WorldFood Moscow 2023 exhibition brought together more than 20,000 food market specialists on one site
From September 19 to 22, 2023, the 32nd International Autumn Food and Drink Exhibition WorldFood Moscow was held at the Crocus Expo IEC. The event organizer is ITE Group
The WorldFood Moscow exhibition opened the autumn business season, bringing together food producers and suppliers from all over the world on one site.
Traditionally, the exhibition featured 16 thematic sectors, covering not only all product categories, but also the non-food category, which included household chemicals, personal care products, paper products, contraceptives, tobacco products, as well as services for business. The «Fruits and Vegetables» sector is presented at WorldFood Moscow in such a volume exclusively due to the optimal dates of the exhibition during the harvest season.
The exposition of the exhibition this year increased significantly, almost twice, and was represented by new products and bestsellers from 1,014 companies, and more than 350 companies took part in the exhibition for the first time.
The number of countries represented has also increased. Suppliers from 39 countries participated in the exhibition: Azerbaijan, Algeria, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Egypt, India, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Middle East, the Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.
This year, 17 countries presented their products in the format of national pavilions: Azerbaijan, Algeria, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Malaysia, the Middle East, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka. The national group of Tajikistan was presented for the first time.
The largest national groups were the pavilions of China, India and Turkey.
The WorldFood Moscow2023 exhibition was visited by representatives of embassies of 24 countries and regions of the world: Azerbaijan, Algeria, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Middle East, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Vietnam.
The Russian exposition at the exhibition was presented by companies from 58 regions, including regional collective expositions of Altai, Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, Ivanovo, Irkutsk, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kirov, Kostroma, Krasnodar, Perm, Stavropol Territories, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Oryol, Omsk, Penza, Ryazan, Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Tambov, Tula, Vologda, regions, Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, Republics of Altai, Buryatia, Karelia, North Ossetia-Alania, Tatarstan.
For the second time, a collective stand of organic products manufacturers was presented at the exhibition with the support of the Organic Fund. At the stand, the companies AgriVolga (Ugleche Pole brand, meat and dairy products), Arivera (cereals, cereals, honey, flour, flax, grains and legumes), IP Dorofeev (organic semi-finished meat products under the brand «Vkusnaya Marka»), Shulgino (meat and dairy products, fruits and vegetables, drinks, bread) presented their products.
This year, for the first time, navigation through the exhibition exposition was adapted for buyers from the public catering segment: suppliers willing to work with public catering enterprises were marked with a special sign both in the printed guide and directly on the stands.
One of the main topics of the exhibition was the mutual integration of retail and catering formats. As a reflection of this trend, the thematic exposition MOBITRUCK was presented at the exhibition, where anyone could receive full advice on how to open a franchise and launch mobile retail outlets.
And the Azbuka Vkusa company presented a new B2B project as part of the special exposition - supplying coffee to public catering companies. Having been roasting coffee for a long time, the retailer plans to begin supplying its own roasted coffee to coffee shops and restaurants.
For the first time, at the WorldFood Moscow exhibition, the WORLD OF TRADE Purchasing Center was held, organized with the support of EXIM EXPO. The purchasing center worked at the exhibition for two days, September 19 and 20.
69 networks and distributors from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan took part in the negotiations.
More than 140 manufacturers participated on the supplier side, each of whom held more than 50 negotiations.
The WorldFood Moscow 2023 exhibition was visited by 20,115 professional buyers from wholesale and retail trade and catering enterprises. Visitors come to the exhibition from 72 countries and 83 regions of Russia.
The updated concept of the exhibition «From the field to the store shelter and the restaurant table» was also reflected in the idea of the product as a central element not only in FMCG trade, but also in the hospitality industry.
More than 2,000 representatives of public catering enterprises were able not only to find new suppliers at the exhibition, but also to share their experience and ideas for developing their projects at the new WorldFood Kitchen content zone. The general partner of the zone was the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Russia.
The most current agenda of the industry was discussed with the participation of both restaurateurs and chain owners, as well as representatives of the federation, experts in the field of marketing, legislation, personnel management: the search for replacements for disappeared products, the secrets of successful restaurant concepts, gastronomic tourism and local products, corporate and organized mass catering, enterprise safety, legislative norms in the field of catering, human capital.
Traditionally, discussions continued throughout the four days at the Forum. The Forum of Food Business Leaders is held annually as part of the WorldFood Moscow exhibition and brings together top managers of Russian retail and catering on one stage.
The forum was dedicated to summing up the results of the first half of the year, discussing trends and key changes in consumer behavior and opportunities for business adaptation to changing conditions.
The second zone at the exhibition, Retail Academy, was devoted to the development of individual categories, where practical conferences were held on the development of categories: Fruits and vegetables, Dairy products and cheeses, Confectionery, Private labels, Fresh and ready-made food, Healthy lifestyle and organics.
For the first time, three conferences were held at the Retail Academy this year, organized with the support of exhibition partners:
- «Transformation of the dairy industry. Trends that determine the future», organized with the support of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), the Moscow Government and the Department of Economic Policy and Development of the City of Moscow
- «Trends and growth drivers 2023-2024: fresh and ready-made food. Ultra niches: healthy lifestyle, farming, organic. Opportunities for the manufacturer and a differentiator for the retailer»
- «Russian organic products: production, sales, promotion» was organized by the Organics Foundation and the National Organic Union.
The wide geography of the WorldFood Moscow was also reflected on the site of the Culinary Marathon. Every day professional chefs prepared dishes from different cuisines of the world using the products of the exhibitors. Visitors of the show had the opportunity to go on a real round-the-world gastronomic journey thanks to master classes from chefs from Brazil, China, India, Turkey, and South Africa. The general partner of the Culinary Marathon this year was the EFKO company. As part of the program, the company's brand chefs conducted four master classes, presenting the EFKO FOOD Professional product line, a specialized line of products for catering establishments. The line includes vegetable oils, mayonnaise, sauces and planted meat.
The non-profit association Chefs Team Russia was the strategic partner and co-organizer of the Culinary Marathon.
Thus, the business programme of the exhibition this year consisted of more than 50 events and was held in parallel at 4 zones with the participation of more than 200 speakers. More than 2,000 delegates attended the business programme over 4 days.
On the third day of the exhibition, the award ceremonies for two awards took place: Product of the Year and WorldFood ORGANIC.
The WorldFood ORGANIC contest was organized jointly with the Organic Fund and the National Organic Union. As part of the contest, 9 companies were awarded.
This year's Product of the Year contest received 318 applications. 140 companies from more than 60 regions of Russia took part. In addition to the traditional nominations, an award was given for «Innovation in Food Products».
In addition to the opportunity to solve their business tasks in just four days, the WorldFood Moscow exhibition also offered visitors a new service – the WorldFood Business Lounge. A special closed area for buyers was aimed at making work at the exhibition as comfortable as possible. Additional options were available for professionals from the retail and catering companies: a separate meeting room, a coffee break area, a relaxation area, a work area with Wi-Fi access, and chargers.
As always, the four days of the exhibition were intense and active and flew by very quickly. But now you can stay in touch with colleagues and partners all year round thanks to the professional platform WorldFood Connect.
WorldFood Connect is an industry community for business communication between participants and visitors of WorldFood Moscow exhibition, exchange of news, expertise, industry analytics and attending specialized online events.