Audrey Ashworth, Event Director, SIAL Paris
SIAL Paris has just celebrated its 60th anniversary. What are the major trends regarding the international presence at the show?
We had a record SIAL Paris, which lived up to its 60th anniversary promise, with a 7% increase in the number of exhibitors and an 8% increase in the number of visitors. Italy remained the leading exhibiting country for the 2nd year running, and China made a major comeback with even more exhibitors than in 2018. This year also saw a significant increase in the number of international visitors compared to 2022 (+9.1%), with a stronger presence from countries such as Poland, the United Kingdom and, more generally, faraway countries (outside France and Europe). We have successfully taken the first steps towards strengthening Africa’s presence. This is a long-term trend, and we will have to respond to its needs in terms of understanding markets, product research and consumer tastes, since the African continent represents major potential for the future in terms of agri-food production and demographic growth. But we are always careful to maintain a balance with France and Europe so that the event retains all its richness.
You organised an international press tour of 15 countries with the Promosalons network. What did you learn from it? What were the results?
It’s invaluable to have this local contact and the relay of the Promosalons delegations. I travelled to several events, it’s essential. Most of these events were very well run, with a more global perspective that included exhibitors, a theme that created synergy with other shows like All4Pack/Emballage Paris or an important topic like CSR, which we particularly highlighted at this edition of SIAL. These local events enable us to stay in direct touch with the market and to exchange with journalists, exhibitors, federations and food retailers, which is fantastic. We bring an expertise that I think is much appreciated.
To achieve this result, it’s important to prepare well in advance with the Promosalons delegations, so that there’s a real exchange and interaction with the various participants. We still need to strengthen this content dimension, which requires time and investment. We also need to work on ways of promoting these events beyond the traditional media.
Even if we are a leading trade show, we have to take this time to identify needs, to show that we are reaching out to the players. In my opinion, it’s a mark of respect to travel and take the time on a personal level, it’s always very enriching even if it is a little tiring.
What new features have you introduced this year to welcome international visitors?
We’ve introduced a lot of new features this year! The main objective was to accentuate the experience. This includes a musical welcome, for example, as well as all the work we’ve done to improve accessibility. This effort was noticed by many visitors, who found it very pleasant, even if there’s still some work to be done.
For visitors, I’d like to mention ‘SIAL Taste’, a first in terms of entertainment, which allowed visitors to taste and test certain SIAL products. The operation was a real success, and we’re going to capitalise on it for 2026. We also had a very full programme of content, for both international and French visitors, as well as opportunities to meet people and a speed dating event organised around SIAL Innovations products.
We appreciate having the Promosalons delegations coming at the show, as they are in daily contact with these buyers from all over the world and act as a transmission belt. They also invited and welcomed international influencers. We have increased the number of guided tours and set up a wide range of itineraries to provide visitors with the information they need.
I’d like to thank the teams who work all year round to help exhibitors and international visitors prepare for SIAL. I invite them to let us know what visitors’ needs are so that we can work on them. It’s important to always challenge ourselves to provide the best response and be the best show.