HiE 2002, 'a resounding success'
September 2002 at Paris-Nord Villepinte, was a resounding success,
according to organisers CMP Information who have released final
visitor figures.
The second Health Ingredients Europe show, held from 17-19 September 2002 at Paris-Nord Villepinte, was a resounding success, according to organisers CMP Information who have released final visitor figures.
The show, which had almost 100 more exhibitors than the launch show in 2000, also attracted around 5,000 'top quality' visitors and conference delegates from across Europe and the rest of the world, said CMP.
The organisers also said that post-event demographic analysis supports claims from the exhibitors that there were more senior executives than previously. Indeed general management and sales and marketing accounted for half the total number of people who attended this year's HiE, they said.
Trend-spotters at the 2002 show said there was increased multi-functionality of established ingredients such as omega-3, soya and whey. For example, Omega 3, primarily sourced from fish, not only improves joint health and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease but it is also now being considered for the prevention and treatment of mild depression. Functional juices were also a highlight of many stands.
Many noted that this year's HiE had a bigger crossover with Food Ingredients Europe held last year than the first show : "I would say around 70 per cent of exhibitors were at FiE last year," Barry Fitzsimons, business development manager at Marigot, told NutraIngredients.com.
The most talked about story of the show was DSM's purchase of the Roche vitamins unit - with the sale still underway however, neither company was giving anything away.
Cargill's stand was also busy after the purchase of starch company Cerestar earlier this year. The communications team seem to be still getting to grips with the merger, but smaller European competitors voiced their concerns about a future with Cargill as a major player in Europe.
There were also concerns that there are now too many health shows. For some, the combination of Vitafoods, NaturalProductsExpo and HiE, not to mention those that take place in the US, is too much in one year.
"For the dietary supplement and health market there are really too many shows. But the exhibitors and quality of the stands here [at HiE] are better than VitaFoods," said Caroline Brachet, of the Capsugel marketing department, "and I think this has been one of our most successful shows this year."
Several smaller companies also had a successful show. Rachid Amroun, business development manager of Maritex, which was promoting its fish gelatine product, said: "We had several requests for more information on this. With the BSE scandal, people are always looking for alternatives to gelatine. I was impressed with the response, considering we are not yet that well-known."
Others had to overcome some minor hiccups, such as Balchem, whose product display was stranded in customs at Paris, and had to do without some of their demonstration materials.
The two day conference programme which ran concurrently with the exhibition was also said to have been "well-attended". Topics included consumer protection, heart and cardiovascular health, new ingredients, eye health and nutrition related to brain function.
Hi Europe 2004 takes place between 16-18 November 2004 at Amsterdam RAI, The Netherlands. A third of all available stand space was apparently booked during Hi 2002 - a promising sign for the next HiE.
