The international trade show organisers behind animal feed and grain industries events VIV and VICTAM are to combine their events into one in Bangkok, Thailand, in the early part of 2020.
This new partnership unites the Animal Feed and Grain Industries Show VICTAM Asia in March 2020 and the VIV Health & Nutrition Asia Tradefair and Forum originally planned to take place in Bangkok in January 2020.
Both events will now be co-located at Bangkok’s BITEC exhibition grounds on 24-26 March 2020 as VICTAM Asia and Animal Health & Nutrition, by VICTAM and VIV.
“Presenting the shows as parallel strands at the same time within the same venue is a great way to bring together two strong brands for the Asia market, in an integrated format so that the visitor experiences them as a single event,” said Sebas van den Ende, General Manager of VICTAM International b.v. “It is certainly a much more convenient concept for the industry than the original plan of staging them separately in Bangkok, only months apart.”
“The discussions leading up to the partnership agreement have shown clearly that both organisations share a firm belief in the growth prospects offered by the Asian market,” commented Heiko M. Stutzinger (pictured), Director VIV worldwide and Managing Director VNU Exhibitions Asia-Pacific. “Our own activities in Asia have gained significantly in importance over the past few years and we view the partnership for the March 2020 Bangkok event as a major next step in better serving the region.”
Stutzinger added: “Both partners also share the view that we want to do more in serving Asia’s feed and animal protein industries by jointly developing business opportunities within the segments of feed ingredients and additives, recognising that they comprise a fast-growing category within the Feed to Food supply chain. VIV has already made significant progress by including animal health more centrally in our events for animal protein industries. The focus in this case has been on medication and pharmaceutical ingredients with their related products and services. Many of these are applied to animals through the feed, of course. VIV’s own perspective sees animal health alongside nutrition as twin pillars supporting the further sustainable growth of the production in Asia of meat, eggs, fish and milk.”
Sebas van den Ende at VICTAM International predicts that the newly combined Bangkok event will attract more visitors as well as having a larger footprint in March 2020 by having exhibits and conferences on health and nutrition side by side with the displays and seminars about feed manufacturing technology.
“It is a better deal for everyone,” Van den Ende said.
Almost 20 years ago there was an occasion in Europe when VICTAM and VIV events had to be combined at the last minute due to an animal disease crisis.
“It must surely help that we are doing this in Asia,” Van den Ende added. “Looking around the Asian region there are many more examples of integrations operating both feed mills and farms than in other parts of the world. VICTAM Asia and Animal Health & Nutrition, by VICTAM and VIV, has an expanded profile in feed manufacturing and farm production that will suit the interests of integrated companies.”
Stutzinger pointed to the extra benefit of continuity from having the Asian focus on nutrition and health in 2020, right in the interval between the recent VIV Asia show in March 2019 and the next one in March 2021. “The timing directly helps professionals active in the Asian animal nutrition and health sectors who want to be sure they stay up to date, whether it is on product innovations and regulations, the effective use of ingredients and medication or the continuing global dialogue over the extent to which pharmaceuticals might be replaced by feed-related alternatives.
“A survey conducted in February this year has confirmed that professionals working in Asia prefer to meet on an annual basis and their preferred meeting place is Bangkok. We were already preparing to provide an appropriate platform for them in early 2020. Now… all professionals will find a supercharged event covering the full feed spectrum and also health products for all farm animal species.”
The new combined show will be marketed jointly by VICTAM’s and VIV’s sales teams and a new website is expected shortly.
