Exhibitors provided positive feedback indicating a good business environment, high quality of the product display, satisfaction with sales performance, and many new contacts made.
International participation was also highly appreciated: it accounted for 25% of the total with participants from 133 countries, with increasing numbers from Asia (+60%), North America (+54%), and Central and Latin America (+40%). Arrivals from Africa (+14%) and Europe (+15%) also grew by two digits.
This particular edition of IPACK-IMA, held in conjunction with the Milan EXPO 2015, took place with an unprecedented formula. It was joined by three new “vertical” shows focusing on fresh food products (Meat-Tech for meat, Dairytech for milk and dairy products, Fruit Innovation for fruit and vegetables). This combination translated to a 15% increase in the number of visitors compared to the previous edition of IPACK-IMA alone, held in 2012.
The event was topped off by two more jointly held shows: the debuting Intralogistica Italia (industrial logistics), organized by Hannover Messe in cooperation with Ipack-Ima Spa; and Converflex (converting and package printing), for the first time held together with IPACK-IMA in consideration of the fact that packaging provides the ideal market scenario for the development of the exhibition. The six shows combined gathered a total of 2,000 exhibiting companies, one-third of which came from outside of Italy.
The total number of 108,000 presences was calculated based on the intention to visit expressed by visitors on registering or purchasing their ticket – which gave them access to IPACK-IMA, Meat-Tech, Dairytech, Fruit Innovation, Converflex and Intralogistica Italia. Their concurrence gave rise to a unique event in the international scenario for comprehensiveness of the product display.
Visiting behavior was also evaluated based on the number of accesses recorded by the 6 reception desks for the 11 exhibition halls, which confirmed the intentions expressed in registration forms and showed an even number of accesses to all exhibition halls.
The seamless passage from one exhibition to another encouraged visitors to visit multiple shows. This increased appreciation for the format showcasing the entire supply chain and creating a strong synergy among the shows, and confirmed the success of the exhibition layout.
“This original formula offered a comprehensive overview of the production chain from product processing to packaging, from industrial logistics to printing. It was highly appreciated by visitors, who got a global picture of the entire supply chain with just one trip,” said Ipack-Ima CEO Guido Corbella. “Visitors were also satisfied with the strong internationality of the event, attested by the presence of many foreign exhibitors as well as over 500 visiting buyers - 270 of whom hosted thanks to the incoming program funded by the Ministry of Economic Development and organized with the operational support of ICE Agenzia, the Italian agency for foreign trade - which included IPACK-IMA among the B2B exhibitions considered as global platforms for made-in-Italy products”. The Iranian delegation, particularly large, purchased a significant amount of machinery. “This proves - added Corbella – the dynamism of the industry, ready to seize the business opportunities created by geo-political change”.
“IPACK-IMA 2015,” says Fiera Milano CEO Corrado Peraboni, “didn’t just strengthen its position as industry leader but also launched start-ups whose positive debut bodes well for the future. In particular Fruit Innovation, held every year and co-organized by Fiera Milano, provided the fruit and vegetable industry with the international show it needed. As for Intralogistica Italia, produced by Hannover Messe - thanks to the long-standing relationship between Hannover and Fiera Milano - in cooperation with Ipack-Ima Spa filled in the gap of an exhibition showcasing internal industrial logistics”.
Further testifying to the fact that major trade exhibitions act as hubs for their industries as well as true industrial policy tools, IPACK-IMA 2015 introduced the new national organizing team for dry pasta presented by Aidepi – the association of confectionery and pasta industries. For its part, Fruit Innovation brought together the entire fruit and vegetable production chain, thus promoting the creation of an organizing team for the relaunch and internationalization of the industry.
