MONTREAL — SIAL Montreal, a food industry trade show, will begin staging its exposition every year, rather than every other year, organizers said.
In its first four editions, which SIAL described as its “development and launch years,” the show was staged every other year. The next show is set for April 23-25, 2008, in the Palais des Congres convention center here.
The change comes as Food Marketing Institute cuts the frequency of its show-floor exhibitions to every other year in the United States.
“The food business is now a global phenomenon, and it's growing constantly and at an increasingly rapid pace,” said Mathieu Herrou, executive director, Expo Canada France, one of the event's organizers. “Making SIAL Montreal an annual event will meet the needs of professionals in agrifood, distribution and the restaurant sector by enabling them to follow changes, innovations and trends more closely.”
Organizers, who also include Agri-Food Export Group Quebec-Canada and the Association of Quebec Food Retailers, reported that attendance at this year's three-day event totaled 13,000 buyers from the agriculture, distribution and restaurant industries.
