In view of ongoing outbreaks of Covid-19 across Thailand, as well as continued uncertainty regarding travel restrictions and the timeline for full economic reopening, the organisers of Meat Pro Asia have decided to reschedule the fair from its original dates in January 2022 to the new times lot of 8 – 10 March 2023. The change will see Meat Pro Asia return to its biennial event cycle in March every two years beginning from the 2023 fair onwards. VIV Asia, the largest event from feed to food in the region, has also been postponed, with the two events now set to take place alongside each other in March 2023 at IMPACT Challenger Halls 1 – 3, Bangkok.
Although progress with vaccine rollouts has been accelerating, more time is needed before a full economic reopening in Thailand and surrounding ASEAN countries can take place.
Mr Stephan Buurma, Member of the Board of Management, Messe Frankfurt Group and Managing Director of the Asia regional head office, explains: “With authorities making steady progress in the fight against the pandemic, moving Meat Pro Asia to 2023 provides enough time for the situation to fully stabilise so that business opportunities can be maximised. This decision will bring some much needed clarity to all of the fair’s stakeholders and ensures that they can now plan their arrangements with confidence. Together with our partners VNU Asia Pacific, we are looking forward to welcoming the full fraternity of regional meat packaging and processing players to the fairground in 2023.”
Despite practical concerns, another reason for the step into 2023 is the organisers’ commitment to offering a genuinely international platform in Bangkok. As a pioneering international event for the animal protein production business in Asia, Meat Pro Asia, together with VIV Asia, offer an effective gateway to business opportunities in the ASEAN region.
“Internationality is a key ingredient of both VIV Asia and the concurrent Meat Pro Asia show,” says Mr Heiko M Stutzinger, Managing Director, VNU Asia Pacific. “The new dates in 2023 will benefit all parties by attracting more international buyers and industry luminaries. March has long been the traditional timeslot of VIV Asia and a well-established sourcing period for the industry every two years. We are therefore thrilled to have secured a prime timeslot at the venue for Meat Pro Asia during this period in 2023.”
“From now until the new date in March 2023, we will create intensive content and activities in the form of online webinars, digital platforms and more for our exhibitors to expand business connections and stay connected with the Asia Pacific market. These digital platforms will aim to bring business matching opportunities and livestock related content to all industry professionals worldwide,” Mr Stutzinger adds.
Comprehensive product coverage from farm to table
Meat Pro Asia focuses exclusively on solutions that deliver meat from farm to table. This includes slaughtering, the full processing chain, packaging, labelling, cold chain logistics, quality control, hygiene, IoT and automation, waste water treatment and more.
The inaugural edition of Meat Pro will be held from 8 – 10 March 2023. Together with VIV Asia, the two fairs are set to attract over 1,500 exhibitors, including equipment manufacturers and distributors, as well as around 50,000 professional trade visitors, professionals and key buyers from over the world.
Meat Pro Asia is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and VNU Asia Pacific. For more information, please e-mail meatproasia@china.messefrankfurt.com and/or meatproasia@vnuasiapacific.com.
