Early Booking Rates for Barcelona Food Technology Fair to End July 31
The opportunity to book space for Bta. with advantageous terms ends on 31 July, organisers announced, as almost 70 per cent of the floor exhibition has already been booked.
The Barcelona Food Technology (Bta.) show is to be held together with Hispack on April 21-24, 2015 at Fira de Barcelona. The option which allows exhibitors to receive advantageous terms when they book by 31 July has given a boost to space sales for the show, whose next edition will highlight innovation, technology and international expansion.
“With the pace of sales for the show, we can predict that Bta. will be Europe’s largest food technology trade show in 2015. The exhibition features a wide range of industry offerings organised in three shows: Tecnocárnica, Tecnoalimentaria and Ingretecno, serving the meat industry, food industry in general and intermediate food products sector,” according to the announcement made by the organisers on July 25.
Víctor Pascual, director of Bta., has stated that he is confident that “we can expect a great edition of Bta., judging by the atmosphere of optimism we noted at the most recent edition of Alimentaria and the positive signs being shown by the food industry as a driving force for the Spanish economy.”
Focus on bakery
Bta. 2015 will include a new supply-side focus on the bread and baked goods, cakes and pastries, dairy products, preserves and commercial equipment industries, areas for which demand-side professionals regularly visit each edition of the show in search of business opportunities, export options and new markets.
In addition, the exhibition will feature the latest in cross-sector technology for the food industry, including refrigeration, industrial cleaning and waste processing equipment.
Bta. 2015 also aims to be a hub for international networking, encouraging negotiations and trade between countries, supported by a strong international promotional campaign and an invited buyers programme targeting the major food and drink manufacturing and processing destination markets for Spanish industry.
Internationalisation will be one of the core themes at Bta. 2015, which will bring together professionals from around the world, focusing especially on markets in North Africa, Latin America and Southern Europe.
Areas of innovation
Innovation is another of the show’s priorities. In keeping with this, a range of activities will be planned to promote technology transfer and pinpoint major trends in food processing, engineering and manufacturing. To this end, Bta. has established strategic partnership agreements with various organisations and technology centres, including Irta, Ainia, Azti, Amec, Aecoc, Fiab and Acc10.
“Normally, food technology is of secondary importance to consumers, who see the final food products processed, enhanced or engineered by means of the latest industry advances on the shop shelves. Yet we need a strong, versatile manufacturing industry to make it possible for the food and drinks industry to evolve and adapt to consumer tastes and demands. Bta. presents a more than ample selection of applications for the best food technology and innovation.”
In 2013, the food industry based its innovation strategy on expanding product lines to revitalise their presence on shop shelves (78% of new launches), on reformulated or redesigned products, which accounted for 12.7% of new launches, and on brand stretching (6.22%). Premium items led the list of launches, followed by motivations such as pleasure, health, convenience and products to be consumed in new situations.
These core areas of innovation determine how investment in R&D&I is allocated by the food technology industry, which is focusing on equipment for much more cross-sector processes associated with consumption habits and adapted to new production regulations.
Food safety, hygienic design, traceability and eco-friendly products continue to be the main trends in innovation for food machinery and technology. The aim is to produce convenience or functional foods, or products with a more natural appearance and flavours.