Horeq 2007

FIAB promotes Eatin' Out, the first International Convention for the Food Service Sector

The event, organised by IFEMA, will take place at Feria de Madrid, between 26th and 27th November 2007

Food consumption outside the home accounts for more than 30% of total consumption, based on a market with an approximate value of 30,000 million euros

HOREQ, the Hotel and Restaurant Equipment Show, will be staged to coincide with the Convention.

FIAB, the Spanish Federation for the Food and Drink Industry, will promote the staging of the First International Convention for the Food Service Sector, EATIN' OUT, in Madrid on 26th and 27th November 2007. With this initiative, the Spanish Federation for the industry, in collaboration with IFEMA, in its capacity as the event's organiser, aims to contribute to the commercial development of this segment, one that is becoming increasingly attractive to companies within this field, based on growing exports and increasingly dynamic international activity.

The expected success of EATIN' OUT is founded on the rising expectations surrounding the strong growth prospects regarding food consumption outside the home and, consequently, regarding the business models associated with this field on the part of both the Spanish food and drink industry and the food service sector. In this respect, we might highlight the figures that have been achieved in the United States, where eating out accounts for almost 50% of all food consumption. In Spain, this trend has grown from being practically residual to a figure of more than 30% of total consumption, based on a market that boasts an approximate value of 30,000 million euros. This still incipient hotel, restaurant and catering segment (horeca) is especially attractive, based on the alternative options it offers to companies, providing an ideal complement to the harsh conditions surrounding commercial distribution today.

EATIN' OUT is also the only meeting forum with a European scope, a monographic event that seeks to cater for the specific trading and dialogue-based needs of the food and drink industry and the food service sector, in their widest possible sense.

 
From this point of view, the level of interest on the part of the associations and bodies representing the different sectors involved has been unanimously high. Their active participation at EATIN' OUT will be coordinated through the auspices of an Advisory Committee, which features the participation of FIAB, along with that of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foodstuffs, MAPA, and the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute, ICEX; FEHR, the Spanish Hotel Federation; la CEHAT, Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Apartments; PROMOMADRID; ACEX and Rabobank.

Another of the highly valued aspects of staging this First International Convention for the Food Service Sector is the opportunity it provides for generating synergy with regard to the Hotel and Restaurant Equipment Show, HOREQ 2007, an IFEMA fair that will take place between 24th and 27th November 2007, thus partially coinciding with EATIN' OUT.   In this respect, it has been estimated that nearly 70% of the more than 16,000 trade visitors at HOREQ -Restaurants (21.03%), Hotels and Accommodation (15.20%), Cafeterias and Bars (14.83%), Catering (7.57%), Distribution (7.05%)- have a strong interest in this new initiative, which will share the same venue as the fair at Feria de Madrid. Nevertheless, EATIN' OUT will maintain its own visitor control and registration procedures, thus enabling the organisers to determine which of the visitors from HOREQ have a profile that best corresponds to the Convention's objectives.

Due to take place on a biennial basis, the Convention has been designed around three complementary events: an International Seminar plus Workshops, which will offer participants an analysis of the development of the business from the international perspective of a number of outstanding operators and experts; an Exhibition Area, located in Hall 2 at IFEMA, featuring the participation of companies from the Spanish and European industry, accompanied by their products and services that especially target this segment; and a series of Trade Meetings, designed to boost business links between Spanish companies and European buyers within the hotel, restaurant and catering channel.

The International Seminar will take place in the South Auditorium at IFEMA on the morning of Monday 26th November and is expected to last half a day. The Seminar Programme will include the following contributions: a perspective on "Global Trends in the Food Service Sector" - Rabobank Report; a series of presentations by leading companies throughout Europe within the hotel, restaurant and catering distribution channel, as well as within modern catering and group catering, regarding the requirements that are needed in order to operate within this market, plus their different experiences within the field; agreement on the "Strategic Report Regarding the Hotel, Restaurant and Catering Channel" produced by MAPA, Rabobank, Grupo Greco and FIAB.
 
With regard to the Workshops, these will be based on the exposés of a series of market studies carried out by the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute (ICEX) regarding the hotel, restaurant and catering channels in different countries, thus offering participants an opportunity to discuss with the authors of the respective studies and with representatives from the trade offices in the countries that are analysed. These workshops will be staged intermittently throughout a period of one and a half days (the afternoon of Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th), taking place in a series of rooms set aside for this purpose in Hall 2.

As far as the Exhibition is concerned, the products and services will be presented mainly by food industry representatives interested in developing their business within the food service market, although the event will also be open to service companies associated with this field. The Exhibition will be located in Hall 2 at IFEMA, featuring a connecting-point with HOREQ, but with its own visitor control procedures. The Exhibition will be open throughout the Convention's two-day duration, on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th November, between 10.00 a.m. and 7.00 p.m.

Finally, the Trade Meetings will feature a series of interviews between representatives of supply and demand, based on a previously designed appointments schedule. These interviews will take place throughout an entire day and a half, namely the Monday afternoon and the whole of Tuesday. These bilateral trade meetings will bring together a number of Spanish companies with 60 buyers within the hotel, restaurant and catering channel from different European countries. This measure is based on a Buyers Programme that has been developed by FIAB with the support of ICEX, focusing on the European hotel, restaurant and catering trade. The Programme will include more than 600 interviews. These meetings will be complemented by a series of guided visits to the Exhibition.

The demand sector targeted by EATIN' OUT is made up of potential buyers from the hotel, restaurant and catering channel: the modern catering trade, hotel chains, food franchises, restaurants, catering companies... at both a national and European level.