PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2018

TRADE SHOW PREVIEW PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 06/18 www.petpla.net 46 Interview with Petra Westphal, Exhibition Group Director Messe München Bringing know-how to emerging markets PETplanet: How long have you been working for Messe München, what is your professional background and what fascinates you about the trade fair business? Petra Westphal: I started at Messe München in 1993, and since 1995 I have been working for Drinktec and since 2003 as project manager. Since 2010, I have been the project group leader for all Drinktec events. These include our international fairs Drink Technology India (dti), Food & Drink Technology Africa (fdt) and China Brew China Beverage (CBB). In concrete terms, Drinktec, for exam- ple, I think it’s terrific that we offer the beverage and liquid food industry a marketplace and bring it all together in one place over five days. With Drink- tec Worldwide, our industry events around the world, we are also offering a tailor-made meeting place for local markets. PETplanet: How exactly do you have to imagine “Drinktec Worldwide” and how did it start? Petra Westphal: Drinktec World- wide stands for a global network, but always with an eye to local markets, offering a meeting place for local industry. It combines Drinktec with dti, CBB and fdt. The events are interna- tional and provide a networking oppor- tunity for industry around the world. With Drinktec we had already estab- lished a strong brand in Munich. Our goal was to bring the know-how of the exhibitors additionally to emerging markets. We started our foreign activi- ties in 2007 with dti in Mumbai. Since 2011, we have co-organised CBB to further expand our market position in China. In 2014, we further expanded our portfolio in the promising market of Africa with fdt. In doing so, we build up the expertise of Drinktec in key markets, but we also offer tailor-made platforms for the regions. PETplanet: China, India and Africa: three large and multi-layered countries. How do you currently assess the market potential for the industry? Petra Westphal: The forecasts are positive for all three countries. The economy of South Africa is one of the strongest on the African continent. In particular, the food and bever- age sectors are developing well. An attractive market also for international companies. In the Indian market, the soft drinks and alcoholic beverages sectors in particular are growing at extraordinary rates of increase in sales. With our current three locations in India - in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru - we are superbly posi- tioned on the subcontinent. In China it is similar, the beverage industry is developing dynamically. Solutions in the area of packaging and PET are hot topics in the Chinese market. PETplanet: Which of the three markets is currently the most exciting for you? Petra Westphal: You can’t put it in such simple terms. All three mar- kets bring exciting opportunities and challenges. What I find particularly remarkable is how fast the markets in the countries are developing. So we are constantly refocusing ourselves to take account of local conditions. In China, PET is currently of par- ticular importance. The industry is looking for concrete solutions. We are meeting this with, among other initiatives, the introduction of PET Talks, a new framework program for this year’s CBB, which PETplanet is also co-organising. Another example is our event in India, where we are not simply rotating annually, but also changing venues between Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. In the future, we will be able to reach even more targeted relevant visitor groups in the metropolitan regions. PETplanet: How do you and your team manage to organise so many fairs in such a short timescale? Petra Westphal: That is indeed a challenge. Three fairs in two months! But our teams in Munich, Mumbai, Johannesburg and Shanghai are well positioned here. The Drinktec World- wide Team in Munich is in constant and close contact with our colleagues on site. Together we develop the strat- egy, the supporting program and the communication. Our subsidiaries are essential to the success of the events, because they are in close contact with local industry and are the country’s experts. It would not work without them! PETplanet: What goals have you set for the three fairs this year? Petra Westphal: Our goals are first and foremost satisfied exhibitors and visitors. Positive feedback after the show is always a confirmation to us that we have taken the right path. PETplanet: Let’s imagine it’s the end of 2018. What would you say in retrospect, and also with regard to 2019? Petra Westphal: At the end of the year, we’ll be saying to Drinktec Worldwide: after the show is before the show. We will then be looking back on three successful events and we’ll already be getting ready for our first dti at Bengaluru, which will take place there at the end of February. And preparations for fdt Africa will also be well underway. And this is because in 2019, the fair will be taking place for the first time in July as a co-loca- tion with two other events of Messe München, the Analytica Lab Africa and the IFAT Africa. PETplanet: Could there be other regions in the world in the future where you could imagine a local Drinktec? Petra Westphal: As a matter of principle, we keep an eye on market developments and react accordingly, after consultation with the industry. It is quite possible that the Drinktec family will grow in the future. PETplanet: Thank you very much!