Alimentaria Barcelona - The most important food and beverages exhibition in Spain

Alimentaria Barcelona is the most important international food and beverages exhibition in Spain. It is organized by Alimentaria Exhibitions, which was established in 2002 and is a joint venture between Fira Barcelona and Reed Exhibitions. Alimentaria Exhibitions have their headquarters in Barcelona and are specialized in organizing food and beverages trade shows.

The company is a market leader in the countries where they operate (Spain, Portugal, Mexico, and Argentina). They organized Alimentaria & Horexpo Lisboa, Alimentaria México, and Alimentaria Mercosur, among others.

The Alimentaria International Food and Beverages Exhibition is one of the most important trade shows in its sector. The first Barcelona exhibition was held in 1976 and since then both the visitor and exhibitor numbers have increased. It takes place every two years and receives professionals and exhibitors from all over the world. In 2008, more than 85% of all visitors reported being pleased with the exhibition and said that they would return for the next edition.

This year, Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 will take place from March 22 to 26. It brings together over 4,000 leading food and beverages manufacturers and distributors to present their latest products and attracts close to 130,000 professional visitors. 30% of the companies that take part in the exhibition will come from abroad, as will 36,000 of the visitors. It will be held at the Fira de Barcelona, in the Sants-Monjuic district, and will occupy the entire facility (94.500 m2 of exhibitions space).

 The objective of the trade show is to present the latest products from the food and beverages industry and various distribution channels. Alimentaria Barcelona gives visitors the opportunity to establish new contacts, study market trends, discover business and network opportunities, and visit clients. For this reason the event is considered mandatory by professionals working in the food and beverages industry.

The exhibition space is divided into various shows organized by product family. This year the shows include: Congelexpo (frozen products), Expobebidas (soft drinks, mineral waters, beers, and ciders), Expoconser (preserves and semi-preserves), Intercarn (meat products), Interlact (milk and dairy products), Olivaria (olive oil), Interpesca (seafood, aquaculture and farmed fish products), Intervin (wine and spirits), Multiproducto (general food products), Mundidulce (sweets, biscuits, and confectionary), Restaurama (food and hospitality products and services), Ecological & Organic Food & Vegefruit (the ecological and organic food show), Autonomous Communities Pavilion (group participants from Spain´s autonomous communities), and the International Pavilion (group participants from abroad).

This type of organization is new this year, and the segmentation of different, specialized sectors, is considered a pioneering trade show model. It is useful for the visitors because it makes it easier to focus on a specific specialization and gives a greater sense of order to the trade show in general.

Alimentaria Barcelona will also offer an extensive list of associated activities such as conferences, lectures, and cookery demonstrations. They are divided into three areas: Research, Development and Innovation, International Projects, and Dynamic Alimentaria. Activities include the U.S.A and Canada Project, in which Alimentaria organizes meetings to help the shows exhibitors export their products to the United States and Canada, The Chef of the Year Competition, in which talented young chefs have the opportunity to compete in a professional cooking contest, and Spain: the Country of 100 cheeses, which gives visitors a comprehensive tour of Spain´s cheese products. Of course, this is just a sample of what Alimentaria Barcelona has to offer. There are more than 20 activities in total focusing on different aspects of the food and beverages sector so there is plenty to see and learn.

The opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 10am to 7pm and Friday 10am to 3pm. A five day ticket to the show costs €85 and a one day pass costs €60. Visitors should note that the exhibition is intended for food and beverages professionals only and that children under the age of 16 are not allowed. Online registration is available until March 25 at 7pm.

The Fira de Barcelona can easily be reached by public transport, by taking either the Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) or the metro to Plaza España. There will also be a free bus service provided by the organizers from the El Prat Airport to the venue and back. As with any major event, accommodation can fill up quite quickly so it´s best to book early. Way2Barcelona.com offers affordable accommodation near the Fira de Barcelona which can be booked via the website or by calling +34 93 2375333.

For more information on specific exhibitions or activities visit the official website at http://www.alimentaria-bcn.com/en/