Marketplace International

Marketplace 2015 organised by Bord Bia was the largest international food buyer event in Ireland to date, with over 500 food and drink trade buyers from around the world travelling to Dublin to do business with 200 Irish food and drink producers.

Delegates: 1,200
Client: Bord Bia
Event: Marketplace International 2015
Type: Exhibition
Date: 26 March 2015
Days: 1

Brief

Bord Bia is an Irish state agency which promotes the sale of Irish food and horticulture both abroad and in Ireland. It acts as a link between Irish producers and their customers worldwide and it set up Marketplace International to bring both parties together to showcase and experience Ireland’s world-class offering.

Solution

Bord Bia hosted breakfast and lunch in The Liffey for trade buyers and worked closely with CCD Hospitality to create a menu showcasing Irish produce. CCD Hospitality prides itself on sourcing fresh, seasonal, local produce and therefore received approval from Bord Bia for all of its suppliers. The food items on the menu for breakfast and lunch were also on display in large refrigerated cabinets in the exhibition area to showcase to trade buyers.

In addition to the event at The CCD, over 215 of the international buyers accompanied Bord Bia for three days visiting farms, factories, retail stores and manufacturing facilities all around the country. Their itineraries were sector-specific and featured Ireland’s meat, dairy, seafood and alcoholic beverages industries.

Marketplace International 2015 took place at The CCD in March. Bord Bia chose The CCD as the venue for the event because of its capacity, uniqueness and state-of-the-art facilities. Sarah McManus, Marketing Events Department, Bord Bia commented, “The physical environment and facilities for hosting an event such as Marketplace International should mirror and complement the excellence of a world class food and drink industry. The CCD venue together with its people (staff) and services is the perfect fit, ensuring an efficient, professional and seamless flow, and working in tandem with the food and drink industry to achieve success.”

This was the fifth Marketplace event for Bord Bia and it facilitated meetings between Irish businesses, ranging from artisans to multinationals, and buyers, from across the world. The event attracted strong representation from UK and European buyers, as well as 106 Asian buyers who travelled to Dublin, compared to just 14 in 2012 when Bord Bia last held its Marketplace event. There were also 38 buyers from the Middle East, 24 from North America, 15 from Africa and 12 from Russia, signalling a strong interest worldwide.

Marketplace 2015 was unique for The CCD due to the number of meetings which took place under one roof in one day. The event played host to around 5,000 pre-scheduled introductory meetings between buyers and exhibitors which were 20 minutes long and facilitated a quick exchange of background information and sharing of business needs for each party. The ‘speed-dating’ style meetings took place in The CCD’s 2,721m² ground floor Forum and in meeting spaces on level 1. The CCD Furniture team played an integral role in setting up for these meetings using a total of 1,700 chairs to create 231 meeting booths. Bord Bia filmed a behind the scenes time lapse video during the build for the event showing the amount of work that goes into setting up for an event of this magnitude.

Bord Bia hosted breakfast and lunch in The Liffey for trade buyers and worked closely with CCD Hospitality to create a menu showcasing Irish produce. CCD Hospitality prides itself on sourcing fresh, seasonal, local produce and therefore received approval from Bord Bia for all of its suppliers. The food items on the menu for breakfast and lunch were also on display in large refrigerated cabinets in the exhibition area to showcase to trade buyers.

In addition to the event at The CCD, over 215 of the international buyers accompanied Bord Bia for three days visiting farms, factories, retail stores and manufacturing facilities all around the country. Their itineraries were sector-specific and featured Ireland’s meat, dairy, seafood and alcoholic beverages industries.

Results

Marketplace International 2015 was a huge success for Bord Bia and The CCD. The event welcomed 200 world class Irish food and drink companies and over 500 trade buyers from over 30 countries worldwide, generating new business worth over €30m. The CCD also recorded its largest number of meetings in one day as a result of the 5,000 ‘speed-dating’ style meetings.

The physical environment and facilities for hosting an event such as Marketplace International should mirror and complement the excellence of a world class food and drink industry. The CCD venue together with its people (staff) and services is the perfect fit, ensuring an efficient, professional and seamless flow, and working in tandem with the food and drink industry to achieve success. Sarah McManus, Marketing Events Department, Bord Bia