• Top decision-makers from all over the world – a full turn-out
• Around 60,000 trade visitors from 170 countries
• Proportion of international visitors rises to 55 percent
• Exhibitors: "Life is coming back into the sector"

drinktec 2009 has gathered together the top decision-makers in the international beverage and liquid food industry in Munich and in doing so has given the sector renewed impetus. "Virtually all the CEOs and Presidents from companies around the world turned out here," was the unanimous opinion of the exhibitors, all of them praising the "extremely high" quality of the visitors. Intensive talks were held at many stands, laying the foundations for upcoming investment decisions; many of the exhibitors reported they had signed up business agreements at the fair. Even though the climate as regards investment is still cautious, drinktec 2009 has marked a turnaround in decision-making.
 
drinktec confirmed its reputation as the world´s most important business and information platform for the sector in impressive style. It is the world 'summit' for the beverage and liquid food industry – in this, too, exhibitors and visitors alike were agreed. Volker Kronseder, Chairman of Krones AG and President of the Advisory Board of drinktec 2009, described how he saw the mood in the halls: "People are no longer paralysed with shock, life is coming back into the sector." It is a view he shares with many of his colleagues in the sector. Menno Holterman from Norit also sees light on the horizon after drinktec 2009. "There´s more appetite for investment again, so long as the ROI is right. We have signed up a number of contracts."
 
"Quality not quantity"
Wherever you looked in the twelve exhibition halls at the fair, the general picture was one of interested professionals from all parts of the globe, seeking out innovations, finding out about machinery and plant, and conducting intensive business talks and negotiations in the exhibitors´ offices and in the VIP lounges. In all areas of the exhibition the emphasis was on cost-saving and sustainable solutions. At the stands it was clear that visitors from outside Germany were in the majority. "There was a noticeably high number of visitors from China, India, Japan and Latin America," was how Marcus Ley from Ecolab put it, for example. He summed up: "Quality not quantity" – this assessment was one often expressed by the exhibitors, when commenting on the quality of the visitors.
 
Proportion of international visitors rises to 55 percent
A glance at the visitor numbers confirms the picture seen in the halls. In terms of international representation, drinktec was able to expand still further, from an already high level. 33,000 trade visitors journeyed to Munich from abroad; they came from a total of 170 countries. This again significantly raised the proportion of international visitors to 55 percent. There were particularly strong rises in visitor numbers from China, India, the US, South Africa, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates, and from South America and Africa. In terms of visitors from Germany, however, the figures reflected the expected fall. Around 27,000 visitors in total came from Germany. Overall, over the six days of the fair, the trade fair attracted around 60,000 visitors.
 
"Melting pot of the beverage industry worldwide"
In terms of the exhibitors´ assessment, the drop in the number of German exhibitors played only an insignificant role. The critical factor for them, as regards the success of their participation in the fair, was visitor quality and the fact that the visitors came from all parts of the world – this was the overriding view of the exhibitors. Jürgen Henke, Marketing Manager at the GEA Group, summed up the event as follows: "You can´t measure the success of a fair on visitor numbers alone. drinktec is the key communication platform for our sector, it is the melting pot of the beverage industry worldwide. This is where we all meet up."
 
Exhibition Management: "Overall very satisfied"
For Messe München GmbH, the organiser of drinktec 2009, Managing Director Norbert Bargmann, drew the following conclusion: "Overall we are very satisfied. In the run-up to drinktec we, too, had to contend with the global economic crisis. Nevertheless we have succeeded in bringing the top ranks of the beverage and liquid food industry to Munich – and that is the critical thing for the exhibitors. The high number of visitors from outside Germany, and the very broad spread of countries they represent, shows just how highly regarded drinktec is around the world. This is the place to meet up, this is the place to agree contracts and it is the place to prepare for new business. The drop we have seen in German participation is due primarily to budget cuts and the resulting limitations on business travel. Yet, from Germany, too, all the key players in the beverage and liquid food industry were represented, but no longer with the same size of team."
 
Top marks from the visitors
In terms of visitor satisfaction, too, drinktec was able to make further gains from an already high level. The representative survey of visitors, conducted by TNS Infratest, turned in top results across the board. Almost all the visitors (96 percent) to drinktec 2009 described the event as "excellent to good". 95 percent of the visitors gave this same top ranking to the breadth and depth of the range of exhibits. And 91 percent of the exhibitors regard drinktec as the leading trade fair for the sector.
 
High expectations of future economic development
The successful course of drinktec 2009 has awakened high expectations on the part of exhibitors and visitors as regards future economic development. Their optimistic statements are reflected in the results of the survey. Accordingly, 64 percent of the exhibitors and 56 percent of the visitors expect the economic situation to improve. This is considerably more positive than expectations after drinktec 2005.
 
Trade forums – a magnet for the trade audience
The supporting programme to drinktec was extremely well received by the trade audience. The two trade-fair forums in Halls B1 and A2 turned out to be a real magnet. Independent experts from all over the world gave lectures here on subjects covering the whole process chain, from manufacture, to filling and packaging of beverages and liquid food, as well as on issues concerned with marketing.
Further highlights in the supporting programme were:

• The presentation of the 'Beverage Innovation Awards', in Oscar-style, at a gala event.
• The two-day fruit-juice congress 'International Fruit World' (IFW) on the subject of liquid fruit and fruit processing.
• The PET World Congress, held for the third time, which tackled all the relevant issues in technology and marketing.
• The presentation of the first-ever Dairy Technology Awards, for the successful implementation of innovative technology. 

Success for oils+fats
Attracting 2,600 visitors (2008: 1,200 visitors) from over 90 countries (2008: 58 countries), the third oils+fats, International Trade Fair for the Production and Processing of Oils and Fats made from Renewable Resources, celebrated a great success. The number of visitors attending the event more than doubled since last year. oils+fats took place in parallel with drinktec, between 16 and 18 September.
 
The next drinktec takes place from 16 to 21 September 2013.

drinktec, the World Fair for Beverage and Liquid Food Technology, is the unrivalled Number One exhibition for the sector. As regards the product range and the international scope and quality of the visitors in particular, this event is unmatched anywhere in the world. This was one of the findings to emerge from a representative survey carried out at drinktec 2009 between 14 and 19 September.
 
Visitors give top marks in all categories
The representative survey of exhibitors and visitors was carried out by opinion researchers TNS Infratest. In the survey 96 percent of the visitors described drinktec 2009 as "excellent to good" – this is the best ever rating scored in this category. In almost all the categories drinktec 2009 was given the highest marks by more than 90 percent of the visitors. 95 percent rated the breadth and depth of the range on display as "excellent to good". 94 percent praised the presence of market leaders and 93 percent thought the international scope among the exhibitors was outstanding.
 
Goals achieved
In response to the question as to whether they had achieved the goals they set themselves for drinktec, the vast majority of visitors answered yes. 91 percent declared that they had been successful in preparing for investment, 90 percent said they had been able to gain an overview of the market. And a good 85 percent of the visitors had managed to pave the way for new business relationships. An outstanding 89 percent said they had been able to use drinktec to expand their own knowledge and learn new things.
 
Top rating for the individual sections of the fair
Also outstanding was the rating given to the individual sections of the fair by the visitors: Whether process technology, filling and packaging technology, process automation, PET or containers and packaging materials, the various sections were almost all found to be "excellent to good" by 93 to 97 percent of the visitors. Which means that in the opinion of the visitors the breadth and depth in the range of products and services presented at the fair cannot be bettered.
 
Most visitors came from the soft drinks business
The visitors to drinktec 2009 came from all parts of the beverage and liquid food industry. For the first time soft drinks professionals made up the largest group, at 40 percent, followed by visitors from the brewing industry, with 37 percent. A clear rise was noted in the number of visitors from the fruit juice (16 percent of the visitors), milk (10 percent) and liquid foods (8 percent) business areas. This shows that the expansion of the portfolio of the trade fair to include liquid food has been received and accepted by the trade audience from all over the world. 9 percent of the visitors came from the wine, sparkling wine and spirits segment, 3 percent came from beverage wholesale and retail.
 
Family firms and global concerns
Not surprisingly, almost all (97 percent) visitors to drinktec 2009 were trade visitors. 81 percent of them described themselves as "decision-makers". Companies with up to 50 employees, between 50 and 500 and over 500 employees were equally represented, each accounting for one third of the visitors. The visitors to drinktec thus form a cross section of the firms operating in the beverage and liquid food industry: from family firms to global concerns.
 
Over half the visitors stay several days
52 percent of the visitors stayed several days at drinktec 2009: the average length of stay was exactly two days. In view of the outstanding ratings received by the fair, it is not surprising that 96 percent of the trade visitors surveyed said that they would be coming along to the next drinktec, too.
 
Exhibitors: 92 percent want to take part next time
The survey of exhibitors also produced outstanding results. 78 percent – more than two-thirds – of the exhibitors rated drinktec as "excellent to good". 92 percent were clearly so satisfied that they expressed a wish to take part again in the next drinktec. Both the international scope and quality of the visitors were given top marks by 87 percent of the exhibitors – a rating that tallies with the statements given by many exhibitors (see Press Release no. 46). The exhibitors particularly liked the breadth and depth of the range (91 percent gave this a rating of "excellent to good"), the exhibition layout (86 percent) and the quality of the exhibitor services (88 percent).
 
42 percent of the exhibitors took orders at the fair
One remarkable finding to emerge from the survey is that a good 42 percent of the exhibitors said they had taken orders at drinktec 2009. 77 percent of the exhibitors had been successful in preparing for follow-on business, 74 percent in paving the way for new business relationships. Almost all the exhibitors were able to intensify contacts with existing customers and to use the fair to exchange experience.
 
High expectations in terms of economic development
The successful outcome of drinktec 2009 has raised expectations among exhibitors and visitors for further economic development. 64 percent of the exhibitors and 56 percent of the visitors expect the economic situation to improve in the future. This level of expectation is thus much higher than after the last drinktec in 2005.