A promising first. For the first time in their history, the CFIA (Carrefour des fournisseurs de l'industrie agroalimentaire) and Sepem Industries trade shows joined forces to offer a major joint industrial event. 600 exhibitors and almost 6,000 visitors attended, and made a date for the future. On September 20-21-22, the Meett in Toulouse saw the birth of a unique event, the synergy of two trade shows: the CFIA - dedicated to the agri-food industry for over 25 years in Rennes, and celebrating its first edition in Toulouse - and Sepem Industries - a multi-sector event present in different parts of the country, which honored its 5th edition in the Pink City. A real gamble, and one that has now paid off.
So much so, in fact, that it's fair to say that the Greater South-West has found its benchmark event, with the largest (600 suppliers in all!), most comprehensive and most diversified offering ever seen in the region.
This event is all the more eagerly awaited, and will play a more important role than ever in the years to come, given that it will be held in a region rich in industry. By way of example, Occitanie had 226,700 industrial jobs as of Q1 2022, while the agri-food sector is one of the region's main employers, with over 45,000 employees.
A copious program
For 3 days, the Meett in Toulouse was alive with exchanges, smiles and shared projects, all at the heart of a copious program: almost 40 conferences were on offer on key themes such as cybersecurity, improving environmental impact, plant transition, eco-design of packaging, decarbonization in industry... with the exceptional presence of Michel Sarran on Thursday 22nd.
An Employment Wall was set up to support the recruitment dynamic of the industrial sectors, as was a 12-meter-long production line describing the manufacturing process of a product resulting from plant innovation (the valorization of walnut kernels into a plant-based beverage). This event would not have been possible without the support of its partners, Agropole, Agrotec and RIA, heavyweights in the sector and local and regional players who played an active part in its success.
Last but not least, more than 150 new products were on display, and the more than 100 working machines installed gave this unique event a proud appearance.
See you in 2024
As the show drew to a close, satisfaction levels were high on both sides: more than 90% of suppliers and 80% of industrial visitors said they were delighted with this major premiere. The industrial event of the autumn has thus perfectly lived up to expectations. On the strength of this successful historic premiere, it's now time to look ahead, and the next date has already been set: September 2024 for the second edition of this unique event.