SIAL 2012 Sees Attendance Rise

SIAL 2012, which took place Oct. 21-25 at the Parc des Expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte Convention Center, experienced a 10.2 percent rise in attendance compared with the last exposition in 2010, confirming SIAL’s role as a catalyst for global trade, according to show organizers.

The show had 150,192 professional visitors this year vs. 136,381 in 2010, of whom 62.8 percent were international visitors from 200 countries. The 2012 show, fully attuned to the mainstream market challenges, highlighted the dynamism of the agri-food industry on a global scale.

In the current gloomy economic climate, the exhibition’s strategic dimension – demonstrated by the 200 events and conferences – left its mark, organizers said. Guillaume Garrot, French deputy minister of agri-food, together with numerous ministers and political and scientific personalities, opened the debate on key issues relating to the future of the food industry in France, including an anti-waste program announcement and discussions on Made in France, nutrition and more. All of these discussions were programmed by SIAL TV. 

“Our aim was to strengthen the proximity between the sector players present. It’s now ‘mission accomplished.’ SIAL played a pivotal role with a view to the challenges of today and the issues of tomorrow,” remarked Valérie Lobry, managing director of Comexposium’s Agriculture and Food Industry Division. 

The next SIAL in Paris is set for Oct. 19-23, 2014.