Erwin Wetzel: "Healthy diet will be a large topic during AVEX and we hope it will sensitize many visitors"
HOSTELVENDING.com 04/09/2017.- AVEX is the leading exhibition for the vending, water and coffee industries across the UK and beyond, providing a platform for the display of the latest technology, product development and innovation from all sectors of the industry. To know more about this trade show, we talk to Mr. Erwin Etzel, general director of European Vending Association
-What can visitors and exhibitors expect from AVEX 2017?
AVEX is one the four major trade shows in Europe and is the UK’s leading exhibition for the vending, coffee and water industries providing a showcase of the latest technology, product development and innovation. After the 2015 edition in Manchester, the organisers decided to return to the NEC in Birmingham, a more central location for UK industry players. This will trigger a higher turnout, which is good, because the Automatic Vending Association wants the visitors to meet the right people, reinforce existing contacts and start building new business relationships.
-How many visitors and exhibitors are supposed to come? From which sectors?
The organisers mentioned more than 1,200 exhibitors and expect more than 2,000 visitors. The EVA is promoting the event very strongly among its membership, because we want to support the international dimension of this trade show.
-What is new in this edition? Is there any change regarding to previous editions?
On the one hand there will be a very interesting conference programme with speakers who will talk about topics such as: the impact of Brexit on food safety, micromarkets, the European market trends, consumer trends in the food to go market, water, etc. On the other hand, AVEX has organised Three zones to make the whole show floor more dynamic and interactive; indeed, there will be one zone dedicated to helath and wellbeing, another will focus on hydration and explain the water dispenser segment and the third one will be the Operator World. I must say that this is very innovative and we are looking forward to it.
-We are going to see for the first time the “Operator World”. What can we find in this zone?
This is a brand new zone focusing on the operators in vending and water, giving them the opportunity to share their knowledge with exhibitors and visitors.
-AVEX is presented by the Automatic Vending Association and the European Drinking Water Cooler Association. Why is so relevant this partnership?
Offering water via point of use water coolers is a service that UK vending operators have already done for decades. It is absolutely common to deal with snacks, chilled beverages, hot drinks and water at the same time. Both sectors have so many actors in common that it makes totally sense to exhibit together. The visitors will be the same so why not joining efforts?
-One important challenge for vending industry is healthy food. Is it going to have a prominent place in AVEX? What are visitors going to see in that way?
Indeed, the sugar tax in the UK is a very hot topic and vending is very much under the focus of health authorities. Some products and even machines have already been banned from public sites, so it is crucial to tackle this issue. Obesity is a serious problem in the UK and all the industries have to take its part of responsibility. However, we do not accept to make vending responsible for the unhealthy diet of the consumers. Therefore healthy diet will be a large topic during AVEX and we hope it will sensitize many visitors.
-Coffee has always been the lead of vending industry. Will it have also a prominent place?
In the UK, hot drinks machines represent 63% of the total machines, but hot drinks also represent 83% of the total vending sales volume. Hence, coffee will have a prominent place, also because in the UK the competition from other channels is very strong, such a coffee shops of coffee corners from famous coffee roasters. Consumers, especially the younger ones have got used to speciality drinks and therefore our industry needs to come up with solutions to satisfy their expectations with regard to the taste and the size of the cup.
-Besides, coffee standards are constantly raising, and coffee drinkers are becoming quite challenging. What should do vending machine operators to satisfy the new costumers?
To look at what is happening in the other channels and adapt: more drink options, more paper cups, more bean-to-cup coffee, more fresh milk, more experience when getting a coffee from a machine.
-Micromarkets are still an unexplored option in some countries in EU. Shall we see something connected with micromarkets in this fair?
Yes, because the UK is the only European country where you have about 50 micromarkets. This is as very low number if you compare to the US, but I think that the experience UK operators got from using micromarkets could be interesting to share with other European colleagues. Some people in the industry are thinking of implementing micromarkets, but they are still hesitating. I would tell them to go to AVEX and to get informed about them.
-Let’s talk about technology. What’s new this year and which are the latest innovations?
Contactless payments are developing in many European countries and consumers are getting used to this type of payment in retail. Therefore vending operators are installing more card readers to ease the payment and also to improve their turnover by selling more items for each purchase. A lot of innovations are being made in the payment sector and those ones are important to modernise the vending industry and to make it more user-friendly.
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