30 % of the exhibitors at Alimentaria, 1,500 businesses, are international

Alimentaria 2006, in line with all the expectations of the organisation, will strengthen its status as the international centre for trade: 30% of exhibiting companies are from abroad, constituting an increase of 6% compared with the last event. In addition, the number of international visitors continues its upward trend, with 26% foreign representation, that is to say, one in every 4 buyers is from outside of Spain.

The participation of international companies gathering at Alimentaria continues to grow, in terms of display area and numbers. Not only is this attendance increasing, but it is also becoming more specialised as the companies are incorporated into the exhibition halls most relevant to their sector. 30% of the exhibitors attending the world forum for the food trade are international, equivalent to an increase of 6% when compared with the 2004 staging of the event.

The business environment shaping Alimentaria 2006 will be made up of some 5,000 companies in total, from 70 countries, and it is estimated that around 1,500 of these (directly or indirectly) will come from abroad.

With regard to those visiting the event, more and more international visitors are coming to meet with the food industry in Barcelona. One in every 4 professionals attending the gathering comes from abroad. In total, of the 150,000 professionals expected to attend the show, 40,000 will be foreign, the equivalent of 26%, compared with 22% for the previous event (32,000 international visitors from a total of 142,000).

The most international shows
In terms of space, approximately 16,500 m2 of the 115,000 covering the whole net area of the exhibition will be dedicated to products of foreign origin, equivalent to 15% of the total amount (in which are included the international pavilion and the corresponding overall percentage in each show).
Although all of the sectors have an international presence, the one with the greatest representation of foreign exhibitors will be Intercarn with a total of 822 m2, followed by Restaurama with 804 m2, Congelexpo (663m2), Intervin (535m2) and Mundidulce (489 m2).

Nearly all of the countries which have participated at the event on previous occasions will continue to do so in March 2006. France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium, Austria, Greece, Morocco, Tunisia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, USA, Peru, Venezuela, China and Ukraine are some of the regular exhibitors and will also have their own pavilions.

Newcomers
The newcomers are countries such as Syria, Turkey, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Singapore and Thailand. Likewise, Hungary, Egypt, Uruguay and Central American countries such as Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama, which will be attending Alimentaria for the first time.

Holland, Portugal, Denmark, Russia, Cyprus, Malaysia, Indonesia, Monaco, Israel, Czech Republic, Hungary, Egypt, Paraguay, India and Sri Lanka will also be attending Alimentaria 2006.

Business Cooperation Projects
The international nature of Alimentaria encourages the educational focus and exchanges between countries taking part in the exhibition, with a view to using it as a bridge to forge links between the countries, as a commercial operations centre and to benefit from business opportunities. Such is the case with the Latin America Project, which seeks to promote exchanges between institutions and businesses; the Central and Eastern European Countries Project, focusing on opening up new markets for its exhibitors, and the Asia Project, whereby Alimentaria offers the possibility of learning about new business opportunities.