Successful Nordic trade shows reflect thriving sustainability sectors

Eco Life Scandinavia & Nordic Organic Food Fair records 8% increase in attendees at “best show yet”

With hundreds of the latest new products on display, a packed education programme, busy show floor features and an inspirational co-located conference, this year’s Eco Life Scandinavia and the Nordic Organic Food Fair welcomed 4,836 attendees (from 63 countries) at MalmöMässan, over 13-14 November.

This year’s leading trade events for natural, organic, and sustainable food, drink, health, beauty and eco-living products enjoyed an 8% increase of attendees (from 2018) – confirming a continued confidence in Scandinavia’s sustainable industries, and further solidifying the Nordic region as ‘world champions’ in this growing sector.

The statistics speak for themselves – notably 21% of the quality buyers in attendance reported a corporate spend of over €500,000, and 13% reported a spend of over €5 million. These included leading representatives from Holland & Barrett, Life, Helsekost, 7-eleven Denmark, Lidl, IKEA Food, Biomarket, Planet Organic, Midsona, Malmö Stad, Coop Denmark, Coop Sverige, Magasin du Nord, Aldi, Retail House, Naturkost, and many more.

They were there to see 500 exhibiting companies, over 50 speakers in three theatres, 226 face to face meetings (facilitated by Enterprise Europe Network), two live product pitching sessions (Holland & Barrett and Paradiset), the new Sustainability in Retail Forum, a new sustainable drinks and vegan section – plus the event’s first ‘Country of the Year’ ceremony – making the 2019 show its most varied and inspirational to date.

As well as this, visitors had a sumptuous display of the latest products in the Innovation Zone, where they could seek out what’s new to hit the market, and vote for their favourite 11 products in the Natural & Organic Awards Scandinavia. New innovations from WellAware Nutrition, Raw & Wild, Sweden Eco, The Ferment Project, Arctic Vita, Apimab, Cordero Organic, Hanegal, Nurme, and Supergarden scored top marks with visitors and judges, and Coop Danmark and Life Europe were named the first ‘Retailers of the Year’. To see the full results, please visit www.ecolifeshow.com/noas-awards-2019 and www.ecolifeshow.com/retailer-awards-2019.

“The best show yet”

Melina Viking, event manager for Eco Life Scandinavia and the Nordic Organic Food Fair, is thrilled with the result. She says: “The 2019 show was a big hit, and we couldn’t be happier with the quality of products and visitors across the show floor. The natural and organic market is thriving, proven by the increase in new buyers across Scandinavia (and beyond) who came to source the latest product innovations to satisfy the consumer demand for natural, sustainable and eco-friendly products.

“Just some of the statements shared by our exhibitors and leading buyers included ‘The best show yet’ and ‘Can’t wait for next year’ – and so many exhibitors have said they would like to rebook again for next year. There were many highlights, from Organic Denmark building a completely sustainable stand out of old pallets, to a standing room only ‘Who’s Who in Green Beauty’ ceremony, as well as the launch of the Sustainability in Retail Forum. If you’re in the natural, organic and sustainability industry, Eco Life Scandinavia and the Nordic Organic Food Fair should be marked in your calendar for 2020,” says Viking.

Testimonials across the show floor praised the co-located event for its ‘high-quality’ products and ‘new trends’ in the industry. Summing up his visiting experience, Ben Richardson-Hughes, NPD technologist at Holland & Barrett, says: “Eco Life Scandinavia is the one place that showcases the next big trends in the health and wellness sector. It’s a great show and ahead of the curve with products.”

“I have been visiting Malmö every year since the show launched. This year was by far the best and most professional to date, with more new contacts than ever before,” says Leif Zacho, CEO of Zacho Foods A/S.

“It was a pleasure to visit the Nordic Organic Food Fair this year. It was a very pleasant, calm and well-structured event. Products were of high quality and the general show had a really nice atmosphere,” says Margarida Bacelar, R&D manager at Carealis Produtos Alimentares.

“This is my third visit and this year there have been some great companies. I’ve found the products I’ve been looking for – this really is the place to see what’s new in the industry,” says Manjuma Asheke from GLM.

“I’ve visited the show every year it exceeds my expectations every time. I’ve found even more suppliers this year, and have even placed some orders, so I’m very happy with the result,” says Lena Kunelius from Ekolo & Ekolo Wholesale.

Record success at LIVE Innovation Pitches

The show’s popular LIVE innovation pitches to Holland & Barrett and Paradiset also took place and drew in standing room only crowds. For the first time, the innovation was so strong across the pitches, Holland & Barrett’s buying team opted to have further talks with all the shortlisted companies, which included Biolat, Buynature Distribution, Farmavita d.o.o, FRUU cosmetics, Hemptouch, and Waxwrap. And WiSH by SEiMEi (Denmark) was the company chosen to have further talks with the Paradiset buying team.

“Thanks for the best exhibition that I participated in, to date. I have collected a number of contacts, orders and thanks to your show, a potential new client in the shape of Holland and Barrett Sweden,” says Amin Barrada, CEO from Buynature Distribution.

Save the date for 2020

Eco Life Scandinavia and the Nordic Organic Food Fair return to MalmöMässan on 11-12 November 2020. For more information, please visit the website on www.ecolifescandinavia.com and www.nordicorganicexpo.com.

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