With a very well-attended first day and a quieter second day, the expoSE & expoDirekt trade fair duo was a success. 440 exhibitors from 13 nations presented their innovations and proven products as well as services at the 28th expoSE – Europe's leading trade fair for asparagus and berry production – and at the 13th expoDirekt – Germany's largest trade fair for agricultural direct marketing. From November 20 to 21, 2024, more than 5,200 trade visitors from 33 countries came to the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Center.
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Almost 16 percent of the exhibitors attended the trade fair duo for the first time. 84 percent of the exhibitors are convinced of the trade fair duo and attend repeatedly. For most exhibitors, the focus was on maintaining contacts with existing customers. New contacts were also made, especially for those with new products. Around 26 percent of the exhibitors and around 21 percent of the trade visitors registered online came from abroad.
The overall mood at the exhibition duo was more confident than a year ago, and the exhibitors surveyed stated that the number of investment projects would increase again. A few exhibitors would have liked to have seen a better spread of visitor numbers and more visitors on the second day. Most exhibitors were satisfied or very satisfied with the level of prior knowledge and purchasing interest of the trade visitors, as well as the number of orders placed.
"On the exhibitor side, our expectations were exceeded again this year. The stable but slightly declining number of visitors reflects, on the one hand, the concentration of the industry and, on the other hand, the continued high demand for information on new and further developments and the interest in professional exchange. We were very pleased with the very well-attended first day of the fair and the great popularity of the specialist forums. Our trade fair duo is still the annual meeting place for the asparagus and berry industry," summarizes Simon Schumacher, managing director of the Association of South German Asparagus and Strawberry Growers (VSSE) and organizer of the expoSE and expoDirekt trade fairs.
Innovation prizes for optimizations and simplifications in cultivation as well as creative approaches and marketing channels for direct agricultural marketing
On the first day of the fair, Simon Schumacher (VSSE e.V.) presented three innovation awards each in the expoSE and expoDirekt categories.
The expoSE innovation prizes went to 4Disc from Dortmund for the InterCut for ultra-flat soil cultivation between asparagus rows, to Harlander Landtechnik for the asparagus bed tiller with hydraulic service flap and to hexafarms from Berlin for the intelligent yield forecast for strawberries and soft fruit in tunnels.
The expoDirekt innovation prizes were awarded to the two cooperating companies getpacked and Click & Collect Service for getpacked & collect – shop online and pick up products in the vending machine; to the plant counter from Lorsch for its smart vertical farming system for direct marketing; and to Schwab Automaten (Packmatisch) from Munich for the HofKiosk, the vending machine with a product tray system.
Well-attended specialist presentations: 1st Stone Fruit Forum, 34th Asparagus Day, Direct Marketer Forum and 2nd Berry Technology Forum
With 119 participants, the 1st Stone Fruit Forum, organized by VSSE e.V. and co-organizer Herbert Knuppen, was very well received. In its first edition, the focus was on cherry and plum varieties.
The well-attended 35th Asparagus Day focused on topics such as replanting, the increase in asparagus and bean flies, the profitability of asparagus cultivation and ways of reducing the use of pesticides in asparagus cultivation. It also provided insights into the cultivation and marketing of green asparagus in southern Spain and provided up-to-date information from the world of asparagus in a concise format.
The Berry Technology Forum, organized by Marco Joseph and VSSE e.V., was also well received in its second year, with 70–80 participants attending each lecture. On the second day of the fair, the Berry Technology Forum addressed the topics of data-driven cultivation for better plant growth and energy savings, harvest forecasts for planning reliability, strawberry harvesting by robots, conversion from soil cultivation to cultivation in channels, and data-driven irrigation.
The new concept of the direct marketer forum, organized by the trade magazine HOFdirekt and the VSSE, was a complete success: The specialist lectures were very well attended throughout. On the first day of the fair, specialist lectures were offered on the topic of "Smart shopping" and on the second day of the fair on the topic of "The farm shop as a brand". Some trade visitors were so impressed by what was on offer that they spontaneously decided to visit the fair again on the second day.
Outlook for expoSE & expoDirekt 2025
The next expoSE & expoDirekt trade fair duo will take place at the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Center from November 19 to 20, 2025. The professional supporting program will be continued by the Association of South German Asparagus and Strawberry Growers (VSSE) with the cooperation partners: the 2nd Stone Fruit Forum – varieties | trends | technology with co-organizer Herbert Knuppen, the 3rd Berry Technology Forum with organizer Marco Joseph, the 36th Asparagus Day together with the Karlsruhe District Office and the Karlsruhe Regional Council, and the Direct Marketers Forum with the trade magazine HOFdirekt. In addition, the stone fruit area in the exhibition area will be expanded.
For more information:
www.expo-se.de