Press Releases

26.02.2009

“Satisfied exhibitors and visitors at the world’s leading exhibition duo impressively celebrated the birthday of their industry event despite the uncertain economic times! 20 years of organic passion: The discussions also concentrated on such important issues as sustainability and values in the organic sector in the 20th anniversary year of the world’s leading exhibition. More than 1,500 participants used the “Fachandelstag” retail forum, the Fair & Ethical Trade Forum and the first Sustainability Conference immediately before BioFach to exchange views,” says Claus Rättich, Member of the Management Board of NürnbergMesse.

“Nature is right,” said Hagen Sunder, co-founder of BioFach with Hubert Rottner and Jürgen Ries, at the official opening ceremony. The world-leading exhibition in 2009 was geared to its 20th anniversary. “In the same way that the flapping of a bird’s wings can trigger off a hurricane, may BioFach trigger off a hurricane of sustainability for the benefit of all,” was how Jürgen Ries worded his congratulations.

Scandinavian flair and Danish organic enjoyment
It was a feast for all fans of Scandinavian delicacies and Danish organic products. The Country of the Year was inspiring with 46 exhibitors and some 1,200 visitors. The Danes can not only be proud of the highest per head consumption of organic products in the EU, but also of their extremely successful presentation at BioFach and Vivaness 2009. “It was fantastic, we have reached our targets in all aspects. The manufacturers are delighted. They had a dream of how it could be, and this is exactly what they found: high-quality visitors and very specific visits to the stands,” says Klaus Bentzen, Export Manager at the industry association Organic Denmark. “We are very satisfied with the number and quality of the visitors,” says a delighted Lars Frederiksen, Managing Director Woodshade Organics (DK).

This is confirmed by the large majority of exhibitors at BioFach, according to the results of a survey conducted by an independent institute. 80 % rate their company’s exhibiting activities at BioFach 2009 positively. 90 % met their most important target groups and made new business contacts. “Our positive impression of BioFach remains unchanged. Both the sellers and buyers can cultivate their business contacts here. Buyers from the various companies and brands meet suppliers for important talks and we also find new suppliers, which is good news for purchasing departments especially in view of the scarcity of raw materials,” says Frank von Glan, Managing Director Allos (D).

The visitors were also delighted again after the four days of the exhibition: 98 % were satisfied with the products and service and 86 % wanted to visit the world’s leading exhibition again in 2010. “It’s a great event. All the organic experts gather here under one roof,” confirms Amarjit Sahota, Director of the London market research institute Organic Monitor. Some 40 % of the visitors again came from the trade, headed by organic food shops (11.4 %), followed by the wholesale trade and conventional retail food trade. Many manufacturers, industrial caterers and the hotel and catering trade also gathered information at BioFach. When visitors are asked about their reasons for visiting, interest in new products is traditionally clearly the main reason. 70 % of the visitors want to include the innovations seen at the exhibition in their own range – alone the novelty stands at BioFach and Vivaness presented altogether 430 new products. Other reasons for visiting are market orientation, information exchange, training, preparing the ground for and cultivating business contacts, observing the competition and concluding contracts.

Get-together for organic wine experts: second round for Wine Hall
Organic wine is capturing the market. After a brilliant premiere in 2008, visitors to hall 4A were again able to experience the high quality of wines from organic production in 2009. Altogether 318 BioFach exhibitors presented the results of their wine-making know-how. The leader was Italy with 94 exhibitors, followed by Germany (81), Spain (53), France (42), and Austria (16). Carmen Gómez Cabello, winegrower of Villaviciosa de Córdoba (E), was very pleased about her successful presentation in the Wine Hall: “We are very satisfied with the quality of the visitors; BioFach is ideal for cultivating contacts. Here we mainly meet wholesalers, importers and the specialist retail trade.” The award for the best organic olive oil chosen by the visitors was presented for the second time in the Wine Hall. The some 80 olive oils entered for this year’s Olive Oil Award were again tasted by the visitors at the Olive Oil Bar in the Wine Hall until the Saturday of the exhibition and the best oils chosen for the award.

Vivaness 2009 presented the world market leaders and newcomers
Natural personal care was successful once again: almost every second visitor sourced information about the trends and new products at Vivaness. 207 natural personal care exhibitors from 24 nations delighted the professionals in the day-lit hall 7A and parts of hall 7. The most strongly represented countries after Germany with 101 exhibitors were France (31), Italy (14), Austria (10) and Switzerland (8). The exhibitors were extremely satisfied: “We were very impressed by this year’s Vivaness, the frequency and quality of visitors on our stand was good and we were pleased with the very interesting and highly qualified talks. BioFach has developed excellently over the last 20 years. The professionalization and the appreciation of resources, people and environment that distinguish this sector and its world-leading exhibition are always impressive,” says Bettina Bockhorst, Marketing Director Logocos Naturkosmetik (D).

Visitors were able to gather information about new products from well-known world market leaders from Germany and some really hot tips. Cosmetics manufacturers from Brazil, Columbia, Macedonia, Poland, Swaziland and the Czech Republic celebrated their premiere at Vivaness in 2009. The natural cosmetics pioneer Mádara from Lithuania was there for the second time. “The atmosphere here was very open and friendly and the response was extremely favourable. We had many visitors from the Asian region on our stand and especially buyers from Japan ordered a lot,” says a pleased Lotte Tisenkopfa, Board Director Mádara (LV). This positive impression is also confirmed by Martina Gebhardt, Managing Director Martina Gebhardt Naturkosmetik und Naturwaren (D): “It’s simply a pleasure to be here, the mood was super, face to face; we would never want to miss it. We come mainly for cultivating these contacts.”

Textile Area celebrated successful premiere
MFashionable styles captured the World Organic Trade Fair: 47 exhibitors of natural textiles and eco fashion presented their products for the first time in the new Textile Area at BioFach. The manufacturers of green and ethically correct fashion showed their products to a professional audience this year for the first time in a joint special area, which provided a highly modern platform with a light and puristic atmosphere. The stylish ambience of the lounge in the Textile Area invited visitors to communicate, discuss and make contacts. The exhibitors were delighted: “The Textile Area was very well designed, there was a feeling of a new era dawning and the atmosphere was really good,” says Claudia Lanius, Managing Director Lanius (D). Susanne Wagner, proprietor of Bio Shirt Company (D), also liked the concept of the Textile Area: “The exhibition was super, everything was perfect and the contacts were very good.” “BioFach is devoting more attention to textiles, which is great for us. The concept and presentation of the Textile Area were clean and stylish, which we liked a lot. The contacts on the stand were international,” observed Marco Speknijder from the Dutch label Fair & Co (NL). “We are pleased that textiles have been given their own space, as sustainability also concerns clothing and not only food or cosmetics. BioFach and Vivaness offer a complete range for a sustainable lifestyle,” adds Antonia Bergmann, Sales & Marketing at Living Crafts Organic Textiles (D).

Eco fashion was also presented at BioFach on the stand for young innovative companies sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWI): “We are completely satisfied. We wanted to obtain new customers at BioFach and we have made good contacts,” says a pleased Wiebke Hövelmeyer from the Hamburg label Fairliebt (D).

Focus on fair trade: new special show Organic + Fair
Visitors saw products produced by ecological and fair means at the special show Organic + Fair. 28 exhibitors and 125 product presentations reflected the international, national and regional aspects of the entire spectrum of fair trade. “We were very satisfied with the response. The special show offered us the opportunity to explain the labelling of some of our products especially well. We were also able to highlight aspects like social responsibility in the talks,” says Martin Himmelheber, Press Officer at Oasis Teehandel (D).

BioFach Congress 2009: with first “Fachhandelstag” retail forum
The organic industry is lively and dynamic and promotes an intensive exchange of views on current developments. Some 8,000 visitors again gathered information about current trends and such important issues as sustainability and organic values at the 149 congress events at BioFach and Vivaness 2009. An average of 51 participants attended every single event. The Textile Forum, the Fair & Ethical Trade Forum and the “Fachhandelstag” retail forum were held for the first time at the world’s leading exhibition. This year’s congress included altogether six forums on special topics.

To mark BioFach’s 20th birthday, the first “Fachhandelstag” retail forum focused on the industry’s pioneers, without whom the current organic trend would be unthinkable. “The specialist retail trade is a key factor and BioFach is the meeting-place for the organic retail trade. It has the power of innovation that makes this scene and has driven its progress,” confirms Michael Radau, Managing Director SuperBioMarkt (D).

Note the date: Second Natural and Organic Cosmetics Congress
Vivaness and its congress programme, the Vivaness Forum, have long developed into important industry get-togethers that are not to be missed. But decision-makers from the whole cosmetics industry – from production, marketing, sales, trade, services and consulting – meet again in the congress centre of NürnbergMesse on 22-23 September 2009, when the Natural and Organic Cosmetics Congress enters its second round with an even more international line-up.

Summer geared to natural beauty: Brilliance of Nature 2009
Another premiere is lined up for the international community of natural beauty fans from 10-11 July 2009, when the first Brilliance of Nature, International Trade Show Natural Health & Beauty Care, Wellness and Spa, takes place in the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The organizer is NürnbergMesse North America, the international subsidiary of NürnbergMesse, together with New Hope Natural Media. With this event, the experienced organizers of international exhibitions offer manufacturers and traders an ideal platform in the USA, one of the strongest markets for natural personal care and near-natural beauty care.
The trend to natural personal care is uninterrupted and worldwide sales are growing by 1 billion US dollars a year. As in the case of organic food, the demand is concentrated on Europe and North America. According to provisional studies by the British market research company Organic Monitor, European sales of certified natural and organic cosmetics in 2008 could have topped 2 billion US dollars for the first time.

The international organic industry meets at the next BioFach and Vivaness in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from Wednesday to Saturday, 17-20 February 2010. Anyone who can’t wait that long can update on the latest market trends at the premiere of BioFach India in Mumbai from 18 to 20 November 2009. In 2008, the mother exhibition with its international daughters in Japan, the USA, Brazil and China brought together some 4,000 exhibitors and 100,000 trade visitors.

* The figures for exhibitors and visitors are checked and certified by the Society for Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics (FKM), Berlin