Mia 2007 Final Report

Rimini Fiera. The Food, seafood, beverage and logistics capital

With 87,943 visitors (10% more than 2006), the 37th MIA, 9th Pianeta Birra Beverage & Co., 6th MSE Seafood & Processing and 3rd Food & Beverage Logistics Expo closed at Rimini Fiera. The new formula ´inside and outside the expo´ was a winner
The most innovative comprehensive expo event for the beverage market for eating out and large-scale distribution, with four exhibitions held simultaneously, closed yesterday at Rimini Fiera: The 37th edition of MIA International Food Show; 6th MSE Seafood & Processing, Show of Mediterranean Fishing Industry Technology and Produce; 9th Pianeta Birra Beverage & Co., International Show of Beers, Beverages and Snacks and 3rd Food & Beverage Logistics Expo, Solutions, Models and Trends for the supply chain.

The leading companies of the four sectors´ market were spotlighted.
Overall, the ´poker´ of expos occupied 100,000 square metres, offering a complete overview of the products of 1,400 companies, between direct exhibitors and represented firms.

On the basis of the figures audited by ISF*, visitors totalled 87,943 (10% more than the 2006 edition), of whom 2,817 were foreign.

561 journalists from Italy and abroad were accredited in the press room. During the four days, the event was covered by Italian and foreign trade and specialist press, as well as the major national, regional and local press; the expo halls hosted the cameras of TG1 Economia, TG2 Costume e Società, TG3, TG5, La7, Sky, Rai Uno with ´Linea Verde´, and were covered live by ´Quelli che il calcio´ (Rai Due).

No less than 15,346 passengers used the Rimini Fiera railway station, compared with 12,787 in 2006.

NEW FEATURES AT THIS EDITION

Rimini Fiera chairman, Lorenzo Cagnoni commented, ´The 2007 edition was the most important and comprehensive European expo event for the eating out and catering food and beverage sector. The extension of the expo centre, completed last summer, proved to be of strategic importance: this year we used all the space available – no less than 16 halls – for a total of 109,000 square metres of exhibit areas and no less than 60,000 for the services. This same farsighted policy was also seen in the bringing together (starting in the 2006 edition) the business outlets dedicated to the HoReCa trade and those for large-scale distribution. Alongside the expo area, we organized a program of events able to emphasize this trend, as our job is always to favour our exhibiting firms´ business by bringing together supply and demand.´

Business Unit Sales Manager, Patrizia Cecchi, added ´Rimini Fiera has confirmed its role as a hub for interaction  - following a modern logic of partnership with our clients, we tried to plan and stage the four expos according to a leitmotif  of global contacts and exploitation of the entire production chain. We thus brought together manufacturers, producers and distributors, venues owners and large-scale distribution representatives, all united by the key issue of logistics.´

Responding precisely to market requirements, this year Rimini Fiera inaugurated a series of events Ôoutside the expo´ destined to involve end consumers, while keeping admission to the expo strictly limited to trade visitors. MIA therefore presented the ´Stronghold of Taste´, a project by Rimini Provincial Government´s Department of Agriculture and Manufacturing Activities organized at Castel Sismondo fortress, in Piazza Malatesta, right in the centre of town: a series of events and tasting sessions of typical Rimini produce, which attracted a great deal of interest, thanks also to the suggestive location. PIANETA BIRRA BEVERAGE & CO. on the other featured the debut of the´ ´Happy Hour Village´, an area based on amusement and featuring entertainment and music in front of the expo centre´s west entrance. The passion for ´blondes´ also infected the heart of Rimini. Piazza Tre Martiri was transformed into a real ´Salotto della birra´ (Beer lounge), with stands for the sale of unique craft products, such as those by micro-breweries from all over Italy and abroad.

THE INAUGURATION AND NOMISMA SURVEY

The joint ribbon-cutting ceremony was entrusted to the Chairman of the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government  Vasco Errani, who put  the accent on the sector´s peculiarities, in an area that has a traditional vocation for the culture of good food and the taste of genuine beverages. He said, ´The food & beverage world, gathered at Rimini Fiera, is growing fast, from the point of view of the expo and the quality of the products on show. This is a leading edge event at international level, in perfect sync with what the country is able to offer from this point of view. In fact, our agri-food trade is unrivalled in the world and is going in the right direction - featuring quality, safety, traceability and certification. The Rimini showcase is therefore an important driving force for strengthening its image and increasing its competitiveness.´

On inauguration day, the traditional report on eating out promoted by Rimini Fiera was also issued. Entrusted this year to the Nomisma research institute, it is entitled ´NEW FOOD FOR NEW PEOPLE, New products - between Large-scale Distribution and eating out:  in competition or complementary?´
Spending on meals eaten out exceeded 60 billion euros, a sum that represents a third of food and beverage consumption in Italy. The new aspects highlighted by the survey included, ´the new frontier´, made up of ready-to-eat dishes purchased in super and hypermarkets. These are ready-cooked products in pre-packed containers (salads with rice and spelt, boiled and grilled vegetables, dressed salads, fruit salad), sold over the counter without any additional services, and eaten cold or quickly heated in a micro-wave oven, which the majority of companies now put at employees´ disposal. Among this ready-to-eat food, there is a great deal of interest in ethnic products, with 5% of ready-packed meals purchased in large-scale sales outlets being accounted for by couscous. Nomisma emphasizes how spending is on the rise: 4.9% more than the previous year.

37th INTERNATIONAL FOOD SHOW
34,000 m2, 700 exhibitors, 5 sections (Catering & Biocatering, Gluten-free, Sandwiches & Snacks, Regional Specialities and Frigus). Here, in brief, is an overview of the 37th MIA, which ended with success with visitors and satisfaction on the behalf of exhibitors exceeding even the rosiest expectations.