What Alimentaria Exhibitions does

Alimentaria Exhibitions SLU is a Barcelona-based trade show organizer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Fira de Barcelona, the official Catalan trade fair institution. Founded in 1976 and now in its 50th year, the company produces Alimentaria, the international food, beverages, and food service trade fair, which has run in combination with Hostelco (hospitality equipment) since 2014 as the biennial Alimentaria+Hostelco event held at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via venue. The company monetizes primarily through exhibition participation fees paid by exhibiting companies (one-time booth and participation contracts) and transactional fees from visitor programs such as Key Buyers and Hosted Buyers, supplemented by sponsorship, conference, and award-program revenue. The next flagship edition is scheduled for March 20–23, 2028.

The company’s portfolio is structured as a multi-brand event ecosystem rather than a single trade show. Beyond the flagship, it operates specialized sector halls (Intercarn for meat, Interlact for dairy, Fine Foods, Organic Foods, Coffee, Bakery & Pastry, Olive Oil), activity and conference hubs (The Alimentaria Hub, The Horeca Hub, The Shift, Imagine Foodservice Europe, IV International Halal Congress), an innovation showcase (Innoval), buyer programs, and an adjacent Alimentaria FoodTech event with its own awards program. The 2026 edition attracted 109,600+ professionals from 120 countries, 3,300+ exhibiting companies, and generated 14,500+ business meetings, with institutional backing from ICEX, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, FIAB, AECOC, and multiple industry associations. The company operates with a lean team of 11–50 employees, relying on Fira de Barcelona’s venue infrastructure and shared services for event execution.

Name

Alimentaria Exhibitions

Legal name

Alimentaria Exhibitions SLU

Website

https://alimentaria.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alimentaria Exhibitions is the Barcelona-based organizer of Alimentaria, a leading biennial international food, beverage, and food service trade show, serving exhibitors and buyers across 120 countries as a subsidiary of Fira de Barcelona.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade show and exhibition services (food and beverage industry)

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Beverage & Hospitality Trade Shows Organizers (THAHABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB), Exhibition & Trade Show Management (Conference-Adjacent) (THAHACAF), General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Food trade fairs
• B2B exhibition services
• Food and beverage events
• HORECA trade shows
• Hospitality equipment exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Participation Fees: Revenue generated from companies and brands that pay to exhibit at Alimentaria trade shows. Fees are charged for booth space, participation contracts, and associated exhibition services.
2. Visitor Badge and Access Fees: Professional visitors attend the trade shows, with certain premium access programs (Key Buyers Programme, Hosted Buyers Programme) offering preferential badges and lounge access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Alimentaria Exhibitions organizes the Alimentaria and Alimentaria+Hostelco international trade fairs held biennially at Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue, bringing together food, beverage, foodservice, and hospitality equipment exhibitors with professional buyers from over 120 countries. The offering is a multi-brand portfolio of specialized sector halls, buyer programs, conference and innovation showcases, and startup platforms that facilitate B2B matchmaking, product launches, and industry networking across the entire food and hospitality value chain. The 2026 edition marked the event's 50th anniversary and attracted nearly 109,600 professional visitors and 3,300+ exhibiting companies.

Product overview

Alimentaria Exhibitions, a company of Fira de Barcelona, operates the Alimentaria trade show ecosystem — a multi-brand portfolio of food, beverage, and hospitality trade fairs and industry platforms. The core offering centers on Alimentaria and Alimentaria+Hostelco as the flagship international trade events, supplemented by specialized sector halls (Fine Foods, Organic Foods), activity hubs (The Alimentaria Hub, The Horeca Hub), conference programmes (The Shift, Imagine Foodservice Europe), and buyer programmes (Key Buyers, Hosted Buyers). The portfolio also includes award programmes (Horeca Awards), startup platforms, and specialized themed spaces covering coffee, bakery, olive oil, organic foods, and halal products. The company organizes these events at Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via site, with the 2026 edition marking Alimentaria's 50th anniversary.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Intercarn: The great international business platform for the meat sector
• Interlact
• Fine Foods
• Organic Foods
• Restaurama
• Snacks, Biscuits & Confectionery
• The Alimentaria Hub
• The Horeca Hub
• The Shift
• Innoval
• Imagine Foodservice Europe
• Horeca Awards
• Food & Hospitality Startups
• The Coffee Stage
• The Bakery & Pastry Hub
• The Olive Oil Bar
• La Plaza Eco
• IV International Halal Congress

Products and services

• Alimentaria International food, beverages, and food service trade show held biennially at Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue. The flagship event brings together thousands of exhibiting companies and professional visitors from over 120 countries across multiple specialized sector halls.
• Alimentaria+Hostelco Combined trade fair integrating the food and beverage Alimentaria show with the Hostelco hospitality equipment show, covering the entire food-to-hospitality value chain in a single biennial event.
• Alimentaria FoodTech

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marcas de RestauracióncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Strategic co-organization partnership for Imagine Foodservice Europe, a major European conference dedicated to the future of restaurant brands. This alliance combines Alimentaria+Hostelco's exhibition platform with Marcas de Restauración's industry leadership in branded foodservice.
• Banc dels Aliments (Food Bank)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Sustainability partnership where excess food from exhibitors (18,283 kg recovered in 2026) is donated through the food bank to 38 social entities helping approximately 20,000 people.
• Alimentos de EspañaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Main partner for The Bakery & Pastry Hub competition 'El Mejor Pan de España 2026'.
• ICEX Spain Export and InvestmentcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2026Institutional partner supporting international participation and promoting Spanish food and beverage companies at the exhibition.
• Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2026Governmental institutional partner supporting the Organic Foods sector with a dedicated pavilion for Spanish organic producers.
• Bio Eco ActualminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2026Collaboration with the leading organic food magazine to promote the 'Ruta Eco' initiative identifying organic products at the exhibition.
• EcovaliaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2026Spain's main organic sector association with 30+ years of history and 17,000+ members including producers, farmers, livestock farmers, industries and organic processors.
• ASOBIOminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2026Association of Spanish organic food companies, acting as the collective voice for the organic food industry in Spain.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Reed Exhibitions (RX): Global B2B events organizer (subsidiary of RELX) operating food-related exhibitions including IBIE and other industry events. Broad incumbent with diversified event portfolio and significant scale advantages.
• Informa Markets: Largest global B2B events group operating across multiple verticals including food and hospitality (e.g., events under the Informa Markets brand). Broad incumbent with capital, digital capabilities, and M&A firepower exceeding Alimentaria's reach.
• Messe Frankfurt: Global trade fair organizer operating events across multiple verticals including food and hospitality (e.g., Ambiente, IFFA). Broader incumbent with diversified portfolio and larger scale than Alimentaria's single-event focus.

Direct peers

• Dubai World Trade Centre: Organizer of Gulfood, the world's largest annual food and hospitality trade show. Direct competitor particularly for Middle East, African, and Asian exhibitor segments seeking international platforms.
• Messe Berlin: Organizer of FRUIT LOGISTICA, International Green Week, and other food/agriculture trade fairs. Comparable B2B food industry trade show operator with similar biennial/annual cadence and international exhibitor focus.
• Fiera Milano: Italian trade fair operator and organizer of TuttoFood, a biennial international food and beverage exhibition. Direct competitor for Mediterranean and Southern European exhibitors and HORECA buyers.
• BolognaFiere: Italian exhibition organizer hosting food industry events such as SANA (organic) and Marca (private label). Direct peer in adjacent food verticals with comparable specialization strategy and European exhibitor base.
• Comexposium: Organizer of SIAL Paris and SIAL Canada, leading international food exhibitions. Direct competitor targeting the same food manufacturer and HORECA exhibitor base, with overlapping European buyer programs.
• Koelnmesse: Organizer of Anuga, the world's largest biennial food and beverage trade fair held in Cologne. Direct competitor for international F&B exhibitors and buyers; comparable biennial cadence and global exhibitor base make it Alimentaria's most analogous peer.

Regional players

• IFEMA: Madrid-based trade fair institution organizing events like Alimentaria competitor-hosting fairs (Fruit Attraction, Hostelco in alternate years). Spanish regional peer with overlapping food and HORECA verticals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AlimentariaBCN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alimentaria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alimentaria Exhibitions