Trondheim event declared a sell-out
Aqua Nor has already stopped taking registrations for this year's aquaculture trade show in Trondheim, as the exhibition bookings have exceeded the venue's capacity.
“It's amazing that the show is so popular. We could, of course, have exceeded the capacity this year. Part of the reason that this cannot be done is that parts of the area are closed,” Ola Eriksen, director of the exhibtion, told kyst.no.
On December 15 Trondheim City Council decided that a new NOK 500 million city hall should be built at Nidarø, where the Trondheim Spektrum currently stands. Exactly when the old hall will be demolished, and when construction can start, will be decided on February 15.
Aqua Nor’s Director Ola Eriksen told kyst.no that registrations for this year's fair were initially suspended due to uncertainty surrounding the construction of the new hall.
“Now registration has stopped because the fair is fully booked. We already have a long waiting list,” he notes.
Although plans to demolish the old hall within the next year could disrupt this year’s show, they should help in the long-run.
“The good news is that Aqua Nor 2019 could be held in a great new building with modern meeting rooms, restaurants, etc,” he explains.
Eriksen points out that, if it gets built, a new hall will include more office and meeting room facilities.
Strong interest from other industries
The Aqua Nor director says that interest in this year’s show has been tremendous, especially from other industries.
“We’ve seen a large increase of new companies coming from the maritime and oil industry, in addition to previous exhibitors. There are also several exhibitors from Nor-Fishing exhibiting at this year's fair. Our goal for this year's fair is to again be able to create a great meeting – the challenges we may have in this regard should not be visible to the exhibitors and visitors once the fair is underway,” he says.
The exhibition is set to include over 400 participants. Of these, approximately 20% are from outside Norway. The main focus of this year’s show will be fish health and innovation.
