Brau Beviale 2012: “sector full of optimism”

32,810 trade visitors (2011: 31,693) were apparently very satisfied with the new opening days of Brau Beviale – now Tuesday to Thursday – and the extensive range of products from the 1,284 exhibitors (2011: 1,384). The beverage industry’s most important capital goods exhibition in the world this year invited internationally renowned regulars and start-ups to the exhibition centre from 13–15 November and served the popular cocktail of high-quality beverage raw materials, innovative technologies, efficient logistics and sparkling marketing ideas.

“The sector is full of optimism – was the headline of an article on Brau Beviale in the daily press. I couldn’t sum up the exhibition any better. Forecasts promise a growing worldwide demand; reason enough for a good mood in the beverage industry – on the exhibition stands, at the European MicroBrew Symposium and, of course, at the Winners’ Night of the European Beer Star Award,” says Rolf Keller, Member of the Management Board of NürnbergMesse, summing up his impressions.

The typical visitor: male, “habitual offender” and decision-maker

38 percent of the 32,810 visitors (2011: 36 %) travelled from abroad, mainly from the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, and Russia. An unbelievable 97 percent of the experts were satisfied with the products at the exhibition again this time, as shown by the result of a survey by an independent institute.

The typical Brau Beviale visitor is male (85 %) and a “habitual offender” (almost two-thirds). He therefore visits the exhibition regularly to update on new products and also wants to use these in his own company (more than 64 %). Especially important aspects for the visitors are exchanging views, cultivating existing business contacts and making new ones, training, market orientation, and preparing for investment decisions. A good 4 percent of the exhibition visitors also want to sign contracts in Nuremberg, from which the Brau Beviale visitors benefit from another of their typical characteristics: They are highly qualified and 88 percent of them are involved in investment decisions. Henning Schlabach, Key Account Sales Director, Schäfer Container Systems (GER): “Brau Beviale is a contact exhibition for us; the audience was very international again this time. Despite this, we have written many orders.”

The Brau Beviale visitor is also a realist (or optimist?), at least in terms of the platitude “people will always eat and drink”: Only 3 percent expect a distinct weakening of business in the sector. He is traditionally mainly interested in the largest product segment of technology (68 %, multiple answers), followed by raw materials (36 %), almost level-pegging with operating and laboratory equipment, energy management, working materials and packaging materials, services, marketing, catering equipment and beverage logistics.

The typical exhibitor: exhausted, but very satisfied

96 percent of the suppliers of beverage raw materials, technologies, marketing products and logistics, 45 percent of them international, rate their success at the exhibition favourably. The exhibitors came from 50 nations, headed by companies from Germany (a good 700), Italy, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium. 93 percent made new business connections at the exhibition. 88 percent expect good follow-up business from the many contacts made at the exhibition. Renate Scheibner, President of Private Brauereien Deutschland, who was honoured with the Bavarian Beer Medal in 2012: “Nothing is possible without Brau Beviale. Here in Nuremberg I always take a little time off from my duties as president to walk round the exhibition as managing director of the Glückauf brewery in Gersdorf. This time I particularly want to look for information in the raw materials segment.”