A marketplace for innovation, a source of inspiration and a trend barometer. The world's most important trade show for food and beverage ingredients, Fi Europe & Ni 2017 welcomed more visitors than ever before.

More than 26,000 attendees from over 135 nations worldwide used the three-day trade show to discover innovative new concepts and novel solutions. Boasting an abundance of excellent, high quality delegates, post-event analysis showed that almost 78% of the attendees had budget responsibility, with approximately 30% having higher management roles – an ideal mix to generate promising leads at more than 1,600 stands. In total, show organizer UBM recorded 50,000+ visits.

Oliver Wolf, Head of B2B Marketing at GELITA, gave a very positive review, stating: "The sheer volume of visitors at the GELITA stand was immense – and the overall quality of enquiries was very high. That's why Fi Europe was, once again, the perfect setting for us to introduce our latest innovations in gelatine and collagen peptides to a broad expert audience." Peter Hennebichler, Director Corporate Sales & Marketing at AGRANA, added: "We counted a record number of attendees at our stand this year. Because of the highly relevant contacts we make here, AGRANA has exhibited at FiE for many years." Key players such as Cargill, FrieslandCampina, BENEO, Roquette, Avebe, Kerry and Naturex all presented innovative new products and solutions. In addition, several start-ups and first-time exhibitors used Fi Europe & Ni as a platform to further expand their brand.

Fi Europe Brand Director Richard Joyce’s conclusion was also positive. Sharing his excitement for the reservations numbers for the 2019 edition in Paris, he said "Currently, 80% of the exhibitors have already booked a stand for the next show. This clearly indicates that Fi Europe & Ni is a must-attend event for food ingredient companies. We are already looking forward to 2019 and will do our utmost to arrange another top-class agenda."

Value adding extras
Far more than just a supporting program, this year’s Fi Europe & Ni once again offered a variety of additional attractions, including 20+ country pavilions and themed areas – such as the Expo FoodTec Pavilion – and daily Innovation Tours. In the Industry Insights Theater and Supplier Solution Sessions, attendees were able to get up close and personal with interesting companies and their concepts. Furthermore, the New Product Zone and Ingredients in Action, hosted by Innova Market Insights, provided an overview on the latest products that made their way into consumers' shopping carts.

With the second Future of Nutrition Summit, the pre-show one day summit, show organizer UBM EMEA offered detailed insight into the future of the industry; social and technological developments that will impact the ingredients industry during the next 5 years were put under the spotlight. In addition, the three-day Fi Conference covered everything from clean label to regulatory issues. Jennifer Arthur of Leatherhead Food Research introduced the possibilities and challenges of personalized nutrition, whereas Dr Laurice Pouvreau, Senior Project Manager, Protein Functionality at Nizo, explained how promising sensory results can be achieved by blending different protein sources. With more than 250 delegates, the conference program also reached a record-breaking number.

Post-show is pre-show: Hi Europe 2018 in Frankfurt, Fi Europe & Ni 2019 in Paris
Next year, Hi Europe will open its doors on November 27 in Frankfurt for three days. In times when functional ingredients with added health benefits are becoming increasingly important, Europe's leading trade show for health and nutrition is the meeting place for manufacturers and decision makers in the food and nutraceuticals industry. The following year, Fi Europe & Ni will return to Paris (December 3–5 2019) and take place at the Parc des Expositions Villepinte.