A new exhibition hall, an optimised layout, more exhibition space and registrations from all market leaders – these are the positive auguries for IFFA 2019. The industry is demonstrating a strong commitment to its leading global trade fair and will make its presentation on substantially more exhibition space than at the last edition of the fair. Under the motto ‘Meet the Best’, IFFA will once again set the technological benchmarks for the future and show the entire spectrum of products and services for the meat sector – from manufacturing to high-tech.
Not without good reason is IFFA the leading trade fair for the meat industry: numerous renowned companies from Germany and the whole world have already registered to present their latest products and services on 119,000 square metres of exhibition space (gross). The world’s leading trade fair for the sector next opens its doors from 4 to 9 May 2019 when it will once again make Frankfurt am Main the centre of attention for the sector. Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Messe Frankfurt: “Together with the industry, we are looking forward to a fantastic IFFA 2019 – all the signs point to further growth. Thus, IFFA is continuing its long success story. It was held for the first time in conjunction with the conferences of the German Butchers’ Association at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre in 1949. We are very proud that, over the intervening decades, we and our partners from the sector have been able to make taking part in IFFA a must for the entire meat industry.”
Messe Frankfurt is looking forward to welcoming more than 1,000 exhibitors from around 50 countries. On around 119,000 square metres of exhibition space (gross) – eight percent more than at the last IFFA – manufacturers will present innovative technologies, trends and future-oriented solutions for all stages of the meat-processing chain, from slaughtering and dismembering, via processing and refining, to packaging and sales. Over 60,000 trade visitors from 140 countries are expected.
Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association, the conceptual partner of IFFA: “For machinery manufacturers, IFFA is the most important international platform. Its clear positioning enables exhibitors and visitors from all over the world to prepare efficiently, to obtain a comprehensive overview and, therefore, to achieve a future-oriented trade-fair experience. Nowhere else can you find so many experts and such a broad spectrum of innovations, ideas and business models revolving around the most valuable of all foodstuffs, meat.”
Optimised layout with the new Hall 12
Built to the highest and most modern standards, the new Hall 12 will be used for IFFA for the first time in 2019. The result is a circular route that links all IFFA halls with each other and enables visitors to obtain a rapid overview of the entire spectrum on show within a minimum of walking. To this end, the exhibitors and their products are arranged along the main process stages of the meat industry.
Relevant and future oriented: the top themes at IFFA 2019
IFFA is the venue for showing and discussing everything that drives the sector at present and the subjects that point the way to the future. In 2019, the focus of the programme and the exchange of expert opinion will be on the top themes of ‘optimised production’, ‘resource efficiency’, ‘food safety’ and ‘food trends’.
Optimised production is a constantly recurring topic. Companies of the meat and food industry can save time and costs through perfectly coordinated production processes. When it comes to new purchases, the focus is increasingly on overall plant effectiveness. However, existing systems often have hidden potential that needs to be exploited.
The discussion about resource efficiency offers a variety of ways to cut costs. There are already many technical solutions aimed at making the most efficient use of energy, water and raw materials. In the case of packaging, the spotlight is on saving materials.
Food Safety has top priority in the meat industry. It is essential to protect consumers and their justified expectations with respect to quality and perishability through optimum product protection. Innovative packaging solutions also make a decisive contribution to protecting the valuable raw material, meat.
Digital solutions are already reality on the production side. Machines are fitted with sensors, radio modules and measuring devices, and the resulting data used to monitor production and to improve processing. The aim of the ‘smart factory’ is to master complex processes perfectly, to be resistant to stoppages and to be able to react immediately to changes in the production process.
In the case of food trends, the consumer is in the spotlight. The meat sector is characterised by new products, ideas and recipes, as well as ‘functional food’ and ‘clean labelling’ in the ingredients segment, not to mention the continuing growth of convenience products. Also of great interest are new shop concepts, online services and topical trends at the point of sale.
Synergetic: the complementary programme of event
In addition to the innovative products and services being shown by the exhibitors, IFFA offers a multi-faceted complementary programme of events focusing on current developments in the sector. Expert lectures with best-practice examples, special exhibitions, competitions and guided tours give visitors the chance to gather information, hold discussions and make new contacts. New in 2019 will be guided tours in which experts take visitors to selected exhibitors and provide an overview of interesting innovations. As in the past, the fair will be the setting for the international quality competitions of the German Butchers’ Association (Deutscher Fleischer-Verband – DFV), a highlight at every IFFA. Moreover, the ‘IFFA Forum’ will once again generate impulses relating to key topics from the fields of business, technology and development while the ‘IFFA Kitchen’ offers a live demonstration of a production line in operation.
