Fruit Attraction 2020: a fulcrum for reconstruction and a tribute to the sector
In its twelfth year, Fruit Attraction 2020 will incorporate new elements into its format with the aim of serving as a fulcrum to promote the reconstruction of international trade relations within the fruit and vegetable sector. It takes place in October, which is the key time for the sector. The confidence of the sector as a whole, and the support of the international Fruit Attraction community to speed up the recovery, has allowed the fair to have recorded an increase of 5% in registrations for participation, compared to the same dates last year.
“We have a responsibility to celebrate Fruit Attraction 2020 together. I am sure that when it closes its doors on 22 October, all the heads of the participating companies will be proud to have contributed to the reconstruction of international trade relations for the entire fruit and vegetable sector value chain. During these months of COVID-19, our agri-food sector has shown and will continue to show the community as a whole all its strengths, reaffirming itself as a strategic and fundamental sector for our social structure’s food supply and confidence”, said fair director, Raúl Calleja.
Jorge Brotons, president of Fepex and the Organising Committee for Fruit Attraction, said:
“We continue to work towards October, in a scenario of a return to a certain normality, because we need to see each other’s faces and work to help companies continue selling and growing. Fruit Attraction will be a great tribute to and recognition of all the professionals in the fruit and vegetable sector who have been working intensively in the field, in maintaining supplies, in the factories, in logistics, in distribution, in marketing, in warehouses, and at the points of sale around the world during these months of confinement and uncertainty”.
IFEMA and the Community of Madrid have agreed to dismantle in May the Emergency Hospital that its facilities are currently hosting, as will happen with the resource made available to the homeless. This will allow the maintenance projects and investments scheduled for the summer months to be carried out, ensuring the infrastructure is in optimal condition to resume activity in September.
The new provisions that IFEMA will implement in the coming months include services such as a thermal solution for measuring body temperature that will be incorporated to help monitor people accessing the site.
Aware of the uncertainty, but in a context of having to generate commercial sourcing and supply opportunities to match international fruit and vegetable supply and demand, accompany companies in the new investment scenario and minimise the risks associated with participating in Fruit Attraction, work is already under way on a new format in which the “functionality and commercial utility intrinsic to the fair” will be enhanced. It will probably be less social in order to preserve attendees’ health and safety (access management and capacity limits, temperature monitoring, hygiene-sanitary measures, etc.). This means moving away from grouping many visitors together and toward an event model that focuses on buying and selling processes and presenting new developments, innovations and know-how for this new market and consumption scenario. Three days during which the industry comes together to generate and develop commercial relationships in a mixed face-to-face and digital format, enhancing the quality of the buyer profile. Three days of international buying and selling, supply agreements, campaign planning, news, face-to-face and virtual forums and debates, all taking advantage of IFEMA’s 5G technology.
Fruit Attraction will be held at a time when visitors from many countries will be able to attend the event in person and others will participate digitally through a new B2B-eMeeting service (30-45 minute video calls on a platform available for smartphones and laptops), with prearranged or spontaneous agendas between exhibiting companies and buyers from all over the world that are part of the entire Fruit Attraction digital community. This will enable the fair to put forward new value streams for customers who are unable to attend.
The intense specialised programme of congresses, conferences, debates, company presentations, etc. covering the entire value chain will also take place in a mixed format, and will begin virtually with the “VIRTUAL FRUIT FORUM” on 14 October, for the entire Fruit Attraction international community. There will then be daily digital events with high-value content up until the start of Fruit Attraction on 20 October, when the on-site events will begin, including the BIOFRUIT CONGRESS that will be held on the 22 October.
All the conference spaces, common areas, working areas and the layout of the fair are designed and planned to comply with all the social and hygienic protocols set by the authorities, with capacity control and management systems, temperature monitoring, etc. ensuring the health and safety of everyone attending the event, who will previously receive a Post Covid-19 Behavioural Recommendations Guide.
Optimising costs, minimising risks and simplifying setting up the stands for the participating companies will be another of the strategic pillars of Fruit Attraction 2020. It will make two types of modular customisable stands available, Basic and Premium, that are all inclusive and include 3 Premium WIFI connections, to effectively manage video calls with participating remote buyers. This service is also included for all exhibitors participating with custom designed stands.
The online Participating Companies Directory will play a leading role, since it will be essential for identifying companies, products, news, contacts, agenda and eMeeting services, etc. for all those visitors who cannot attend the event in person.
