IGW 2016: 90 years of the Green Week

Sep 11, 2015

Next year the International Green Week (IGW) will be able to look back on a history spanning 90 years. From 15 to 24 January this special anniversary will be celebrated together with a special partner country. The choice of Morocco means that for the first time an African nation will be the partner country of the world's largest consumer exhibition for agriculture, the food industry and horticulture. Next year the Kingdom of Morocco, a modern state in Africa’s northwest, will be represented for the 49th time.

Messe Berlin expects more than 1,600 exhibitors from around 70 countries and over 400,000 trade visitors and members of the general public to attend the forthcoming Green Week. “Besides displaying a wider selection of regional specialities than any other trade fair the Green Week presents a global overview of food market products from all over the world“, said Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH. The programme of conference events will focus in particular on the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2016 (GFFA) which takes place from 14 to 16 January. Around 70 ministers of agriculture, deputy ministers and high-ranking members of the food and farming industries are expected to attend.

Global food market – regional specialities

At the combined display of the two main organisations representing the German food industry, the Federation of Food Law and Food Science (BLL) and the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries (BVE), the focus will again be on the ‘Food Dialogue’. Visitors keen on exploring new culinary horizons can fully satisfy their desires at the various product markets. They include the BioHall, the Seafood Market and the Herbs, Spices and Tea Product Market. Representing German brewers, Deutscher Brauerbund will be marking a special occasion at IGW 2016, namely the 500th anniversary of the German Beer Purity Law. The Green Week 2016 will feature a completely new concept for presenting German wines and sparkling wines. Under the heading of ’Weinwerk’ Messe Berlin will be setting up a winegrowers’ display amid the atmosphere of the International Floral Hall. The ’Weinwerk’ will showcase everything the wine industry has to offer, including tourism organisations and high-quality regional products. This innovative display will replace the long-established Gallery of German Wines and Sparkling Wines.

Modern, sustainable agriculture

Visitors can find out about the many things the farming and food industries have to offer at the Farm Experience, a joint initiative of the German Farmers' Union and information.medien.agrar coordinated by the Organisation for the Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture. The Livestock Hall (Hall 25) will be showcasing German livestock. Exhibitions will include the National Fleckvieh Cattle Display (15 to 17 Jan.), the Angus Cattle Display (19 and 20 Jan.) and the National Breeding Ram Display (22 to 24 Jan.). In 2016 the special show of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) will be among the displays providing especially useful information and exhibits. At nature.tec, the special show on the biobased economy, ministries, institutions, associations and companies will be exhibiting the entire range of farming and forestry based resources used for materials and fuels. At the ‘Multi-talented wood’ show visitors can find out for themselves about the many aspects of wood as a renewable raw material. The exhibitors at the combined display entitled ’Keen on the Country – working together for rural areas’ will be providing an insight into thriving rural life, while hunters and fishing enthusiasts will be offering advice on how to spend one’s leisure time in nature. Last, but not least, the World of Pets will be exhibiting the most popular and exotic pets.

A wealth of flowering plants in January

The gardening section of the Green Week will be exhibiting spectacular floral arrangements. Taking as its slogan ’a carnival of flowers’ the Floral Hall with over 35,000 early flowering plants will delight the eyes of onlookers. The Berlin Regional Gardening Association will be showing visitors how important urban allotments are for pursuing leisure and relaxation in large cities. Gardening enthusiasts will be able to find a wide range of plants for homes, patios and gardens as well as other supplies ranging from seeds to prefabricated houses.

The 81st edition of the Green Week will be looking back on a history spanning 90 years. Originally a mere local product market when it was launched in 1926, it has now become the world's leading consumer show for agriculture, food and horticulture. Since that year, more than 84,700 exhibitors from 128 countries have presented their wide-ranging products from around the world to over 32.1 million trade visitors and the general public.

The International Green Week Berlin 2016 is organised by Messe Berlin GmbH. Its non-commercial sponsors are the German Farmers’ Union (DBV) and the Federal Association of the German Food Industry (BVE).

For more information, please visit IGW (International Green Week) 2016