Final report: SÜFFA 2023: 100 percent awesome
Top address for the meat industry: Exhibitors and organizers confirm the high quality of the audience and a good investment climate. After three exciting, inspiring and, above all, successful days of the trade fair, the 26th Stuttgart SÜFFA closed its doors today with a positive overall result: “We have succeeded in further optimizing a proven concept,” said Stefan Lohnert, Managing Director of Messe Stuttgart. “Feedback from all areas has once again impressively proven to us that SÜFFA is more than just a marketplace and product show for the meat industry. It is an important future platform on which not only the entire spectrum of the butcher trade is represented, but challenges are also analyzed and possible solutions are shown.”
From October 21st to 23rd, 7.543 trade visitors came to the Stuttgart exhibition center to find out about current trends and the latest market developments from the 209 exhibiting companies. The expert audience, with 85 percent of decision-makers, explored new business ideas in discussions with colleagues and industry experts and planned upcoming investments. It became apparent that SÜFFA's appeal now extends far beyond the borders of Baden-Württemberg and the DACH region. More than one in two people came from a distance of more than 100 km. Guests from more than 50 countries were welcomed to this year's edition of the popular trade fair, including several international delegations and teams. Indian, Polish and Austrian trainees competed against colleagues from Germany in the young talent competition and demonstrated their skills.
“Positive atmosphere” and broad interest
Overall, there was an “absolutely positive atmosphere,” said Joachim Lederer, state guild master of the state guild association for the butcher trade in Baden-Württemberg. “Thanks to the wide range and high quality of the offering, SÜFFA was able to maintain its importance as a top address for the meat industry. It was felt that there was generally a good investment climate. Especially now it is important to make the right decisions, because bold solutions often bring great opportunities. Anyone who understood this came to SÜFFA. It was a fantastic trade fair with great visitors!”
In addition to raw materials, machines, digital technology and services, future questions such as securing raw materials, 24/7 sales or vegetarian offerings were of widespread interest to the specialist audience. Current special topics such as delicatessen or game and hunting were clearly presented. These formed attractive focal points of the well-attended trade fair. The BBQ area took into account the ongoing BBQ trend with the BBQ shows, which acted as a visitor magnet. With the special areas “Tischlein-deck-Dich 2.0” and “Buffet Reloaded”, which were developed in collaboration with the Intergastra team and the IKA/Culinary Olympics, SÜFFA once again looked beyond its own horizons to meet new and interdisciplinary requirements Presenting overlaps in a contemporary way – this was expressly welcomed by visitors. There was a lot to look at again in the glass sausage kitchen, where a vegan product was produced for the first time.
“SÜFFA long-running favorites” and new formats
The extensive supporting program included a variety of information events and discussions. The centerpiece here was once again the stage for trends and new things with top-class lectures and discussions that were enjoyed by an inquisitive audience. Other SÜFFA classics such as the highly anticipated SÜFFA competitions or the Butcher's Wives Day were well received, as were new program elements - especially the network meeting on Saturday and Sunday, which celebrated its premiere at this year's SÜFFA. “The great response shows us that we are still on the right track with this trade fair,” summed up Stefan Lohnert.
Specific inquiries, good contacts and satisfied exhibitors
The exhibitors' verdict was similarly positive: “SÜFFA exceeded our expectations,” said Steffen Cyris, Managing Director of Schrutka-Peukert GmbH, and confirmed: “We were literally overrun by a good trade audience. In any case, the pickle season after the energy crisis is over - the mood is noticeably better again, and we received concrete inquiries." This was also emphasized by Thomas Pfeiffer, Regional Sales Manager for Retail South at BIZERBA SE & Co. KG, who also praised the high quality of the audience : “Overall there was a great atmosphere at SÜFFA! We met an interested trade audience from Germany, Austria and Switzerland who showed great interest in innovations and new products." Martin Fuchs, South Sales Manager at Albert Handtmann Maschinenfabrik, noted an unbroken willingness to invest within the industry: "Due to the Corona forced break The visitors were apparently experiencing SÜFFA withdrawal symptoms – there was a lot going on. We met the right clientele here, are absolutely satisfied and will definitely come back to the next SÜFFA!” Andreas Seydelmann, managing partner of Maschinenfabrik Seydelmann KG added: “As a Stuttgart company, SÜFFA is a home game for us and as one of the most important craft fairs for the meat industry set. In addition to contact and exchange with existing, long-standing customers, we welcomed new contacts from Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, France and South Tyrol, but also from Spain and Poland to the stand. The three days of the trade fair were a complete success for us and we are already looking forward to the continuation in 2024.”
The The next SÜFFA will take place from September 28th to 30th, 2024 held in Stuttgart.
Further exhibitor comments on SÜFFA 2023:
Ingo Singer, Sales Manager DeliCo Germany South, RAPS GmbH & Co. KG: “The general interest was great, the customer frequency was great. We see ourselves as a partner to the trades and encountered a great audience of specialists here. The demand for vegan nutrition is growing, as is the trend towards snacks. That's why our spice mixtures and marinades were in great demand - the same applies to our sausage casings. SÜFFA went very, very well for us, we are very satisfied. Next time – with pleasure!”
Michael Moser, Project Management, Marketing & Communication, Maschinenfabrik LASKA Gesellschaft mbH: “SÜFFA 2023 got off to a good start on Saturday. We were extremely positively surprised by the number of visitors, and there was also professional interest. We had many good discussions and are confident that a lot will happen afterwards. Germany is one of our focus countries for the future, so I assume that we will have a stand again at the next SÜFFA.”
Samuel Golter, promotion of venison marketing, Baden-Württemberg State Hunting Association e. V.: “The topic of venison is buzzing. There is a lot of interest among butchers because many customers want to eat a little less meat but of higher quality. As food professionals, butchers enjoy the trust of their customers, which is why cooperation with the state hunting association is so important. SÜFFA offers an ideal platform for exchange and networking!”
Francesco De Luca, Sales, EDREI e. K.: “We were exhibitors at SÜFFA for the first time and were able to present ourselves as a new brand in the region. We were pleased about the consistently positive response to our offer and are overall very satisfied, including with the trade fair organization, the processes and the helpfulness of the trade fair employees. Given the signs now, we will definitely come back to the next SÜFFA.”
Dörte Ulrich, owner, Lord of Tofu: “We wanted to address traditional crafts here and met a specialist audience who took a lot of time and were happy to get advice. Our product has the consistency of meat and was very well received at SÜFFA because more and more butcher shops also offer catering and want to include vegan dishes in their program. We were able to convince many visitors and make good contacts, so I think that the follow-up business will also be very promising.”
Hans-Dieter Schad, Managing Director, Rudolf Schad GmbH & Co. KG: “We are very satisfied with the customer frequency and visitor quality. We were pleasantly surprised by how many family businesses were at SÜFFA. That was very nice because it created a pleasant atmosphere. Interest and willingness to invest were clearly noticeable. SÜFFA offers an optimal platform for future planning. I’d love to come back next time!”
Piotr Janik, Commercial Director, Food Pack Ltd.: “We were at SÜFFA for the first time and met many craft businesses, often from the region, but also from a wider catchment area, such as Austria or France. We had many interesting conversations, especially on the topics of recycling and ecology. It was particularly gratifying that we were able to establish contacts with organizations such as ZENTRAG or the Schwäbisch Hall producer association. I see a market for us here and think our appearance at SÜFFA was definitely worth it!”
Nikola Strack, Marketing, EGT Energievertrieb GmbH: “From our point of view, SÜFFA was successful. We were able to provide good advice and show how companies can take the issue of energy, which is often regulated through associations, into their own hands. We were also able to address guilds and associations directly. Overall, we found that the need for information in this area is still very high.”
