In principle, PotatoEurope will take place in Lelystad at the beginning of September. In any case, organizer DLG Benelux assumes this on the basis of current developments. The organization expects to be able to welcome 275 exhibitors and approximately 16,000 visitors.
On Wednesday 1 September and Thursday 2 September 2021, PotatoEurope will take place on the grounds of Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Open Crops in Lelystad. This is an international event dedicated to the entire potato chain. The event takes place annually in one of the fair’s four partner countries: Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The organization expects to welcome 275 exhibitors and approximately 16,000 visitors at the location in Lelystad.
Transit
The organization trusts that the fair can proceed as usual. Kuno Jacobs of organizer DLG Benelux: “Based on the current corona developments, we trust that this event can continue as usual. The vaccinations are progressing steadily and, moreover, the government has indicated that it wants to allow events again from 1 July. We will of course adhere to the applicable guidelines. I sense a positive feeling at the exhibitors. They still miss the physical encounters with their (potential) customers. We have made an agreement with the exhibitors that, in the unlikely event that the fair does not take place, they will receive a refund of the participation costs minus the registration costs. This means that they do not run a great financial risk ”, says Kuno Jacobs.
About us – DLG e.V.
DLG is a non-profit organization based in Frankfurt, Germany. One of its key objectives is to promote international agricultural knowledge across nations, and the society organizes a range of agricultural exhibitions throughout the world, including Agritechnica, the largest exhibition of agricultural machinery in the world and EuroTier, the largest exhibition in Europe for livestock technology. In 2019 DLG organized some 45 exhibitions in more than 20 countries. An overview of all activities can be found on the following Website, www.dlg-tradefairs.com.
DLG’s activities also includes a world-renowned independent agricultural machinery test center, a DLG competence centre for agriculture and a 500-hectare international Crop Production centre as well as a Test Centre for Food. DLG International offers international expertise in setting up trade fairs and providing project management and consultancy services. These activities are coordinated by staff at our headquarters in Frankfurt and nine subsidiaries abroad. The subsidiaries are based in China, Germany, Italy, Russia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.
Further projects are implemented with partners in Africa, India and Iran.
Theme
The theme of the fair is “What’s Now, What’s New and What’s the Future”. The theme of this potato trade fair is catching on due to the great interest of both well-known and a large number of new exhibitors. The “What’s Now” section focuses on everything the potato sector has to offer at the moment. Based on the current registration, the organization states that all links in the chain are represented at the potato trade fair. In addition to many ‘old acquaintances’, the current registrants also include a large number of new exhibitors. The organization describes 22 percent of the current exhibitor list as ‘newcomers’.
Manufacturing industry
For example, organizer DLG Benelux signals a renewed interest from suppliers to the processing industry, such as companies active in processing and packaging or industrial hygiene, but also new companies from mechanization. “It seems that companies from all links of the potato chain want to unpack for the first physical event in a long time,” says Kuno Jacobs.
New products
With the “What’s New” section, the fair offers participating companies space to put new products and services in the spotlight. There is also extra attention for innovations by participants in the form of the ‘PotatoEurope 2021 Innovation Award’. Entries can compete for the gold, silver, bronze or public prize.
Scientific symposium
On Wednesday March 1, WUR is organizing a scientific symposium under the motto: ‘The potato in a changing world’. The central question is: ‘What’s the Future’. In good Dutch: What will potato cultivation and the potato look like in a changing world.
