Koelnmesse, one of the top 5 trade fair organizations in Germany, with its flagship event ANUGA, reinforces its presence in the American continent by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Association of Supermarkets and Department Stores – ANTAD, and will promote companies from all over the world to participate at Expo ANTAD 2023, which will take place from 7 to 9 March in Guadalajara, Mexico.
As a first step, the two organizations will join forces and take advantage of the strengths of each counterpart in both sides of the market with Expo ANTAD, the main event in Mexico of the beverage and food industry for retailers, hotel and restaurant owners (“HoReCa”). ANTAD has a wide outlook of the demand in these sectors in Mexico and the region. Koelnmesse will contribute with its knowledge and global network within the food industry. “Food and food technology is one of the focus areas of Koelnmesse, with our flagship events Anuga and ISM, and other commercial events all over the world, such as ANUFOOD, THAIFEX – Anuga Asia and Alimentec. We hope to expand our portfolio in Mexico with ANTAD as our partner”, said Denis Steker, Senior Vice President International of Koelnmesse. As a second step, ANTAD and Koelnmesse have the intention of exploring additional cooperation projects, also in non-food related sectors.
As a result of this strategic partnership, Expo ANTAD reaffirms its leadership as the largest and most important event in its industry in Latin-America, “This cooperation agreement with Koelnmesse, the organizer of the most important food industry event in the world, ANUGA, will bring to our event exhibitors from all over the globe, which will allow to broaden the variety of products in the shelves of our associates in benefit of the consumer, and also attract investment to our country”, said Vicente Yanez Solloa, Executive President of ANTAD.
This alliance comes at a decisive moment for the industry. While the geopolitical situation in the world and the interruptions to the commercial supply chains are generating increasing uncertainties, regional trade fairs will see a boost for reshoring and nearshoring opportunities. To this background, Koelnmesse is leveraging the opportunity to expand its portfolio into Mexico. On one side, Koelnmesse’s clients will benefit from having access to a prosperous food and food technology market with convenient commercial regulations. On the other hand, the Mexican retailer sector will benefit from having access to new stakeholders and products in the region.
