Fi Europe, a leading trade show for food and beverage ingredients, and Hi Europe, its counterpart for health ingredients, will become co-located events, alternating between Germany and France. Fi Europe co-located with Hi Europe will cover specialty food ingredients from sensory to functional, as well as processing solutions and services across the whole supply chain. According to the shows’ organizer, London-based Informa Markets, Fi Europe and Hi Europe will open the doors as co-located events in Frankfurt for the first time on Dec. 1, 2020.

Informa Markets said its decision to co-locate the two events was based on extensive research conducted among visitors and exhibitors. Over 65% of exhibitors stated that they would support an annual co-located Fi Europe and Hi Europe, and 75% of visitors confirmed that they would visit the show every year. When asked about innovation, more than 80% of both visitors and exhibitors stated that they had launched a new product or a new ingredient in the past 12 months. This data backed the decision to offer a yearly event where innovations can be shared with a wide audience while they are still “hot.”

With this new co-located setup, Informa Markets said it is taking into account the rapid pace with which new trends, consumer demands and challenges now occur. Many food and ingredients manufacturers offer functional products or specialist foods within their portfolios, and more and more ingredients’ suppliers already exhibit at both events. As innovation cycles shorten, exhibitors and visitors alike expect to be able to attend an event every year. By bringing together a more diverse audience, the co-location of the two shows provides the opportunity to do business face-to-face with buyers and specialists from across the food and beverage supply chain.

“We want to offer our exhibitors and visitors a trade show that is unique, not only in its thematic coverage, but also in its innovative and fresh character,” said Natasha Berrow, group director at Informa Markets. “With Germany and France alternating as hosting countries, we will be covering the two most important markets for the European food and beverage industry.”

Informa Markets said 2019’s Fi Europe & Ni trade show will remain unchanged as a single event, running from Dec. 3-5 in Paris. Following Frankfurt’s 2020 event, Fi Europe and Hi Europe will return to Paris in 2021.