Physical trade fair encounter remains to be the most important marketing tool.
The prospects for this year’s Anuga are very promising: Exhibitors from 94 countries, Corona-conform fully-booked fair grounds and the commitment of top international buyers to visit Anuga in Cologne from 9 to 13 October 2021. The world’s largest trade fair for food and beverages is thus underlining its outstanding international significance as the leading global business platform and driving force for a successful post-Corona era. Furthermore, Anuga 2021 is treading new paths and will be staged as a hybrid format for the first time. Namely, the physical trade fair will be additionally enhanced by the digital element Anuga@home.
A current visitor survey on Anuga carried out among over 4,000 top buyers worldwide shows: There is no way around Anuga 2021. 88 percent of the survey respondents are planning to visit Anuga in October, 54 percent of whom intend to exclusively participate physically, whereas 34 percent are going to engage in a mixture between a personal and digital participation. Over 80 percent of the buyers stated that they are looking forward to finally being able to visit physical trade fairs like Anuga again and 73 percent are totally convinced that visiting physical trade fairs is necessary in the food and beverage section and that they are irreplaceable. Correspondingly, 85 percent stated that their product procurement was dependent on trade fairs. 87 percent of the survey respondents are thus also not considering reducing their number of trade fair visits. Only 6 percent are not planning to physically visit trade fairs in 2021.
International industry players also emphasised the importance Anuga has for the food and beverage industry in the scope of the trade fair campaign “Meet our Visitor”.
To ensure they are optimally prepared for Anuga 2021, the visitors will receive extensive information on the themes arrival, hotel reservations, hygiene and safety at the fair grounds, booking tickets and access in the run-up to the trade fair. Koelnmesse will strictly limit access to all events in the trade fair autumn of 2021 – from the build up over the days of the trade fair, through to the dismantling – down to persons who are fully-vaccinated or have recovered from the virus no longer than six months ago and those who have a current, negative test. This “3G” principle, the observance of which will be strictly monitored, applies for all exhibitors, visitors and all further persons involved. Details on the on-site process will be announced in due time before Anuga.
Furthermore the #B-SAFE4business concept developed by Koelnmesse in close coordination with the authorities is continuously reviewed and adapted to the current legal situation and applicable regulations. Here, digital technologies play an important role in the observance of the Corona protection measures at Anuga 2021. These include for instance personalised, digital tickets or the contactless access controls, through to body scanners in the entrance areas.
