2014 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the SIAL Paris trade fair. With just five months to go until this year’s event, plans are already in place to create a food experience like no other.
Fifty years ago, in 1964, the first SIAL trade event took place within the CNIT Paris La Défense, rewriting the rulebook when it came to food trade exhibitions. From the start, SIAL decided to position itself as the ‘food crossroads of the world’, welcoming exhibitors from 26 countries to showcase the latest in global food innovation.
Five decades later, SIAL Paris is one of the must-attend events on the global food calendar, welcoming around 6,000 exhibitors and 150,000 visitors from 200 countries, and has spawned sister events in Canada, Brazil, China, Philippines and Abu Dhabi. Returning to the Parc des Expositions de Paris Nord-Villepinte from 19 to 23 October this year, SIAL will mark its fiftieth anniversary in style, with a series of anniversary events, a major focus on innovation, and the launch of ‘World Tour By SIAL’, a window on the key consumption trends affecting markets around the world.
“For 50 years now, SIAL Paris has fostered business opportunities for the food professions,” says Nicolas Trentesaux, SIAL Group Director. “Once again this year, this exhibition is seen to be a genuine business tool showcasing the entrepreneurship alive in the global industry, a unique networking space and a true repository for global innovation. As an instant trading platform, in these times of crisis, SIAL Paris is increasingly an effective means to develop business.”
World Tour By SIAL
Building on the success of the SIAL D’Or programme, ‘World Tour By SIAL’ will focus on consumer and retail trends, including new distribution concepts, changes to the retail and/or supplier landscape and the latest innovations and new product developments catching the eye.
Checkout magazine is once again proud to be part of this process, which brings together 30 leading trade journalists from around the world. As with previous years, Irish products will also be represented at the event and go head to head with innovations from around the world in a bid to scoop the ‘World Tour Award’ jury prize. More details will be revealed in the May edition of Checkout.
Showcasing Innovation
SIAL’s importance on the global food calendar is evidenced by the fact that around 90% of the available exhibition surface was already booked with nine months to go before the event.
Around 150,000 visitors are expected to attend the event, 63% of which will hail from outside France, an indication of the global spread of attendees: 7% will hail from Asia, 5% from Africa, 6% from the Middle East and 4% from South America. A total of 20 exhibition sectors will be hosted, focusing on everything from Cured Meats to Organic Products, as well are core areas such as Fruit & Vegetables, Dairy, Beverages, Meat and Grocery.
Some of the unique elements on offer at SIAL 2014 will include: the return of the SIAL Innovation exhibition, in conjunction with TNS Sofres, which identifies emerging trends in terms of food behaviour; La Cuisine by SIAL, a showcase for catering professionals, which this year will play host to 50 leading chefs from around the world; SIAL TV, a meeting place for discussion and debate on a wide range of food topics; and Le Marché by SIAL, a dedicated area devoted to fruit and vegetable innovation.
For more information, visit www.sialparis.com
