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ANUGA — the name that has been associated with top-notch F&B fairs — returns this year from October 8-10 in Cologne, Germany.

Opened only to bona fide trade visitors, the biennial event attracts exhibitors and visitors from almost every country in the world. Over 6,000 suppliers and 161,000 visitors from 157 countries attended Anuga 2003, with 53% coming from overseas. This year, the show is expected to be just as successful. It will occupy 14 halls, covering a gross floor space of 286,000sqm.

The event, which is based on the “10 specialised trade fairs under one roof” concept, will be divided into sections, including the fresh-food trade fairs comprising Anuga Meat, Anuga Dairy, Anuga Frozen Food and Anuga Chilled Food; Anuga Bread & Bakery and Hot Beverages; and Anuga Fine Food. The sub-divisions aim to ensure that participants can locate stalls, find information they require and place orders easily.

Commenting on this concept, which was also featured in the previous Anuga, executive vice-president of Koelnmesse GmbH, Wolfgang Kranz, says the trade fairs, each featuring its own profiles for individual segment, have won companies over, making the fairs a highlight that is impossible to pass up.



Indeed, the organisers of Anuga have proudly announced that they have already received an exceptional number of registrations for all 10 fairs, and are still receiving new requests and stand reservations.

For example, the Anuga Dairy fair alone has clocked a record number of registered exhibitors with approximately 340 suppliers from around 40 countries.

Apart from Anuga’s regular exhibitors, the Anuga Meat, Anuga Frozen Food and Anuga Chilled Food fair promises to feature companies that have not exhibited in the Cologne show for a number of years such as Dr Oetker, Frosta and Hiestand.

Volkmar Preu, head of sales at Dr Oetker Nahrungsmittel KG, says that the company’s decision to take part in Anuga 2005 is strongly influenced by Anuga’s visitor structure, which makes the fair one that has international appeals. The focus of the Dr Oetker product range will be on frozen and fresh products.

Another advantage is the trade layout where all the fresh-food fairs are arranged in close proximity, ensuring trade buyers short distances to move around and strong synergy among exhibiting companies.

Meanwhile, the Anuga Fine Food fair is also been receiving positive response from new and returning exhibitors such as Appel Feinkost, Birkel and Del Monte from Germany, and Barilla and Kraft Foods from Italy and Switzerland respectively. In keeping with tradition, the OTC Forum will once again be a special highlight at the Anuga Fine Food fair.

The Anuga Bread & Bakery and its new inclusion of Hot Beverages will feature scores of speciality tea and coffee suppliers who will display their wide array of products. Some of the tea suppliers to be represented at the fair will include those from Sri Lanka, China, India, Central and South America.

There will also be a separate exhibition area specially reserved for organic products and the marketing of these products. Called Organic World, the fair aims to showcase a more internationally represented industry. The section expects some 1,200 suppliers of organic products this year.

Organic World will also play an important role in the Anuga supporting programme, as experts such as Dr Winfried Fuchshofen from Organic Insights Inc, New Lebanon, USA, will provide some analysis on the various organic products and marketing strategies. Exhibitors who have registered for the organic section include BZ Bio- Zentrale and EP Naturprodukte.

With such an exciting line-up confirmed and new companies registering daily, Anuga 2005 expects to attract approximately 6,000 suppliers from Germany and across the world, including leading national and international companies as well as small and medium-sized manufacturers and importers. Indeed, Anuga has become one of the indispensable trade events in the food-service and catering sector.

The opening event

On the day preceding the first day of Anuga 2005, a first-rate opening to kick off the fair has been arranged by the show organisers. This year, top managers from the global food industry have been specially invited to gather at Cologne a day prior to the fair to discuss their current stand in the industry as well as in terms of future strategies and scenarios.

The organisers have invited, for the second time, two distinguished executives to grace the event. E Neville Isdell, chairman and CEO of The Coca- Cola Company in Atlanta, and Dr Hans- Joachim Körber, CEO of Metro AG, Düsseldorf, will address the attendees, underscoring this year’s theme — “Retail and Brand Leadership in a Fastchanging Market”.

The theme will tackle one of the most crucial questions faced by retailers today. As a result of new formats that are fast attaining importance, consumers have also altered their spending habits and this, in turn, poses significant challenges to the industry, especially those in industrialised countries.

This calls for fundamental, strategic and careful circumspection by the market leaders of the food industry.

As in the past, Claude Hauser, chairman of the board of directors, Federation of Migros Cooperatives, Zurich, and chairman CIES – The Food Business Forum, will be hosting the event and introducing the theme.

Some of the key issues that will be dealt with include how market leaders manage their business in a future where the growth markets will move from the West to the East, and the new sales channels that will be made available to them.

Also, the event will discuss how brand-name manufacturers and fullrange suppliers from the trade can cooperate to create potential for improved products with the advent of new technologies and product innovations.

The organisers in charge of Anuga’s opening event are the Federal Association of the German Retail Grocery Trade, Berlin; The Federal Association of the German Food Industry, Bonn; CIES – The Food Business Forum, Paris; and Koelnmesse.

The convention will commence at 6pm on 7 October 2005 in the Congress- Saal, Congress Centre East, Koelnmesse. Approximately 700 local and international delegates are expected to attend.

Apart from the opening event, other supporting programmes are also beginning to take shape. Highlights include an official opening ceremony by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder; and special shows such as the Outdoor Catering Forum and the 2005 Innovation Prize for Organic Food Processing.

For the latest details on this mega event, go to .