Planning of UMAMI Arena 2025 is in full swing!
91% of visitors experience UMAMI Arena as the industry’s most important meeting place. Professionals come here to view what is new and find new suppliers. It is here that relationships are nurtured and built. UMAMI Arena will build further on this towards 2025.
“We experience great demand and interest for the next UMAMI Arena in 2025, and more than 200 companies have already booked their stand,” says Torill Engelberg, Director for UMAMI Arena.
“Both exhibitors who have participated previously and new players are contacting us. Many are concerned with strategic location at the trade fair, and some want higher visibility and a larger area.
“If you have requirements in regard to location, you should register your interest now for participation in 2025,” Engelberg encourages.
3 good reasons to become an exhibitor
Some of our ambitions for 2025
“UMAMI Arena 2023 was a success, and we are now in full swing with further development of the arena and planning for the next event in March 2025,” says Torill Engelberg.
Greater diversity and breadth
“Our ambition is an even greater diversity and breadth of exhibitors and visitors. Our main focus is always a great variety and number of exciting national exhibitors, and we want to further develop the local food area. The Norwegian Food and Hanen Foundation has signalled that it envisages an even larger area for local food players in 2025.
“We also want to invest more in food from the sea, and are working to attract more seafood players,” she continues enthusiastically.
Packaging and production to be included.
With the incorporation of packaging and production in UMAMI Arena, this field will be allocated more space at UMAMI Arena in 2025. Exhibitors from the previous HOLDBAR exhibition express that they are very pleased with this change. Packaging is a natural part of the food chain, and we hope this will provide a boost both for those who operate in this part of the industry and for UMAMI Arena as a whole.
BAREN – the department for cider, beer, wine and spirits has wind behind it.
Alcoholic beverages such as cider, beer, wine, and spirits saw an upswing in 2023, and we do not think this will be any less in 2025. We are moving BAREN – the department for cider, beer, wine, and spirits to a separate hall, both to give them better development opportunities but also because of entrance logistics with high demand from visitors, she adds.
Increasing international interest
Torill goes on to say that she experiences a pleasant and emerging interest from international groups and will launch a concept with national pavilions for 2025. “Previously, it has been about individual players, but more are now entering the playing field. We aim to build up an international network of agents and are already engaged in dialogue with several,” she says. She underlines that both small and large players are welcome to explore the norwegian market and identify business opportunities at UMAMI Arena.
On the industry’s terms
“We will also continue our successful collaboration with an advisory exhibitor committee. The experienced exhibitors on the committee are widely representative of the industry, and will ensure the industry’s terms form the basis for development of our important arena.”
Stimulating innovation to boost the industry.
New and unique ideas, technologies, processes, products, and services can contribute to growth of the industry.
“Current topics at the opening conference will give a kick-start for three effective days at the trade fair,” Torill explains. “We will also invite relevant industry meetings, conferences and gatherings that will show what is important for the industry today and in the future.
“For 2025, we also want, together with partners, to establish a separate area for start-ups,” she continues. “In this way, small challengers with good ideas and concepts can be an important part of the overall experience at UMAMI Arena.”
Professional arena for national and international championships
“Our competition programme will inspire to test out new flavour combinations, creative use of raw materials and, not least, good craftmanship and new techniques. A crowd-friendly arena and good competitive facilities are prerequisites for making the dishes shine and participants to perform at their best. Torill says it was therefore important to continue the collaboration with kitchen partner Electrolux Professional.
“A number of exciting national and international competition organisers have already registered their interest for 2025, and we are open for others,” she adds.
Pizza Champion Cup, which hosted its first Norwegian championship at UMAMI Arena 2023, is back. They were so pleased with the collaboration, the arena and their own pizza area that they will host both Norwegian and Nordic championships in 2025. “This is both pleasant and exciting,” Torill says.
The Norwegian Chefs’ Association (NKL) has also chosen UMAMI as its competition arena and will arrange the national championship NM Community Catering. The championship is for professionally trained chefs who work in staff restaurants, canteens, institutions and within catering.
Furthermore, the national championship for patisserie art – Pastry Chef of the Year, and the championship Green Chef of the Year, will also be staged at UMAMI Arena 2025.
“In the run-up to March 2025, we can promise a lot of other exciting news,” concludes Torill Engelberg with a smile.
