space is already booked.
IFEMA is strongly positioned in the agri-food sector and organises world-beating fairs such as Fruit Attraction, which attracts over 1,600 companies and 80,000+ professional visitors from 120 countries. Diversified Communications is a leader in the organic sector, with successful events in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and Australia, as well as magazines and the news website NaturalProductsGlobal.com. The event will benefit from the combined commercial, strategic and promotional resources of both organisations, ensuring the successful launch of, what is expected to become, one of the most important natural and organic trade events in the world.
Spain is already recognised as having the largest organic production area in Europe, with increasing domestic consumption and significant exports of organic products. Being held in June gives the fair an exclusive date far removed from other big events in the international calendar.
Eduardo López-Puertas, managing director of IFEMA, welcomed the announcement: “As a leading operator and venue, it is our responsibility to reflect the changes that are taking place in the market and, for some time now, we have been working on developing a fair dedicated to organic products in Spain. Diversified Communications has a solid reputation as an independent organiser of commercial events and is well known in the international organic sector, so our two companies coming together to form a joint venture not only makes sense, it is also a big opportunity and means that we can develop the event to the utmost.”
Carsten Holm, managing director of Diversified Communications UK, is also delighted with the agreement: “We have been working for more than a year on the launch of Organic Food Iberia, and everyone has been very positive about the idea. That is why this partnership with IFEMA, which brings its experience, resources and network, takes the project to another level. We are very excited and are already looking forward to working with our partners from IFEMA and all the stakeholders in Organic Food Iberia to create a truly world-class event for the organic sectors in Spain.”
Francisco Javier Mate, deputy director general of differentiated quality and organic agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain, says: “Holding a professional fair in Spain specifically for organic agri-food products is one of the actions included in the Ministry of Agriculture’s 2018-2020 Strategy for Ecological Production. For this reason, we are pleased that it is being launched in 2019. Being in Madrid, it will bring together producers from across the Iberian Peninsula, with all its great diversity and potential.”
Álvaro Barrera, president of the Ecological Value Association ECOVALIA, says: “It is time for Spain to have a dedicated meeting place for production, industry and marketing that reflects the growing increase in organic consumption, and that is what Organic Food Iberia will facilitate in 2019 in Madrid. We are delighted to see IFEMA and Diversified, each of them a leader in their field, join together to create a world-class trade fair for this increasingly important sector.”
Fernando P. Gómez Molina, general director of PROEXPORT – The Association of Producers-Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables of the Region of Murcia-, says: “We have noted with interest the commitment that both Diversified and IFEMA have shown to organising a fair in Madrid that promotes our organic foods and attracts buyers and professionals from around the world. We are very pleased with this exciting joint project. We have seen a growing trust in organic fruit and vegetable producers in Spain in the European food distribution market, just as we have always enjoyed in conventional production. We can definitely say that Organic Food Iberia has arrived at the right time.”
Amandio Santos, chairman of the board of directors of Portugal Foods, says: “The Organic Food Iberia event will help improve exports and national production of certified organic products, providing good results not only to the primary sector but also to the industry in general. Organic Food Iberia brings Spain and Portugal together and increases the potential results of this trade fair, which helps attract international buyers. We know about and recognise the excellent work of Diversified in the organisation of other events, as well the work done by IFEMA, which is highly renowned as a world leader in the organisation of events, so we are confident that this event will be a success.”
For more information visit www.organicfoodiberia.com
Bio Eco Actual, International Organic Newspaper
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