Satisfaction in view of a “first class menu“: InterMopro/InterCool/InterMeat 2008 and hogatec 2008 held at Düsseldorf report higher visitor numbers

An ongoing boom for convenience, bio and wellness products

Gastronomists and the hotel sector back in an investing mood!


The InterMopro, InterCool, InterMeat 2008 exhibitions impressively underscored their positions as the major sectoral platforms for dairy produce, deep-freeze food, meat and sausages, while hogatec 2008 scored again as the number one fair of technology and design for the hotel trade, gastronomy and canteen services. Over 70,000 visitors from 65 countries came to participate in the four fairs, ending in Düsseldorf after four days of activities on 1 October. 970 exhibitors from abroad attended the trio of food fairs, whereas 500 where represented at Hogatec. All four of them submitted professional offers of innovative products, concepts and services to decision makers from the participating sectors. A total of 30 countries were represented on the side of exhibitors.

The freshness trio of InterMopro/Cool/Meat clearly demonstrated present trends: convenience, bio and wellness products, as well as regional offers plus functional food. Be they bio bacon, cheese made from milk processed on the same day of exclusively fresh roughage-fed cattle, special products for senior citizens or international specialities offered as finger foods: The food fairs presented everything that facilitates preparation, adds colour to dining tables and increases the healthiness of food enjoyed.

hogatec clearly demonstrated that pent-up investment needs in community catering and hotels are a thing of the past. 64 per cent of specialist visitors commented they were intending to invest in kitchens and guestroom facilities within the coming two years. Hogatec offered numerous suggestions how to do so, some of them in the theme park “Environment and Ambitions”. Hotel rooms on display demonstrated that design elements, including intended stylistic inconsistencies are enjoying as brisk a demand as are extravagant wellness oases.

Mr. Wilhelm Niedergoeker, the manager of the Düsseldorf Fair rejoices at this outstanding echo of the event: “Compared to 2006 we registered more visitors despite the uncertainties in the economic environment facing both the food trade and the gastronomy business. Exhibitors from all four specialist fairs reported on excellent fair results”. And he continued: “Running InterMopro, InterCool, InterMeat and hogatec in parallel, we again offered our visitors a ‘first class menu’. This is because many visitors from the fields of food trade, canteen services and company restaurants, catering, gastronomy or the hotel sector availed themselves of the synergies on offer and visited the food fairs and Hogatec as well”.

InterMopro, InterCool and InterMeat were attended by a total of 37,000 specialist visitors (2006: 36,351) to garner information on new product ranges. The food fair trio again proved to attract business people from these sectors. In particular, there was another increase in the numbers of specialist visitors representing top-management levels. The German and Benelux food retail trade was represented almost in its entirety. The greatest number of foreign fair visitors at all four fairs came from the Netherlands and from Belgium, followed by Austria, Switzerland and Italy. There was also in increasing flow of visitors from eastern Europe, coming from Poland, Rumania, Bulgaria and Russia.

hogatec scored 41,000 visitors (2006: 35,152). This specialist fair benefited a great deal from the participation of Metro Cash & Carry Deutschland GmbH. This company had invited customers from its 60 supermarkets in Germany to come to Hogatec. Using its biggest fair representation to date, Metro Cash & Carry Deutschland turned a whole fair hall into a universe of experience of its own.
The framework programme run by the freshness trio plus hogatec was also received very well. Two thirds of fair visitors replied they had picked up valuable suggestions at special displays and congresses. Papers delivered at the special display “Bio – naturally fresh!“ and the “European Food Talk“, dealing with own brands in trade, were attended by numerous interested people.

The first “German Care Congress” addressed its inaugural event especially at decision makers from hospitals, clinics and homes for senior citizens. Featuring its motto “People, profits and professional medicine – How to make hospital services pay”, this event joined in the fierce debates over the future of services on offer in the care sector.

All four fairs - InterMopro, InterCool and InterMeat as well as hogatec were firmly concentrated on the coming generation of staff. While the food fairs again held their established competition (“Brains and what it takes”) to find the best up-and-coming trading person for 2008 as well as the best vocational training facility of the year, the recognised occupation of an expert for system gastronomy observed the tenth anniversary of its existence at Hogatec. For the seventh time in a row, DEHOGA awarded its national trainee award at hogatec as well.

The coming “first class menu“ laid on by InterMopro, InterCool, InterMeat and hogatec will be held from 12 to 15 September 2010.

For additional information on these four specialist fairs, please visit the www.intermopro.de, www.intercool.de, www.intermeat.de and www.hogatec.de websites.

Your press contact:
Dr. Cornelia Jokisch, Ms. Melanie Dietrich
Phone: +49 (0)211/4560-998, -999
Facsimile: +49 (0)211/4560-8548
Email: JokischC@messe-duesseldorf.de
DietrichM@messe.-duesseldorf.de

01 October 2008