Alimentària food trade show postponed until 2021
Largest fair in Barcelona canceled over coronavirus concerns after initial 4-month delay
The Catalan capital will not be hosting its largest biannual trade fair this year after all as it has become yet another one of the many events forced to cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Saló Alimèntaria food fair, which is held at Fira Barcelona every other year and attracts even more visitors than the Mobile World Congress, was first set to take place this April, was then postponed until September, and will now finally take place once again May 17-20, 2021.
Josep Lluís Bonet, one of the fair's organizers, explained on Monday that this decision was made "with the aim of guaranteeing the best possible edition in terms of participation and internationalization" as well as considering "the current circumstances."
Bonet added that, as organizers, their goal is to "make next year's edition great, with the highest of commercial expectations, networking opportunities, and attendance of foreign buyers and visitors, who make up for 25% of all attendees."
In 2018, the last time Saló Alimentària was held, the fair attracted some 150,000 attendees and 4,500 exhibiting companies – by contrast, in 2019 the Mobile World Congress, which is also held at Fira Barcelona and which was also canceled this year due to the pandemic, brought together around 109,000 visitors and 2,400 exhibitors.