Each year, buyers and sellers from more than twenty-five business sectors descend upon Cologne and make decisions that drive commerce around the world.
By Alevtina Altenhof
It was another busy fall morning inside one of the main entrances at the Cologne Trade Fair. At nine o’clock, as soon as the spacious hall opened its doors, curious visitors flocked in to purchase their tickets for the world’s largest and most renowned food exhibition—Anuga. Neatly dressed in business suits and with fashionable bags, most of them hurried to the exhibition venues passing through a turnstile and scanning a ticket, while a few stood around in search of some information, reading signs or speaking with one of the reception ladies. As a part of a team of interpreters which regularly offers services in ten world languages during international fairs, I observed the hustle and bustle from my workplace behind the counter. Providing visitors with some useful instructions from time to time, I felt that I was also part of this exciting event—the event which in fact has motivated me to share some interesting information about the renowned exhibition grounds through the eyes of an insider.
Almost 160,000 visitors had been anticipating the tastiest trade fair in the world for two years (the previous Anuga took place in October 2015). Now across almost 300,000 square meters, over 7,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries were displaying their best products—ranging from organic, frozen and fine foods to different drinks and dairy products—all under one roof. The big trendsetter and the most significant venue for newly-launched products from the world of food, “Anuga has been continually increasing its number of visitors over the past ten years,” shared Dietmar Eiden, vice-president of trade fair management at Koelnmesse, with a touch of pride.
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