together with
13 - 16 February 2024 // Nürnberg, Germany
VIVANESS Newsroom
BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2022: An optimistic organic food and natural and organic cosmetics sector eagerly awaits reuniting in July 2022
In 2022, BIOFACH and VIVANESS will take place as a ‘summer edition’ from 26 – 29 July. In close consultation with representatives from the sector, the decision was made to postpone the combined trade fair and accompanying BIOFACH and VIVANESS Congress this year on a one-off basis. Danila Brunner, Director Exhibitions BIOFACH and VIVANESS at NürnbergMesse, explains what that means, what opportunities it offers, and what exhibitors, visitors and the media can look forward to at this one-time summer edition.
On 14. January 2022 it was decided to postpone BIOFACH and VIVANESS until July this year on a one-off basis. How did this decision come about?
Due to the dynamics of the pandemic, we contacted our customers in December and offered to postpone the combined trade fair to a later date in 2022. To determine an alternative date, we weighed up a range of factors in consultation with our customers and of course also considered the constraints of the trade fair calendar. After evaluating the results of our exhibitor poll (votes received by 12. January 2022), we were able to make a decision, which was then communicated to our customers on 14. January 2022. We then informed the press accordingly.
Why did we opt to hold a vote on this issue?
Although our experience from the 2021 autumn trade fair season showed that on-site events can be held safely and successfully based on the hygiene and access concept we developed in conjunction with the Bavarian government, towards the end of the year there was growing uncertainty among our exhibitors due to the way the pandemic was evolving. This was a challenging situation for all trade fair participants, as planning certainty and reliable frameworks are crucial to a successful event. The voting process ensured that all exhibitors could be involved in the decision.
How would you describe the sentiment within the sector about the decision?
Naturally, in the kind of situation we are in now, there are lots of different opinions, and our exhibitors also have vastly different requirements. However, throughout the entire voting process and in conversations with our customers the mood was dominated by the yearning for this special platform to take place on site and with plenty of space and time for personal encounters! As passionate trade fair organisers, this is precisely our feeling too. We are incredibly grateful for the close bond to us and considerable commitment to BIOFACH and VIVANESS that have been demonstrated.
How would you summarise the feedback from exhibitors on the various scheduling options?
From the numerous personal conversations that we had we identified a lot of varied reasons for or against the postponement, depending on a company's individual perspective. Those that were initially sceptical about the July date were influenced by market-specific reasons like harvest times, the seasonal availability of certain products, and to some extent, holiday periods. Those in favour of postponing the February date were mainly concerned about the uncertainties associated with the pandemic.
How are you now going to handle those exhibitors who were against the postponement?
We will seek personal contact with them and will try to emphasise all the opportunities and potential offered by the summer edition of BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2022. We are confident that the new schedule, while not ‘normal’, will be able to convince even those who voted in our poll to keep the February date. Ultimately, there is one thing we have all had to learn over the last two years: the term ‘normal’ has been completely redefined, so that we have had to work together flexibly and need to continue to do so.
What are your expectations of the July date?
The main expectation is the one we share with the entire sector: to have a face-to-face reunion of the organic food and natural and organic cosmetics community in Nuremberg as a live, multi-sensory, on-site event with all the facets that make BIOFACH and VIVANESS so special.
But more specifically, we naturally hope above all that the postponement till July will provide even more planning certainty. And the new date also makes us more optimistic about being able to welcome as many people as possible in person to Nuremberg in the summer.
Can you already give us an idea of what to expect at the summer edition of BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2022?
Exhibitors, visitors and media representatives can look forward to the key elements of BIOFACH and VIVANESS. We are confident that the summer edition from 26 – 29 July 2022 will map the entire supply chain on the exhibition floors and will offer an unparalleled range of rigorously organic food and personal care products, both on site and in the digital add-ons. Naturally, we also want to leverage the opportunities offered by holding an event during the summer months, although these are still at the planning stage.
Are we going to be able to experience organic food and natural and organic cosmetics with all our senses?
Absolutely. You need to be able to feel, smell and taste organic food and natural and organic cosmetic products. Regardless of the date of the event, our hygiene and access concept provides a framework to ensure that trade fairs held at the Nuremberg exhibition venue are both safe and successful. The hygiene plan for BIOFACH and VIVANESS is based on the Bavarian government’s Infection Control Measures Regulation and Framework Hygiene Concept for Trade Fairs and Exhibitions. Since September 2021, this hygiene concept has already proven highly effective and was successfully implemented and adopted at all events held on the grounds of NürnbergMesse.
Visitors can look forward to tasting food and beverages and trying out cosmetics based on the kinds of rules that we are all familiar with meanwhile from the food service and retail sectors.
Finally, a personal question: What especially motivated you in the last few weeks until the decision was made to postpone?
Naturally, the need to find the best possible solution for our customers, in an overall situation characterised by a wide range of opinions and sentiments. But also, the fervent desire to soon be able to organise trade fairs with the necessary planning lead time again, in the interests of all participants.
Moreover, I was also very touched by the close consultation and frank exchanges with our exhibitors and the associated trust that they placed in us.
And what are you personally looking forward to the most?
Without doubt the personal reunion with the sector, the chance encounters, the surprises, and the moments of inspiration that only an on-site trade fair can offer. This is why we all love trade fairs and what makes them special, quite apart from the purely material and economic function that they undoubtedly perform for the companies involved.
Thank you very much for talking to us!
Save the date: BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2022 from 26 – 29 July!
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