September 2016

47.221 visitors at the intErnational exhibition for natural and organic products

 

833 exhibitors (+19%), 50.000 m2 of exhibition space (+ 30%),

more than 60 events including workshops and company presentations

2.300 B2B meetings with international buyers from 27 countries

 

Bologna, 12th September – SANA is getting bigger and better, in terms of visitor numbers, variety and interest from professionals and the public. The International Exhibition for Natural and Organic Products closes today with excellent results: 47,221 visitors attended the event beginning on Friday 9th September to discover and buy the very best of Italian and international natural and organic production in the sectors of Food, Body Care and Green Lifestyles.

 

The five large pavilions of SANA 2016 were the reference point for the sector, confirming the event as the biggest of its kind in Italy and the second largest in Europe and a key meeting point for institutions, organizations, associations, producers, buyers and consumers,

This trend was also visible in the even stronger response of visitors to the event: Italian and foreign professionals interested in identifying business opportunities for a sector growing strongly and in which the ‘made in Italy’ brand boasts a significant position.

 

Attending the opening of SANA 2016 was Andrea Olivero, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policy, who underlined that the aims of the national strategic plan were in line with the requests of professionals from the sector: the simplification of the regulations, the revision of the control system, the allocation of greater resources for organics and the coordination of the incentives of the regional development plan, action taken for the production chain and concerning inter-professionalism, a focus on training and research and interventions for the promotion of Italian made products abroad.

“The government,” Olivero explained, “will act with coherence and determination to best manage growth, transforming the risks connected to turbulent growth into a great opportunity.”

 

 “We share the credit for the success of SANA 2016 with its key players,” explained Antonio Bruzzone, Director General of BolognaFiere, “the exhibitors, professionals from the sector and our partners who supported us: FederBio for strategic collaboration, the Ministry of the Environment and the Protection of the Territory and the Sea and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policy and for important partners Cosmetica Italia for their contribution; IFOAM (the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) and ICE ( the Agency for the international promotion of Italian businesses) for their support for the buyer programme and local institutions that are always sensitive to the theme of organic and natural produce.”

 

At the inaugural conference the director general of BolognaFiere, Antonio Bruzzone, announced the initiative to aid the population affected by the recent earthquake and establishing a donation of €1 for every entrance full price entrance ticket sold: a gesture of genuine solidarity in perfect keeping with the philosophy of the event, the focus of which is on people’s health and wellbeing and the protection of the environment.

The 2016 edition set new records with 833 companies (+19% on 2015), 50 thousand m2 of exhibition space (+30%) and an even larger number of international buyers in attendance from 27 countries (+29%) involved in over 2,300 B2B meetings.

 

There were approximately 4,800 participants in the events programme that involved over 60 conferences, the three meetings at the Academy and numerous events organized by the companies, associations and organizations from the sector, examining the latest themes and points of interest.

 

There were thousands of products on display within the three themes: organic food, fresh and packaged, technology, equipment for packaging for the food and agriculture sector, medicinal plants, treatments, dietary products, supplements and special natural food items, products and equipment for personal care, services, fabrics and natural items for hobbies and free time, products for ecological living, technology and eco-compatible products for the home and for daily life. The SANA Shop, the huge retail pint open to the public, also boasted a vast assortment of products.

 

The growth of SANA is in line with the market trend as illustrated on the opening day and attended by Andrea Olivero, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policy at the SANA-ICE Observatory 2016 “All of the statistics for Organics” promoted and financed by ICE in collaboration with BolognaFiere and created by Nomisma with the support of FederBio and AssoBio. The research highlighted that seven out of ten families (approximately 18 million families) have purchased an organic product at least once during the last year and, more generally, all of the key indicators are on the increase: land used for organic production (+7.5% compared with 2014), operators in the sector (+8.2% compared with 2014), sales (+15% compared with 2014). But it is not only the domestic market that is hitting the heights, exports too have increased by a stunning +408% compared with 2008 and +16% in the last year alone.

 

Important results also for the online channels of SANA that were acknowledged by users increasingly loyal to the digital initiatives and services on offer. Visits to the SANA website increased by 20% compared with the last edition (with over 52,000 visits during the days of the event); +14% of unique users, +21% of pages viewed with peaks of over 17,000 unique users per day (+45%).

Particularly lively was the activity on Facebook SANA that reached a figure of 16,000 fans, comparable with the event’s international competitors (+53% on last year), +5,300 new likes for the 2016 edition alone, of which 1,400 during the week of the event with a total coverage of 1,842,461 (+75% on 2015). 3,443 Twitter followers (+75% on 2015), 792,828 tweets viewed in the last week with an average of 74,435 per day and over 4,200 tweets sent and more than 2,000 tweets mentioning the official hashtags.

 

One of the initiatives to experience the most impressive boom in participation from exhibitors and visitors was the SANA Novità Prize, the showcase for over 500 products submitted by the exhibitors and consisting of products launched on the market since October 2015.

SANA Novità prizes went to Baule Volante’s Granomela in the Organic Food sector, Montalto Bellezza Bio’s Baciamibio in the Natural and Organic Body Care section and the Dissuasore BioDinamico for Oidio della Vite di Agri.Bio. Piemonte in the Green Lifestyles category.

 

The event’s official bloggers, meanwhile, selected: Cacao Crudo’s chocolate and hazelnut cream; Le Erbe di Janas for their hydrating face mask with prickly pear and saffron; and the bamboo Ecotazze (Ecocup) produced by Eco Coffee Cup and distributed by Fior di Loto. The winners received the prize from sponsors BIOFARM: the adoption of an organic fruit tree including one year’s harvest.

 

Finally, there were numerous opportunities to experience organics also in the city itself involving many inhabitants of the city with two initiatives organized by Eco-Bio Confesercenti - SANA CITY from the 9th  to the 18th  September with more than 160 initiatives – and by Confcommercio-Ascom Bologna - “Una giornata sana” (A healthy day), the “White night of organics” on Saturday 10th September with the participation of more than 40 restaurants and businesses in Bologna and the surrounding area, all of which prepared a special dish using organic ingredients along with special tasting events.

 

Among the partners and exhibitors there was widespread satisfaction with the four days of work and discussions.

 

Paolo Carnemolla, President of FederBio: “The success of the event is clear, the reorganization of the spaces was definitely positive. The organic sector is experiencing a phase of absolute growth and this also explains the positive results achieved by SANA.”

 

Antonio Argentieri, President of Gruppo Cosmetici Erboristeria di Cosmetica Italia: “SANA is the reference event for the Gruppo Cosmetici Erboristeria di Cosmetica Italia. Our opinion of this edition is very positive both in terms of the new layout of the spaces and in terms of visitor numbers.”

 

Roberrto Zanoni, President of AssoBio: “SANA is a key event for the organic sector and is very important for AssoBio. It was with great pleasure that we observed the strong recovery and the renewed interest of foreign buyers, professionals and consumers. In Italy where there is a habit of pessimism, one sector that is doing very well is that of organics, in keeping with the growing awareness of and interest in lifestyles that are healthier and more respectful of the environment.”

 

Fabrizio Piva, CEO of the CCPB (Certification and Control of Organic Products): “SANA confirms its position as the reference point for Italian organics. It is the perfect opportunity for consumers to learn about new products and companies, discovering the values and certification of organic products as well as being a location for those working in the sector to meet, talk and do business.”

 

Paolo Tramonti, CEO of Bios Line: “We’ve been coming to SANA for twenty years, for us it’s the event to present our new innovations both in the field of phytotherapy and in cosmetics.  Our participation at SANA is important to us because the event is a reference point for the whole production chain of natural products.”

 

Egidio Siena  President of Lacote/Guam: “We have returned to SANA after ten years and we are very satisfied with our participation. The event has enjoyed a full re-launch and represents an important meeting point for our business. We intend to return for the next edition.”

 

There was also positive feedback from foreign delegates for the activities during the four days of the event.

 

Ms. Isabelle Aubert, Canada - IMPORTATION TRIBECA: “A very, very well organized event. At SANA I found many high quality products and companies.”

 

Mr.  Nedeljko Petkovic, Bosnia Herzegovina - - BIOMEDIC DI BANJA LUKA: “I would like to take this opportunity to compliment the excellent organization of SANA and the Italian Trade Agency: excellent opportunities and precious B2B meetings.”

 

Mr. Hiroshi Kyo, Japan - YOUKI TRADING.CO.LTD: “I am here at the Fair for the first time and I hadn’t imagined that there would be so man interesting products for my business.”

 

Ms. Nasiescu Anna, Russia - OOO BUONAPPETITO: “I found many interesting products and I was able to make contact with new producers. The organization of the event was impeccable, I count on returning next year.”

 

Dino Borri, USA - Director Eataly USA: “I had already been to SANA but this was a record-breaking edition. B2B meetings and interesting products for our network of shops that are growing across the States: the trip was very positive. I’ll definitely be back next year.”

 

Ms. Sun Xiaowan, CHINA - GLORY WORLD BEIJING TRADING CO. LTD.: “Meeting with so many companies and discovering such a variety of organic and natural products was a great opportunity.”

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