This year Anuga will once again be the most important and decisive meeting place for the international food and beverage industry. The trade fair halls in Cologne are completely booked out, with 6,596 exhibitors registered for this event. But that's not the only reason for Anuga's significance. Another one is the fact that Anuga emphatically publicizes themes the sector cares about, facilitates intense discussions of future-oriented issues and identifies sector trends with an intensity that is unique among food and beverage trade fairs throughout the world.

The facts and figures concerning Anuga convey a clear message:
The 6,596 exhibitors registered for 2011 represent the global spectrum of the food and beverage sector. The exhibitors come from exactly 100 countries on five continents. Taking part will be major market-leading companies as well as a large number of smaller and medium-sized companies. No other event can match the product range presented at Anuga in Cologne in terms of variety, comprehensive scope and international character.

Anuga is a truly international order and information platform, as 86 per cent of the exhibitors come from outside Germany. The largest contingents will be coming from Italy (1,057 exhibitors), Spain (467), the People's Republic of China (407), France (262), the Netherlands (214), Greece (211), Belgium (206), Turkey (197), the USA (165) and Thailand (162).

Large contingents will also be coming from Poland, Austria, the UK, Argentina and Brazil.

Anuga will occupy the entire Cologne exhibition centre, a total area of 284,000 square metres.

At the previous Anuga, two years ago, 149,349 buyers from 180 countries were registered, including the top buyers from the trade, the out-of-home market and the new channels. A total of 63 per cent of the visitors came from abroad.

To judge from the current level of registrations at our online site for ticket sales, we can expect the number of visitors this year to be comparable to the figure reached in 2009.

With these dimensions, Anuga offers outstanding conditions for the worldwide trade in food products and beverages, which has been a global business for a long time now.

But the power and attractiveness of Anuga are not due to its size alone. For many years - in fact, for decades - Anuga's incomparable ability to adjust its structures and content in line with market demands has earned it a reputation as a trendsetter and a source of momentum. In the process, Anuga has focused above all on two factors - high quality and an orientation to the future of the industry.

A comprehensive overview and a clear structure - these are essential for the food industry's leading trade fair.

This is why Anuga's concept of 10 specialized trade shows concept has been so successful since 2003. The individual markets are clearly and transparently assigned to their respective groups, and every food trade show has its own unique and clearly identifiable profile.

In addition, we regularly adjust the trade show concept to the latest market developments.
Anuga's specialized trade shows are:
* Anuga Fine Food
* Anuga Chilled & Fresh Food
* Anuga Meat
* Anuga Frozen Food
* Anuga Dairy
* Anuga Bread & Bakery and Hot Beverages
* Anuga Drinks
* Anuga FoodService
* Anuga RetailTec
* Anuga Organic

For the 2011 event, we have developed Anuga FoodService as an independent trade fair based on the former Anuga CateringTec. This will give the rapidly growing trend toward eating out a concentrated platform at Anuga. In the past, Anuga has been a virtual fireworks of ideas for the catering sector. This year as well, more than 3,400 exhibitors will once again be offering products for the food service and catering market, distributed across all of the trade shows. All of these exhibitors can be called up at the Anuga exhibitor database. This new trade show will be flanked by an exciting supporting programme that includes the final round of the "Chef of the Year" competition for professional chefs, the Anuga Wine Special and the Forum for System Catering of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA).

The new concept behind Anuga Chilled & Fresh Food is also oriented toward the needs of the market. This trade show now encompasses the entire spectrum of fresh convenience products, fresh delicatessen products, fish, fruit and vegetables. The new concept of "360 freshness" offers an ideal platform for suppliers of these product groups.

We have also expanded the range of Anuga's "trend themes". For the first time ever, interested buyers can now find in our exhibitor database approximately 850 Anuga exhibitors who are offering "Ingredients", for example spices or fruit preparations for industrial processing. In general, we have made our database even more user-friendly so that trade visitors can make even more comprehensive preparations for their visit to the fair. All of the information is also available for mobile devices. The Anuga app will be available on the Internet starting on 29th September.

The concept of "10 specialized trade shows under one roof" safeguards the top quality of the trade fair for exhibitors and visitors alike, because it precisely brings together supply and demand and offers a unique overview of the sector as well as optimal synergies between the individual trade shows.

As always, the supporting programme at Anuga is very extensive and informative, thanks to conferences and presentations featuring renowned experts. The action officially begins on the evening before the first day of Anuga with a top-class get-together for representatives of the industry and the trade. At the Anuga Executive Summit we will be welcoming Paul Bulcke, CEO of the Nestle Group, and Markus Mosa, CEO of Edeka Hamburg, as the keynote speakers. Further events will be the sector events "Dairy Unlimited" and "Frozen Food" with the presentation of the Golden Ice Crystal 2011 award and the debut of the meat sector get-together "Meat Essential". Nor should we forget the diverse activities of our partners, including the Retail Forum, the "German Traders' Night", and of course the DEHOGA Catering Marketplace, powered by METRO.

Italy will be Anuga's partner country in 2011
There's hardly another cuisine that is as well-known worldwide as Italian cooking. "Pizza", for instance, is not only one of the most popular foods but also one of the most internationally recognised words. "Pizza" means "pizza" even in China. The tremendous influence of Italian cuisine on the range of retail products available and in the catering sector is uncontested, and therefore it's only logical that Italy should be following Thailand and Turkey as a partner country of Anuga.

At Anuga about 1,057 suppliers will impressively demonstrate the Italian food industry's tremendous diversity and wide-ranging spectrum of expertise. The Italian contingent's main stand at Anuga 2011 will be in Hall 11.2 at Anuga Fine Food. However, you'll also find Italian foods and beverages in every other trade show, with typical specialities presented by the different regions and individual exhibitors, as well as at presentations by more than one company, such as Italia del Gusto. A gala Italian evening on 8th October at the Rheinterrassen will also present the Italian way of life and Italian delicacies to a group of invited guests from the industry and the trade.

Anuga will open on 8th October
We are particularly looking forward to hosting a special Italian guest at the opening ceremony of Anuga on 8th October 2011. Italy's Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Saverio Romano, will join Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to officially open the 31st Anuga.

Anuga Gourmet Festival
"Enjoyment for all the senses" will be the motto from 4th to 14th October 2011, when the Anuga Gourmet Festival takes place in Cologne for the second time. With lots of commitment and enthusiasm, the event's initiators - DEHOGA, City-Marketing Koln, and many restaurants and individual retailers - have created a programme centring on the themes of eating and drinking. The culinary journey will begin on Tuesday, 4th October and will tour the top addresses in the Cologne catering and retail scenes before concluding on Friday, 14th October 2011.

The Shopping Night, with "gourmet islands" and Italian flair, which will take place in Cologne's city centre on 8th October, is expecting to welcome visitors from near and far. Museums will also be taking part in "culinary Cologne" - for example, the Chocolate Museum with its chocolate workshop and the Museum of Applied Art with the exhibition "Reihenhausmannskost" (Dining in suburban terrace houses). The entire city will show off its best culinary profile in October. In the press kits you will find the first printed version of the programme, which will be distributed at all "gourmet islands" in the city.

In the near future, you'll also be able to access an app that provides mobile and up-to-date information about all the events at the Anuga Gourmet Festival. The app, which is called "CologneGourmet", will certainly remain an important source of information for gourmets in Cologne in the future.

All in all, there are a lot of reasons to look forward to October and Anuga, the most important trade fair for all participants in the food market, which will take place for the 31st time in Cologne this year. Once again, it's sure to provide long-term momentum for the entire food and beverage sector.

And we can also look forward to the Anuga Gourmet Festival in our city. After all, unlike Anuga, which is only open to trade visitors, the festival is open to all gourmets.