Ny messe:
Kristian Digre is the CEO of the Nor-Fishing foundation, which organises Aqua Nor.
Photo: Nor-Fishing
Aqua Nor organiser responds to news of rival trade show
Trondheim has been criticised for lacking hotel capacity but a technology fair is much more than that, says Kristian Digre
Nor-Fishing, the Norwegian organisation responsible for
aquaculture’s biggest and most important trade show, Aqua Nor, has responded to
news yesterday that a rival event is being established near Oslo.
"Global Aqua" will be held at Nova Spektrum, Lillestrøm
from September 7 to 9 next year, two weeks after Aqua Nor in Trodnheim. The
initiative is being led by Norwegian Promotion Group AS and AqKva AS.
According to Global Aqua’s organisers, the reason for the new
event is that Aqua Nor has outgrown the city in which it is held.
“We have heard the same thing from many people. Both fish
farmers and exhibitors are not getting room, and capacity is overstretched,”
Hans Runshaug, general manager of AqKva AS, told Fish Farming Expert’s
Norwegian sister site, Kyst.no.
Will develop Aqua Nor further
Kristian Digre is chief executive of the Nor-Fishing
foundation. He tells Kyst.no that the aquaculture industry is growing rapidly,
and emphasises that the foundation wishes the new fair the best of
luck.
How do you think this will affect participation at Aqua
Nor?
“It is too early to say anything about how this will affect
Aqua Nor. We have clear plans to further develop Aqua Nor as the industry's
most important meeting place, also in the years to come. We look forward to
sharing more about these plans in due course,” says Digre.
A good technology fair consists of much more than good hotel capacity
Kristian Digre
Do you share the view that there is too little capacity
for accommodation for [visitors to] Aqua Nor?
“We would like to have even greater hotel capacity in
Trondheim, and we are working to put more solutions in place. But the
accommodation capacity consists of more than hotel rooms,” Digre says.
He highlights that platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com and
Finn are popular among exhibitors and visitors.
“They offer a significant accommodation capacity and are
being used to an increasing extent. That said, Aqua Nor is a technology fair,
and a good technology fair consists of much more than good hotel capacity,”
adds Digre.
10-year commitment
Runshaug in AqKva has also
told Kyst.no that the new fair has reserved land in Lillestrøm for 10 years to come.
“This is not a flash in the pan. We have come quite far
quietly,” Runshaug said.
In an email to Fish Farming Expert today, he said: "We have planned to stage the event every second year for 2027, 2029, and 2031, and our firm impression is that the industry already sees that this is where it is going to be in the future. We have booked space for each year from 2032, August/early September until 2038, with the option to extend.
"Oslo has the easiest access from everywhere, the best capacity of business hotels and the best trade show area."
AqKva show organiser Vidar Onarheim told Fish Farming Expert that the company had enjoyed "a lot of traction" since the event was announced and had almsot sold out the first hall (same venue as Nor Shipping) in just 24 hours.
