Food Africa represents a great synergy for Mac Fruit Attraction, says Renzo Piraccini, President of MacFrut Italy
CESENA FIERA the organizer of MACFRUT - Fruit & Veg Professional Show in Italy and IFEMA, the organizer of FRUIT ATTRACTION, the International Trade Show for the Fruit and Vegetable Industry in Spain, have come to a collaboration agreement to create a new global brand for the fruit and vegetable sector, MAC FRUIT ATTRACTION, with the aim of developing professional industry events in strategic markets. This new platform aims at encouraging the positioning and international professional network of fruit and vegetable companies with direct access to new strategic markets, which will allow them to contact local operators and the area of influence.
The first edition of MAC FRUIT ATTRACTION will be held in Cairo from 4 to 7 May 2016 as part of FoodAfrica following an agreement reached with IFP Group, the largest trade fair operator in the Near East, meaning it will cover the Middle East and North Africa.
On this occasion, ifpinfo had the following interview with Renzo Piraccini, President of MacFrut Italy.
Q. How was the concept of MAC FRUIT ATTRACTION show shaped? Whose brainchild was it?
In February 2015 during a meeting with the General Manager of FruitAttraction Raul Calleja we developed the concept of a show that represented the merger of our two shows - Macfrut and FruitAttraction. In a couple of months we reached an agreement, since we were both convinced of the importance of the project. After all Macfrut is the showcase for the Italian fruit and vegetable market and FruitAttraction is the one for the Spanish market; we were asked to develop more and more international events by our exhibitors.
The initial idea is ours, but Ifema proposed the concept of the brand, and IFP Group welcomed this partnership.
Q. Why the first edition of MAC FRUIT ATTRACTION was decided to hold in Cairo parallel to FoodAfrica exhibition?
An international trade show cannot be improvised. Food Africa represents a great synergy for Mac Fruit Attraction, above all because of the buyers of the large retail sector coming from the Middle East and from North Africa.
Q. Still two months to go, how is the show building up? What can you say about the coordination between MAC FRUIT and FoodAfrica?
We sold all the exhibition area that has been assigned to Italy. At the moment 31 Italian companies confirmed their participation in Mac Fruit Attraction.
Q. Egypt is considered a strategic trade partner for Italy, what can you say about the Italian participation to MAC FRUIT?
Egypt is a great producer of fruit and vegetables and Italy represents the main market. Since Italy is the leader in sorting and processing technologies, many machineries are imported in Egypt. Indeed, out of the 31 Italian exhibitors that will attend Mac Fruit Attraction, only 10 are production companies, while the others are involved in logistic, sorting and packaging technologies.
Q. Is getting into Egypt’s market of 100 million people and through Egypt’s gate to the broader African market enticing the participants?
Egypt is the second market for Italian apples especially as of 2015. In any case, the main objective of the show it to get in contact with buyers from the Africa and from the Middle East.
Q. What are your expectations of the final outcome of this premiere show in Cairo?
We are very optimistic and I think that the event will be a great success. The premises are all there.
Ifpinfo
19 February
