Organic Food Iberia will take place in September 2021, joint organisers Diversified Communications and IFEMA MADRID announced today.
The event, co-located with Eco living Iberia, was launched in 2019, when it attracted over 500 exhibitors and 5,000 visitors from across Spain, Portugal and elsewhere in Europe. The inaugural show’s popularity propelled it to claim a place among the top 20 trade events in Spain, as determined by the Instituto de Coordenadas de Gobernanza y Economía Aplicada.
In 2020 the COVID-19 crisis prevented the event from running in its second year, but now, as the Iberian organic market navigates a path out the other side of the pandemic, exhibitors, buyers and key industry figures from each region have expressed that there is ‘a clear need’ for the show to take place in September, in order for the industry to ‘unite, network, do business and recognize the importance of the sector’.
Against the backdrop of the global pandemic, in Spain – Europe’s biggest organic producer – ECOVALIA reports that sales of organic have surged by 35% in the past year, with organic territory having increased by 38% over the past five years. The number of staff employed by the organic industry has also risen by 40%.
OFI 2021 will feature pavilions for Andalucia, Madrid, Valencia, La Rioja, Castilla La Mancha, Portugal, Austria and Ecovalia, as well as keynote theatre talks, an Innovation Zone, a Hosted Buyer Programme (supported by ICEX) and the second round of ECO & Organic Awards Iberia, which celebrate the sector’s most outstanding innovation.
The full programme of live events is due to be announced in July.
Investing in a hybridised future
IFEMA MADRID, formerly known as IFEMA, Feria de Madrid, recently underwent a re-brand to incorporate ‘digitization and internationalization’ into its business strategy and corporate identity. The hybridization of its physical events through digital platforms and services is expected the add a further 30% to current turnover during the next three years, adding €40 million in revenue. “Thanks to the new online environments and professional communities, it is estimated that the reach and internationalization of IFEMA’s activity will generate a 150% increase in global audiences, to reach around 25 million visitors and active users,” the venue said in a statement.
“This new corporate identity reflects IFEMA MADRID’s determination to evolve its business model, expand and diversify its revenue streams, and generate opportunities and alliances to boost its presence in new markets, in addition to providing value and significance to the Madrid brand as one of its ambassadors.”
