Preparations underway for Macfrut 2024

Cesenatico, July 2023 – Preparations are underway for Macfrut 2024. The 2023 edition, which was met with much enthusiasm, ended just two months ago, but the organisers have already begun working on the 41st edition, which will be held from 8 to 10 May 2024 at the Rimini Expo Centre. A promotional campaign was launched a few days ago, starting earlier than in previous editions at the request of many exhibitors. The main themes of the upcoming edition have also already been defined.

The 41st edition of Macfrut will be officially presented on 11 October at Expo Doha at the Italy Pavilion, specifically designed by Cesena Fiera itself. The capital city of Qatar was not randomly chosen: it is part of a journey that Macfrut has embarked on, with a special focus on the Arabian Peninsula, where it hosted presentations in Dubai (2022) and Riyadh (2023). In fact, this strategic region will be the international partner of Macfrut 2024. Known for its premium quality fruits and vegetables, in particular dates, the Arabian Peninsula imports 70% of the fresh fruit and vegetables it consumes. Against this background, Italy has the potential to play a crucial role as a hub in southern Europe for its maritime logistics. The fact that an increasing number of sector professionals and visitors from this region are attending Macfrut shows and proves that trade relations between the Arabian Peninsula and Europe have grown over the last few years.

Table grapes will be the key product of Macfrut 2024: they are one of the staples of ‘Made in Italy’ fruit and vegetable exports worldwide, since many innovative grape varieties are successfully exported. An International Symposium (Macfrut Table Grape Symposium) will be dedicated to the entire supply chain of table grapes, while the Partner region will be Apulia, a region of Italy that is world-renowned for its quality products, which also include the ‘Uva di Puglia’ PGI grapes.

A major new feature of the 2024 edition is the Macfrut Academy, a service exclusively reserved for exhibitors who will be able to benefit all year round from a series of dedicated services: technical focus sessions on innovation, in-person and online events, and professional meetings with experts from all over the world. In fact, the Macfrut Academy extends the duration of the trade fair, which becomes a hub for keeping in touch with global industry players all year round.

Speaking of new additions, there will also be two new exhibitions. The first one is the agrisolar exhibition Agrisolar Systems & Technologies, organised in collaboration with IEG (Italian Exhibition Group), showcasing technical solutions currently available on the market for modern agriculture. The second one is the Innovation Hub for Healthy Food, an Exhibition dedicated to the processed products and processing technologies used to produce functional foods with high nutritional value. Organised in collaboration with the Food Science and Technology degree programme of the University of Bologna, it is dedicated to innovative horticultural products.

Several themed exhibitions dedicated to innovations in various sectors of the industry have been confirmed: the Biosolutions international event, the Acqua Campus, the Spices & Herbs Global Expo, the Red Planet, and the Plant Nursery area showcasing innovations in the plant nursery industry.