The partnership that was established in October 2014 between Koelnmesse and the Colombian trade fair company Corporación de Ferias y Exposiciones S.A. (Corferias), with headquarters in Bogotá, continues to bear fruit.
Starting in 2017, Koelnmesse and the Colombian trade fair company Corporación de Ferias y Exposiciones S.A. (Corferias) will organize the packaging technology trade fair Andina-Pack, which has been staged to date by the current owner and organizer of the event, Pafyc Ltd. The event’s venue will continue to be the Corferias exhibition grounds in Bogotá.
Andina-Pack will be the second trade fair on which Koelnmesse and Corferias collaborate, after the food fair Alimentec, the biggest event of its kind in the Andes region.
“Through this cooperation, we are strategically expanding our involvement in the Latin American market in one of our core areas of expertise. Because of its economic potential and its geographic position in Central America, we regard Colombia as a very interesting future market,” said Gerald Böse, president and CEO of Koelnmesse GmbH.
Ever since its premiere in 1991, Andina-Pack has established itself in the region as the most important trade fair in the packaging technology sector. At the most recent Andina-Pack, in November 2013, 384 exhibitors presented their latest innovations and trends to more than 18,000 trade visitors on over 22,000 square meters of exhibition space. Thanks to the new partnership, Andina-Pack will benefit from the regional trade fair know-how of Corferias as well as the international sector expertise of Koelnmesse. Together, Corferias and Koelnmesse are planning to further expand the international scope of Andina-Pack in the years ahead and to establish the trade fair has an attractive point of entry into the Central American and Caribbean markets.
Koelnmesse and Corferias also jointly organize the international food fair Alimentec, the most important food and HORECA equipment trade fair in the Andes region. Alimentec was founded in 1999 and is held every two years in Bogotá. In past years this trade fair has significantly increased all of its relevant key figures. At its most recent staging, in 2014, more than 28,500 trade and private visitors came to the Corferias exhibition grounds to visit the stands of the 340 exhibitors. The event now covers an area of approximately 25,000 square meters.
Koelnmesse’s contribution to the partnership includes, in particular, its familiarity with the worldwide food sector, its international contacts, and its comprehensive expertise regarding food-related topics. In addition to the world’s largest food fair, Anuga in Cologne, Koelnmesse organizes more than 25 trade fairs in the food and food technology sectors in the most important markets around the globe. Colombia is the second Latin American country in which Koelnmesse operates, after Brazil, where it organizes ANUTEC Brazil.