Potato Trade show Interpom | Primeurs 2016 focuses on Precision Technology

The biggest edition ever and …. the biggest indoor potato trade fair in the world

The 18th edition of INTERPOM | PRIMEURS will be held from Monday 27 to Tuesday 29 November 2016 at Kortrijk Xpo (Belgium).

INTERPOM | PRIMEURS is the most specialised indoor trade fair for the potato, vegetable and fruit sector in Europe where the whole chain is represented: from growing, to processing and marketing.

The trade fair is set to continue growing and improving its global reach and the 2016 edition will be the biggest edition ever. INTERPOM | PRIMEURS is also the biggest indoor trade fair in the world for the potato sector, the professional platform par excellence where you can check all the latest market developments and innovations. The next edition will take up the whole of the Kortrijk Xpo complex – including additional space for stands in the Rambla.
 Additional space in the Rambla after sell-out of all the allocated stand area in the different halls.
 The previous editions of INTERPOM | PRIMEURS all reported year-on-year growth.

Last year’s edition boasted 278 exhibitors from 16 countries (+ 7.7%) and exceeded all expectations with 19,529 visitors (+10.5%) from 41 countries around the world. This positive trend looks set to continue for this edition.

Five months before the opening, the trade fair already has as many exhibitors as in 2014.

In order to meet the continuing number of applications, the organisers decided to create extra space for stands in the Rambla, the transit zone between the different halls. So, it looks as though the total surface area of reserved stands will increase by no less than 1,000 m² compared to 2014! INTERPOM | PRIMEURS clearly meets expectations: in the visitor surveys from the last edition 97% of visitors stated that they would also come to the 2016 edition. The trade fair scored an impressive 8.4 out of 10.

‘Growing through precision technology’ – the theme for INTERPOM | PRIMEURS 2016

The previous edition of the trade fair was based on the theme ‘Together for sustainable growth’.

The organisers have continued in the same vein but placing the accent this year on Precision Agriculture. With the slogan ‘Growing through precision technology’ the emphasis is clearly placed on sustainable growth thanks to technological progress throughout the whole chain.

Producers that are able to run their operations more efficiently thanks to the smart application of modern technology are able to guarantee practical sustainable crops.

GPS driven tractors for example, digital soil or pedometric mapping, sensors in the ground and between crops, drones and satellites for observing the situation from the air or from space, mechanical applications, etc.
 And in the trading and processing sector the principle of ‘measuring means knowledge’ guarantees greater efficiency, less waste with higher yields as a consequence.

Exhibitors showcasing this new precision technology will be given extra exposure on the floor of the INTERPOM PRIMEURS trade show.

The IPot project will also be presented. IPot is an innovative platform for the sustainable increase in Belgian potato production.

As part of this project, researchers from Flanders and Wallonia (VITO, CRA-W and ULg), in cooperation with the potato trading and processing (via Belgapom) sector, are setting up a web-based geo-information platform that uses satellite images.

All the data available relating to potato growing will be collected on this platform. Use of this objective geo-data should, over time, enable the sector to increase sustainable potato production.

Apart from the specific applications that visitors can discover on the stands, walk-in seminars will also be held based on the theme of the fair. The programme will include short 20-minute interactive sessions on the floor of the trade fair itself. The objective of this initiative is to enable growers to discover the advantages of ‘Growing through precision technology’ for themselves.

New: online visitor registration and tickets

As is already the case with a wide range of other trade fairs, visitors to INTERPOM | PRIMEURS will now have to register online via www.interpom-primeurs.be in order to purchase their entrance tickets (starting in August). Anyone with a free invitation or a reduced price invitation will also have to register online using a code provided on their invitation.
 Only after registration (and payment where applicable) will visitors receive an e-ticket with a barcode. This document with the barcode is the only admission document allowed and will be scanned at the entrance of the fair.
 
Dynamic platform for exchanges

INTERPOM | PRIMEURS that is held at Kortrijk (Xpo), is part of a dynamic and growing potato, vegetable and fruit market.

It is without a shadow of doubt the place par excellence to make new contacts, to strengthen existing bonds with colleagues and suppliers from abroad and at home, to exchange thoughts and to share information in a sector that has a promising future. A date that deserves a place in your diary in ink.

INTERPOM | PRIMEURS is an initiative of Belgapom, the official trade association for the Belgian potato trade, growers and processors. The practical organisation is in the capable hands of Kortrijk Xpo.