Unlikely Expectations

Here comes a ‘late’ comment on the Italian food trade show Tutto Food which closed its doors a week ago. I was reading the Affari e Finanza economic insert of Italy’s La Repubblica, and came across an article that praised the fair for its successful outcome, but what struck me the most was the quote reportedly by the trade show CEO that suggested that Tutto Food would become the biggest food event globally by 2015. My feeling during the three days I spent on the fair grounds was that of a far from crowded, buzzing event. The exhibition is vast and crowds tend to spread out in the four pavilions, but still I’d find it hard to compare it to shows like Sial or Anuga. My opinion aside, let’s see the numbers. Tutto Food 2011 registered 1750 exhibitors and 40000 visitors. Let’s just compare it to the latest edition of Germany’s Anuga (2009) which reportedly had 6552 exhibitors and 153500 visitors. Even a smaller scale event like Bologna’s Cibus still attracts considerably more attention with 60000 visitors in its 2010 edition. It’s fair to say that the Milanese show is growing and it’s well worth a visit, but I don’t think that the 2015 EXPO in Milan will be enough to see it overcome its international rivals.