drinktec 2017: Highlights from the supporting program

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drinktec, the “World’s Leading Trade Fair for the Beverage and Liquid Food Industry”, has much to offer, not just in terms of the presentations by the exhibitors. The specialist supporting program explores the future of the sector, picks up on key current themes and offers exhibitors and visitors a great deal of real added value—all free of charge and right in the middle of the action at the show. Below is a preview of the conferences, forums, special exhibitions and networking platforms, competitions and awards to expect in this supporting program:

Special Area New Beverage Concepts
In Hall B1 and a part of Hall B2 drinktec 2017 is dedicating over 11,000 square meters of exhibition space to the section on raw materials, ingredients, agents and additives. Located in this environment is the Special Area on “New Beverage Concepts”. Here manufacturers present sweetening, coloration and aroma strategies as well as ingredients (fortification) and recipes. The Special Area New Beverage Concepts is directed at product and brand managers and marketing responsibles. Here they can try out the innovative ingredients and beverage concepts and look for new ideas from the flavor experts. This area is designed in an open and interactive way. The exhibitors´ booths are grouped around a “marketplace”, and the bar area in the middle ensures communication and exchange while also offering a tasting area for products.

Online: drinktec.com/NBC

Innovation Flow Lounge
The Innovation Flow Lounge, which was a big hit at its very first presentation at drinktec 2013, is a kind of discussion and information-exchange platform especially for visitors from the sales and marketing area (12,000 of them attended drinktec 2013). For drinktec 2017 the Special Area “New Beverage Concepts” and the Innovation Flow Lounge will share a common communication and bar area in Hall B1. Beverages manufacturers will be reporting on future themes from the sector in the field of product innovation, packaging and marketing. The themes scheduled for discussion in the Innovation Flow Lounge include:

Influencing the influencers—Use social networks for brand success
Augmented Reality—Sales support on new pathways
Digitally driven drinks—How digital transformation will change beverage markets
How to sell European beverages in Far East Asia
How national brands become globally successful

Further exchange and networking opportunities are provided by a range of action modules, from the “Talking Table” to a “Speakers Corner”. The language of the lectures and for exchange is English.

Online: drinktec.com/IFL

Powered by: ADM Wild, Döhler, FoodBev, KHS, Sahm

drinktec Forum
For the fifth time, the drinktec Forum in Hall A2 will be an integral and important part of the supporting program.

Independent experts from research and development will be providing answers and presenting groundbreaking ideas and practical solutions.

The overall themes are:

Process technology for safe beverages
New raw materials
Industry 4.0
Batch size 1

The themes and speakers are listed in detail at drinktec.com. The last day of the Forum is dedicated to the theme of milk. All the lectures in the Forum are included in the price of an entry ticket to drinktec, and simultaneous interpretation (German/English) is provided at all of them.

Online: drinktec.com/forum

5 o’ Clock Theme
A special new highlight takes place each day of the fair, at the end of the day in the Forum: The 5 o’ Clock Theme. Here, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, at 17:00, visitors can experience visionary keynote lectures on future scenarios. The speakers include some of the most innovative minds in the industry. Among them, for example, is the German trend researcher Sven Gábor Jánszky, Director of 2b AHEAD ThinkTank, speaking on “Rule Breaker—How people think whose ideas change the world”. Kishor Sridhar, bestselling author, management consultant and CEO of Verum Unternehmensentwicklung GmbH, will give a talk on the topic “One Step Ahead: Success is made by execution.” Furthermore: Sahar Hashemi, founder of the British coffee bar chain “Coffee Republic” and author of the book “Anyone can do it”.

This is a great opportunity for drinktec visitors to gather fresh ideas for developing their own market and business strategies.

Powered by: KHS, Sidel

water-technology@drinktec Symposium
The water-technology@drinktec Symposium takes account of the increasing importance of water technology and water management for sustainable beverage production—a topic that has a strong focus at drinktec. The symposium features lectures, panel discussions and information about the subject of water on all days of the exhibition. Here trade fair visitors will find out more about innovative solutions, integrated concepts and practical examples for sustainable water management in the brewing, beverage and liquid food industry. Exhibitors, representatives from the manufacturing companies and experts from research and development will be giving the audience the benefit of their knowledge and expertise in short lectures and panel discussions. The symposium is organized by the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association, the conceptual sponsor of drinktec.

Beer highlights
place2beer: place2beer is a new format, a conceptual development from the Brewers’ Meeting Point, which was introduced at drinktec 2013. In Hall B1, on around 500 square meters of exhibition space, the place2beer is a gathering place for brewers and all those who are involved in the world of beer.

A place to experience, experiment and interact—with tastings of beer from all over the world, with lectures (e.g. on the themes of food and beer, packaging and branding), panel discussions and presentations by start-up companies. At the place2beer visitors can also try the next generation of “Orange Spirit”—a beer brewed by none other than the drinktec team!

Partners: Bayerischer Brauerbund, Deutscher Brauerbund, Brewers of Europe, William Reed—BeverageDaily.com

Powered by: Barth Haas Group, BFBI Brewing, Food, Beverage Industry Suppliers Association, Gebo Cermex, KHS, Sahm

Home & Craft: In Hall C1, this new section of the exhibition, designed for craft and hobby brewers, showcases equipment, ingredients and trends. In short: Everything craft and hobby brewers need to brew beer. Lectures on techniques and raw materials round off this offering.

European MicroBrew Symposium: This event specifically addresses brewpubs and craft breweries. It is held on September 11, in the Internationales Congress Center München (ICM). The topics covered there mainly deal with the technical and technological aspects of brewing craft beer. The organizer is VLB.

PETnology Europe Technical Conference
This conference takes place at the same time as drinktec, in the adjacent ICM, and focuses on topics along the entire value chain for PET technology. PET innovations and developments are presented and discussed in detail there. More than 30 international speakers from the suppliers’ and end-users’ sides will be delivering lectures on themes such as: Saving materials and energy; Technology and convenience for bottles and closures; Decoration of bottles and closures; Direct printing; and Recycling technology. The focus will be on the top trends of digitalization and the circular economy. The organizers is PETnology/tecPET GmbH.

Championships, competitions and awards
European Beer Star: One of the toughest competitions in the sector.

The three best beers in 57 different categories will be selected. The audience tasting is held on September 12, the presentation of the awards on September 13, 2017.
private-brauereien.de

World Beverage Innovation Awards @ drinktec: Celebrating excellence and innovation across every category of the global beverage industry. The categories range from finished products and packaging to technology, marketing and sustainability. The award ceremony takes place on September 14, 2017.
foodbev.com

World Cup for Beer Sommeliers: Crowning the world´s best beer experts. The World Cup takes place ahead of drinktec, on September 10, 2017 at the exhibition center. The final six participants who have won through the international rounds, will be pitting their skills against each other in the final in front of a high-caliber jury.
www.doemens.org

Events as part of SIMEI@drinktec
SIMEI Knowledge & Innovation Area: The European viticulture association CEEV (Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins) will present the results of an initiative to establish new rules regarding the product environmental footprint (PEF) of wine products. The latest developments that pertain to bottle filling lines and food contact compliance rules will be presented and discussed by the Glass Experimental Center research team. The “Maremma—Land of Wine” project shows how wine producers can have themselves and their products certified by adopting an innovative approach.

SIMEI Innovation Challenge: Launched by the Unione Italiana Vini (UIV), this challenge is aimed at promoting innovation and technological creativity in wine growing. On September 12, exhibitors in SIMEI@drinktec will be competing against each other with their state-of-the-art systems, products and machinery. The winners will be presented with the Lucio Mastroberardino Innovation Award.

Further information on the supporting program at drinktec 2017: www.drinktec.com/trade-fair/exhibition-profile/supporting-program