Messe München will organize the International Motor Show (IAA) for the first time in September 2021. As a result, drinktec is changing its event calendar: the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry will be held three weeks later from October 4–8, 2021, at the Munich exhibition grounds.

Messe München newly acquired International Motor Show organized by the German Association of the Automotive Industry. This decision will mean that the world’s largest automotive trade show will be held every other year in Munich starting in September 2021. “During the final round of negotiations, the engineering association insisted that the motor show be held in September,” said Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Messe München. “We were forced to adjust our event calendar as a result.” “We are really happy that we were able to work out a new date for drinktec in close cooperation with the trade fair’s Advisory Board.”

Volker Kronseder, the head of the drinktec Advisory Board, said: “Of course, at first we were not thrilled about having to reschedule. We then got together in the advisory board, which represents a cross-section of all areas of the industry, and discussed various optional dates. We eventually found an alternative date that was supported by a broad consensus.”

Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association of the German Engineering Federation, said: “Following this intense and constructive discussion with all market experts, we were able to find a new date for drinktec that really underscores its importance as the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.”

Preparations for drinktec 2021 are moving forward on schedule. Interested companies may continue to register online at www.drinktec.com.

New date—important information for exhibitors

All companies that have already completed the online registration process (for exhibitors) for the old date (September 13–17, 2021) do not have to do anything.

The drinktec team will send individual stand proposals to them by the end of June 2020–along with a reminder about the new trade fair date. A registration for the new date (October 4–8, 2021) will become binding when a company accepts the stand proposals.

With over 76,000 visitors from more than 170 countries, drinktec has chalked up the best-ever result in its 66-year history and surpassed all expectations. The number of visitors rose by 10,000 over the previous event in 2013. In particular at the international level, where drinktec is already very strong as it is, the trade fair was able to grow attendance again, this time by 12 percent. The ratio of visitors from outside Germany thus rose to 67 percent. The number of exhibitors increased to 1,749 from 80 countries – likewise a new record. That is mainly attributable to the wine technology trade fair SIMEI, which was held as part of drinktec for the first time, as well as further growth in the number of exhibitors at drinktec itself.

In particular the number of visitors from overseas is testimony to the fact that drinktec is a worldwide event and is rightly regarded as the industry’s global economic summit. The number of visitors from China was more than 2,000, an increase of 65 percent. That means China already occupies second spot in the rankings of the top 10 countries of origin for visitors – behind Italy, which likewise recorded a sharp increase thanks to SIMEI: by around 45 percent to 5,240 visitors. There was also a striking rise in attendance from South America. SIMEI apparently helped boost the number of visitors from Argentina to 545 (an increase of 165 percent). 1,100 visitors came from Brazil, a rise of 40 percent. France, likewise a wine country, came fourth this year with 1,800 visitors. Apart from Italy, China and France, other countries in the top ten were Russia (1,857 visitors), the UK (1,619), the U.S. (1,570), Austria (1,567), Spain (1,254) and the Netherlands (1,221).