The international meat industry will next get together at IFFA in Frankfurt am Main from 4 to 9 May 2013. All market leaders have already signed up and the exhibition halls are almost fully booked up. Show organiser, Messe Frankfurt, anticipates a total of around 950 exhibitors from 47 countries who will present their innovations on more than 100,000 square metres of exhibition space. In the region of 58,000 visitors are expected.

IFFA is the leading trade fair for the meat industry and the world's most important innovation platform for investment goods for the meat-processing sector. In 2013, manufacturers will show their products and technologies for the entire meat-processing chain – from slaughtering and dismembering, via processing, to packaging and sales – in seven exhibition halls.

Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Messe Frankfurt, said: "IFFA underscores its position as the leading event for the sector through the participation of all market leaders who target the development of new products to IFFA and launch them there. IFFA is a must for the meat-processing industry, the trade and the butchers' trade."

Richard Clemens, Director of the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association, the conceptual partner of IFFA, commented: "Given the highly dynamic development of the export market in 2010 and 2011, we expect further growth in the number of international visitors from rapidly expanding markets, such as China, Russia and India, at the coming IFFA."

The degree of internationality on both the exhibitor and visitor sides is extremely high – 55 per cent of suppliers and 59 per cent of trade buyers come to Frankfurt from outside Germany. The top ten exhibitor nations are Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, USA, France, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and Poland. After Germany, the most important visitor nations are the Russian Federation, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, the US and Australia.

Both exhibitors and visitors use IFFA as their sector's innovation platform and trend barometer.

Packaging-technology suppliers in Hall 11 for the first time

New in 2013 is the inclusion of Halls 11.0 and 11.1 in the fair for the first time. There, exhibitors from the fields of packaging technology and measuring and weighing technology will present their innovations. Through the integration of Hall 11, the complete range of machines and equipment will be concentrated in the western sector of the Exhibition Centre. For visitors, this means greater transparency and shorter walking distances. Moreover, Hall 11 is the latest and most modern exhibition hall at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre. Together with the impressive 'Portalhaus' building, it also represents a new main entrance for IFFA visitors.

Some exhibitors have also taken advantage of the opportunity offered by the inclusion of Hall 11 to enlarge their exhibition stands. The manufacturers exhibiting in Hall 11 include Bizerba, CSB-System, Ishida, Multivac, Sealpac, Tipper Tie, Treif, ULMA and VC999.

IFFA trends

One of the main trends in the meat-processing and packaging industry continues to be new automatic machines for greater efficiency. In the case of processing, the focus is on energy-efficient plant and machinery that are tailored towards market demand and increase productivity. Another important subject is traceability along the meat-processing chain because this is vital for safety and quality management. When it comes to packaging, the emphasis is on hygiene. Additionally, the on-going consumer trend towards convenience products is increasing demand for individual and need-oriented packaging.

New: International Meat Vision Congress with Gala Evening

The International Meat Vision Congress with Gala Evening and awards ceremony is a new, high-grade highlight for the sector on the eve of the fair. On the day before IFFA opens its doors, the sector is invited to get into the mood for business. From 13.00 to 17.30hrs, leading experts will discuss the trends and opportunities in the international meat-processing sector. This will be followed by the IFFA Gala Evening with awards ceremony and dinner – an excellent opportunity for participants to hold discussion and make their first contacts at IFFA 2013.

The new event is organised by the Deutscher Fachverlag publishing company and its two trade magazines for the sector, 'Fleishwirtschaft' and 'afz - allgemeine fleischer zeitung', in cooperation with the German Butchers' Association (Deutscher Fleischer-Verband, DFV), the Federation of German Machine and Plant Manufacturers (Verband Deutscher Maschinen und Anlagenbau, VDMA) and Messe Frankfurt.

Complete information about IFFA can be found on the internet [click here].