INTRODUCTION

Latest innovations were displayed at Balkan Food & Drinks and Balkan PAC, which took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, between 1st and 4th November 2006. The emphasis remained very much on the perfect marketing opportunities for new partnerships and joint ventures, an overview of modern technology and versatile solutions

The 10-th jubilee edition featured companies from 22 countries, who demonstrated a wide range of food, drink and equipment, packaging, packaging and filling lines, machinery, etc.

EXHIBITIONS IN A NUTSHELL

• Represented companies from 22 countries

• 2 National participations: Italy and Czech Republic

• 3250 visitors from 25 countries

• 56% top management

• 90% came to do business, either to find partners or to re-new relations with existing ones

• 32 specialists attended the training seminar ‘How to prepare a project for the EU programs’

• 70 experts went to the Export Forum

EXHIBITORS

The shows continue to grow and become more and more popular either in and out of the country. Overall 47% of exhibitors came from abroad: Austria, Germany, Greece, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, etc.

The organizers were delighted to work with the internationally recognized bodies – the Italian Foreign Trade Institute and Czech Trade, who managed Official Italian and Official Czech participation respectively.

Balkan Food & Drinks drew visitors with lots of food and drinks – mineral water, soft and energy drinks, beer, wine, mayonaise and sauces, chips and pellets, food additives, pasta, bakery and confectionary, dietetic and diabetic food, filling and bottling equipment, etc.

presented packages and containers, machines and equipment, packaging lines, foils, labells, conveyors, packaging in flexible materials, off set printing and rotogravure, control and measuring equipment, recycling equipment, technologies and services, etc.

PARALLEL EVENTS

Useful features at the trade events include the Export Forum, Training Seminar and 3 competitions, which awarded quality products: Best packaging Prize-Pac, Soft Drink of the Year and Young Packaging Designer.

Seminars attracted a huge amount of visitors confirming day 2 and 3 traditionally strong. We were pleasantly surprised at how well accepted was the idea of the Export forum. The presentations provided valuable information on the small and medium enterprises promotion abroad, lowering export risk, requirements for export, and helped companies catch up with the novelties in technology and best European practices, be more informed and competitive.

The training seminar ‘How to prepare a project for the EU programs?’ addressed business administrators, financial managers, and consultants, those who strive for funding, greater efficiency and better quality. The agenda was made to teach participants to the basic skills for project writing, develop their expertise and experience.

“Prize Pack” awards for best packaging were given to: Konsul Ltd, Hovekom and Offest Ltd.

At the contest “Best Soft Drink of the Year”, organized by the Association of the Bulgarian Producers of Soft Drinks, “Ecobottles”, “J and V”, “Aspasia 92”, “Likona”, “Gorna Bania” companies were awarded.

MEDIA AND PROMOTION

Via Expo conducted a massive promotional campaign, which included printed adverts, radio spots, TV reports and press information, broadcast / published in:

• 3 premier national newspapers

• 10 regional newspapers

• 5 radio stations

• 15 specialized magazines

• 10 specialized media abroad (Austria, Greece, Germany, Poland, Russia, UK, Macedonia, Turkey)

• about 50 websites and web portals relevant to food & packaging industry, retailing sector, news and events

• 15 thousand personal invitations

• Outdoor advertising

Personal mailing to national and Balkan buyers proved itself the most effective way of promotion and popularizing exhibition, bringing over 60 per cent of all visitors to the events. Advertising campaign in printed media, radio and posters appeared to be the second best attracting one fifth of buyers. While on third position remain the invitations send by companies-exhibitors to their clients.

VISITORS

Balkan Food & Drinks and Balkan PAC are meant for professionals – upper and middle management, buyers, owners of small and medium companies, etc. We are incredibly proud to have once again attracted them – the percentage of managers remains high as always, while engaged in purchasing and sales register certain growth.

Break-down by company activity indicates that the production sector leads with almost 10 per cent upsurge from the previous year and is expected to be the segment with the most dynamic development.

Rising demand for packaging brought to the exhibitions more specialists involved in packaging, packaging materials and packaging machine compared to 2005.

Bulgaria is seeing higher interest from foreign companies. Cast a glance on local and international visitors from exhibition’s launch till now and you will see foreigners set up a record value (13 per cent in 2006, usually floating between 5-10 per cent).

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