Asia Fruit Logistica Asiafruit Congress 2009

Asia Fruit Logistica and Asiafruit Congress have confirmed their premier position as Asia’s leading trade show and conference event for the international fresh fruit and vegetable business.

More than 3,400 trade visitors from 52 countries all over the world, including 60 per cent from Asia, were in Hong Kong last week to attend the three-day event, which took place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 2-4 September 2009.

Some 224 exhibitors from 31 countries took part at Asia Fruit Logistica, with 500 delegates from more than 40 countries registered at the Asiafruit Congress.

“These are excellent results for exhibitors, trade visitors and conference delegates alike, especially at such a challenging time for the global economy,” said Gérald Lamusse, managing director of Global Produce Events GmbH, which organises the three-day event. “The results underline just how important and unique our event in Asia has become for the international fresh fruit and vegetable business.”

Major fresh produce countries and trading nations from across the world expanded their presence at this year’s Asia Fruit Logistica.

Asian countries once again accounted for the largest number of exhibitors on a regional basis, making up 35 per cent of the total. China had a particularly strong presence, with some 55 companies taking part, while exhibitors were also present from other leading Asian markets such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Countries from Europe (25 per cent), South America (13 per cent), Oceania (12 per cent), North America (9 per cent) and Africa (6 per cent) were also well represented at Asia Fruit Logistica, reflecting the truly international character of the show.

While Australia, The Netherlands, France and the US all beefed up their presence at Asia Fruit Logistica, major South American supplying nations such as Chile and Brazil exhibited for the first time. Peru and Argentina also made another strong showing while South Africa was back in force.

“Major exporting countries are moving in on Asia and making this event the fulcrum of their marketing push in the region,” noted Mr Lamusse.

While visitors to Asia Fruit Logistica were impressed with the size and range of the stands, exhibitors also remarked on the high quality of the visitors in attendance. Leading buyers from Asia’s major fruit and vegetable markets again made up the majority of visitors to Asia Fruit Logistica, with most of them holding decision-making positions in their companies.

Many of Asia’s fruit and vegetable markets have responded positively to the global economic crisis over the past 12 months as a desire among consumers to rein in their spending on eating out has prompted demand for fresh produce to remain steady or, in some cases, increase.

That was one of the key takeaways for delegates to the opening day of Asiafruit Congress, Asia’s top international conference event for fresh fruit and vegetable marketing, which took place over three mornings alongside Asia Fruit Logistica.

Asiafruit Congress was addressed by a range of high-level international speakers offering delegates unique insights and expert advice to help them make the most of the important growth opportunities that Asia presents.

Day One opened with a broad overview of economic trends and shopper habits across Asia from The Nielsen Company combined with strategic advice on how to boost sales to the region’s markets. A panel of Asian buyers, including senior retail executives from Tops/Central Food Retail and ParknShop, then discussed the findings of the analysis. Success stories in consumer marketing also came under the spotlight on Day One with presentations from Publicis Worldwide, the California Table Grape Commission and Japanese marketing consultancy Yamano & Associates.

Major global retail groups Tesco and Metro kicked off Day Two by outlining their produce procurement strategies in Asia and China respectively in a session on Asia’s sourcing potential. The issue of licensing intellectual property such as proprietary varieties was also the focus of a session that featured first-hand insights from BioGold International, Mylnefield Research Services and Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute.

Day Three opened with expert analysis of the impact of trade liberalisation in Asia on the fresh produce business and concluded with an exclusive session on the emerging Indonesian market.

The success of this year’s Asia Fruit Logistica and Asiafruit Congress stands the event in good stead for its return to Hong Kong next year, when the three-day event takes place on 8-10 September 2010 at Hong Kong’s Convention and Exhibition Centre.

A full report on Asia Fruit Logistica and Asiafruit Congress will appear in the September/October edition of Asiafruit Magazine. To order your copy, email tosubscriptions@fruitnet.com.