Over 70% of all visitors who attended the SIAL 2010 food trade fair declared that the main motivator for attending the event was innovation, regardless of area: foodservice or retail. This year, SIAL takes place between 21-25 October and once again emphasizes innovation as part of its DNA.
Innovation, the hallmark of SIAL, naturally permeates all the key areas and themes of the exhibition: Foodservice, located within La Cuisine by SIAL, provides demonstrations and tasting sessions revolving around innovative products; culinary design, a spectacular forecasting exercise whose innovative characteristics are showcased in the Food Design exhibition; wine with the Wine Innovation Forum, the 2012 event giving pride of place to innovative initiatives for the distribution and promotion of wine worldwide; in-food centre (dedicated to semi-processed food products and ingredients), a true “exhibition within the exhibition”, this sixth event feeding into the debate on innovation and demonstrating the key role played by ingredients in the industry’s creative process; IPA, the International Exhibition of Food Processing and Packaging where tomorrow’s products are invented.
“At the crossroads of global food supply and demand, SIAL establishes numerous food connections between industry professionals, who flock to this key food marketplace to display the highly innovative products that will be found in the supermarket facings of tomorrow. A real asset to sales performance, innovation is also one of the most reliable and valuable forward-looking indicators. By giving its rightful place to innovation, and constant monitoring and analysis, SIAL assures its very legitimacy and modern stamp. SIAL after SIAL, we are concerned that the exhibition is not merely a trade fair but a forum for interaction that highlights the leading trends, major innovations and market realities of tomorrow. With 140,000 visitors and 6,000 exhibitors, SIAL’s ambitions have definitely been met and a roadmap clearly defined: to cultivate its role as a visionary, purchasing advisor and wellspring of untapped trends,” said Olivia Milan-Grosbois, SIAL Group Director.
Closely linked
By channeling added value and stimulating consumption effectively, innovation drives food companies’ growth and sustainability. Innovation does not just have a place of honor but it is SIAL’s very DNA (three out of four visitors go to SIAL Innovation).
For the very first time, the Innovation hub in Hall 6 houses both SIAL Innovation and its Observatory, which get to the heart of global innovation and trends, and the SIAL d’Or award winners, namely products that have been sold successfully in the supermarkets of
the 29 countries represented. This hub levers growth for the products selected and is an ideal seedbed for the curiosity and imagination of all visitors. Moreover, the trade fair introduces this year SIAL TV with a program of discussions, round tables, conferences, interviews and documentaries, including points of view on numerous topics such as civil society, sustainable development, the market, nutrition and health, and the food industry. A not-to-be missed daily spot “One Minute for Innovation”, featuring the products of the future, is broadcasted from the SIAL Innovation Observatory.
Trends and consumer behavior observed
The most innovative products can be found in the SIAL Innovation Observatory, a must-see space for all visitors, entirely dedicated to innovation. As proof, 75% of visitors come to this area when visiting SIAL. Products displayed at SIAL Innovation are selected prior to the exhibition by professionals with expertise in innovation and agrifood. The procedure stipulates three separate juries: one dedicated to Mass Consumption products,
one to Foodservice products, and one to Semi-processed Food Products and Ingredients. Three criteria determine the choice of product: innovative characteristics, new benefits to the consumer and date of launch (after October 2011, for SIAL 2012). A whole range of events is scheduled at SIAL for an all-round vision of food innovation. The variety illustrates the range of challenges faced by food brands worldwide.
SIAL Events
• SIAL Innovation 2012 major awards
Once the SIAL Innovation product selection is finalized in September 2012, the jury will assemble to select SIAL Innovation awards. Award-winning exhibitors will receive their prizes during the SIAL Innovation award ceremony.
• SIAL Innovation conferences
In 2012, SIAL has scaled up its program of conferences on trends and innovations. These talks provide the opportunity to get up to date on a wide variety of topics: innovation in generic brands, consumer trends, and analysis of innovation by country and by product category, foodservice innovations, and more.
• SIAL-Intermarché Selection, the best in innovation at Intermarché
In 2012, Intermarché, SIAL’s innovation partner, highlights 30 products in the SIAL Innovation Selection. An initial selection of 12 products will be sold from 23 to 28 October 2012 in the 1,800 Intermarché stores: a nationwide promotional event and also a life-sized consumer test! Intermarché will support other companies’ retail requirements through live meetings at the exhibition, programmed by SIAL; Intermarché will, of course, give the Intermarché award at the show, during the SIAL Innovation award
ceremony.
• SIAL Innovation Web award
A trade exhibition opens its doors to the Facebook community: on the SIAL Facebook page, the 6,500 members of this community can take a look at and vote for their favorite product, among the SIAL Innovation award-winners, for the SIAL Innovation Web award.