Small may be beautiful, but big is
better
01 March 2008 17:43
Mike Knowles
We like to think we are a resourceful bunch here at Eurofruit Magazine, so when it came to working out how on earth we would manage to get around all 25 of Fruit Logistica's exhibition halls, on what has become the fresh produce trade's equivalent of the grand tour, in just three days, we decided to adopt the sensible approach: run for the hills, hide, then wait for it to all be over.
Only kidding, of course! While the event must certainly be daunting for those who've never been before, the fact that you have so much of the trade together in one place is one of the event's greatest assets and should not be overlooked. With a little forward planning, it needn't be that overwhelming. This year's Berlin bonanza may have been the biggest ever, but it was also the best ever, and we certainly weren't going to be beaten. We divided and, to the best of our abilities, attempted to conquer.
A major consequence of Fruit Logistica's phenomenal expansion during recent years has been, in my opinion, a greater emphasis on the need for imaginative and innovative marketing. Quite simply, if you’re standing in a crowded room, you'll have to shout louder than if there were only a handful of people around you. How else do you explain Padua Wholesale Market's incredible stand, which was done up like a Venetian palazzo? Not for them the safe chrome and frosted glass combination so beloved of many exhibitors, including ourselves. In terms of sheer marketing impact, the loudest companies were the one which unveiled Australian finger limes and said they were “citrus caviar”, and the team behind Fruitness enjoy it!, which employed a male model to dress up as superhero Mr Fruitness. He didn’t say much, but when you’re dressed in green lycra and a laurel wreath, you don’t have to really.
Of course, many exhibitors still plump for that old faithful of the fresh produce trade: busty ladies in skimpy dresses, on hand ostensibly to take messages, serve drinks and keep that importer amused for five minutes while the supplier he's supposed to be meeting seals a 12-month listing with Tesco. How those ladies kept a straight face wandering round with the word 'melons' emblazoned across their chests is beyond me, not that I was complaining.
After three days of journalistic hunting and gathering, our carefully plotted excursion around the world of fresh produce had become something of a mental safari. Next year, thank goodness, we’ll have the whole weekend to recover…
We like to think we are a resourceful bunch here at Eurofruit Magazine, so when it came to working out how on earth we would manage to get around all 25 of Fruit Logistica's exhibition halls, on what has become the fresh produce trade's equivalent of the grand tour, in just three days, we decided to adopt the sensible approach: run for the hills, hide, then wait for it to all be over.
Only kidding, of course! While the event must certainly be daunting for those who've never been before, the fact that you have so much of the trade together in one place is one of the event's greatest assets and should not be overlooked. With a little forward planning, it needn't be that overwhelming. This year's Berlin bonanza may have been the biggest ever, but it was also the best ever, and we certainly weren't going to be beaten. We divided and, to the best of our abilities, attempted to conquer.
A major consequence of Fruit Logistica's phenomenal expansion during recent years has been, in my opinion, a greater emphasis on the need for imaginative and innovative marketing. Quite simply, if you’re standing in a crowded room, you'll have to shout louder than if there were only a handful of people around you. How else do you explain Padua Wholesale Market's incredible stand, which was done up like a Venetian palazzo? Not for them the safe chrome and frosted glass combination so beloved of many exhibitors, including ourselves. In terms of sheer marketing impact, the loudest companies were the one which unveiled Australian finger limes and said they were “citrus caviar”, and the team behind Fruitness enjoy it!, which employed a male model to dress up as superhero Mr Fruitness. He didn’t say much, but when you’re dressed in green lycra and a laurel wreath, you don’t have to really.
Of course, many exhibitors still plump for that old faithful of the fresh produce trade: busty ladies in skimpy dresses, on hand ostensibly to take messages, serve drinks and keep that importer amused for five minutes while the supplier he's supposed to be meeting seals a 12-month listing with Tesco. How those ladies kept a straight face wandering round with the word 'melons' emblazoned across their chests is beyond me, not that I was complaining.
After three days of journalistic hunting and gathering, our carefully plotted excursion around the world of fresh produce had become something of a mental safari. Next year, thank goodness, we’ll have the whole weekend to recover…
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