CARNEXPO Grill - The first barbecue concept that reunites the Romanian business elite
CARNEXPO Grill, now in its third edition in 2022, is a unique concept in Romania that will take place on May 5-6 in a new location, Phenicia Blue View in Olimp and will attract the most important specialists in the food industry. beverages, HoReCa and retail, both from Romania and abroad.
More than 3,000 experts are expected to attend the beachfront, in a luxurious location that allows the event to be extended to a much larger area of up to 15,000 square meters.
It is by far the most important gastronomic event in Romania that brings together most professionals in the food industry, HoReCa and retail, in order to develop business and discover new products and market trends. As every year, delegates of foreign experts from the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Hungary, Belgium and Germany, Italy, Spain, France will attend this event.
Eugen Capra, general manager of CARNEXPO Grill, spoke about the evolution of this project and about the novelties of this year's edition.
How did the CARNEXPO Grill project come to life and how did it perform during the first two editions?
The project was born from the need of producers to promote their range of grilled meat products, and because we have been the organizers of the CARNEXPO exhibition for many years, we kept the line and chose to develop a new barbecue concept for the Romanian market.
I thought of it as a premium outdoor event that combines the business side with the relaxation, so necessary in an industry where a lot of work is done and which constantly needs the development of new concepts and products. Indeed, it is much different from a classic exhibition, where the emphasis is on networking and business matchmaking. We started promoting the event in 2020, through a series of video episodes, in which together with famous Chefs in Romania, such as Chef Orlando Zaharia and Chef Iulian Olaru, we promoted local products from several regions of the country. Through this action, we managed to create a favorable image for Romanian producers, promoting gastronomy and beautiful tourist locations of Romania.
During the first edition, in 2020, we focused on offering our guests from HoReCa and retail interactive culinary shows, in which Chefs showed different techniques for preparing several categories of meat products: pork, poultry, beef, sheep. Chef Orlando Zaharia, Chef Iulian Olaru, Chef Antonio Passarelli, Chef Michael Passarelli, Chef Paul Siserman, Chef Dragos Bercea delighted the over 200 experts and enthusiasts from the basic sectors of the food industry, HoReCa and retail. Also, butcher shows made by Moldovan's specialists revealed the mastery of Romanian butchers and the quality of local products.
In 2021, the project confirmed that it is the most successful gastronomic event in Romania, managing to attract over 1,500 specialists from the meat industry, HoReCa, retail, equipment suppliers and food ingredients. This is practically the moment when we understood that we managed to lay the foundations for the implementation of this barbecue concept around which the Romanian business elite gathers to do business.
The feedback received in 2021 from the participants from HoReCa and retail determined us to expand the event area to this year's edition, especially as the HoReCa operators on the coast, but also from the rest of the country are interested in identifying new suppliers of meat, but also of cheeses, drinks or bakery products. We promote the concept of barbecue, in which meat is the star, but around it we build a complete experience for our specialist guests.
How is this year's event structured, what's new?
This year's edition proposes a much more complex experience, in terms of the new structure of the event, which involves the largest space so far - 15,000 square meters. Remaining true to its main mission, that of promoting local products and Romanian services, CARNEXPO Grill takes place in 2022 in a different area of the country, by the sea, in a 4-star location - Phenicia Blue View Resort in Olympus.
Basically, together with the most important meat producers, we will make the official opening of the 2022 grill season in Romania. At the same time, with the partners from HoReCa and tourism, we will make the official opening of the 2022 summer season, through which we want to encourage tourists from Romania and abroad to come and visit us and taste the new Romanian gastronomy.
At the same time, we present the new event format dedicated to consumers - GrillFest Experience, through which we aim to bring a new grill experience to consumers and to support the food education of Romanians. We will bring with us well-known nutritionists to provide quality information on proper and tasty food, but also on the benefits of sports for maintaining health.
People need to eat simpler and healthier food without feeling pressured to give up certain foods. And the meat industry doesn't have to be put in a bad light. We see that many manufacturers are investing heavily in developing safe and healthy products. Consumers need to find out which combinations work best for them in order to have a balanced diet.
The GrillFest concept involves an area with grill stands, where visitors can learn all this information directly from experts in the field and experience new food combinations.
What shows and contests are scheduled to liven up this year's event?
For the first time in Romania, we organize Top Chef MACELAR, the first competition that aims to select the best master butchers, bringing together teams of professionals who proudly represent the butchers' sector. The competitors will go through several tests, judged by a panel of specialists, in the fight for the great trophy of Chef Butcher of Romania.
In this field, innovation is very important, the category of semi-prepared, ready-to-cook, ready-to-eat must be developed, but also the styles of cuts of meat on different categories, such as pork, chicken, beef or sheep. Equally important is the positioning and presentation of these products. Romanians like already established products (small, sausages, burgers), but research is needed to create new products, in line with popular taste trends globally.
Top Chef MACELAR is a project very dear to our soul, which promotes the essence of this industry, which we have been serving for over 15 years and we want it to become a traditional competition in Romania.
Without such a competition or without the School of Butchers - another important project that we will launch, there is a risk that this profession will not have a future in Romania. We have young people who are really passionate about this profession, who do not have the opportunity to develop in our country, which is why the Butchery School that we will launch together with the Agrofood Association and Pallazzo Italia needs the full support of the Romanian meat industry.
What are the values of this new competition?
Much more than a simple competition, Top Chef MACELAR is about the art of learning, sharing and innovating through new meat processing techniques designed to contribute to the specialized development of the meat industry. The concept of Top Chef MACELAR is intended to create an environment in which Romanian butchers try to overcome the current practice of the industry in its various stages of production: general preparation, meat cutting, exhibition and creative use of beef, pork, sheep and poultry products. . Through this competition, we want to build a professional community that will generate business opportunities and supports trade to benefit from an infusion of creativity and innovation.
In this way, we invite all partners and specialists in the meat industry to join this bold project that brings clear solutions for the very existence of the butcher business in Romania.
The organization of the competition is only the first step we take in collaboration with the Agrofood Association and Pallazzo Italia, a partnership that aims to establish the first National Butchery Team of Romania and the Professional School of Butchers, social-educational projects for training and education of future masters butcher. We have already started the research stages with specialists from Italy, in order to develop new types of cuts and different products, which will bring benefits to the meat industry.
The participation of the Romanian butchers' team in all international competitions will be done through the specialized magazine EuroMeatNews.com, another project of ours that grows from year to year and which at this moment is the most important publication on the meat sector. globally.
What will the gastronomy area look like this year?
For us, the gastronomy area is very important, and through the partnerships, we have with ANBCT, HORA, RESTO Constanta, Escoffier Romania, Associazione Cuochi Italieni, we will organize competitions and culinary demonstrations with the most important Chefs in Romania, in order to refine and modernize the Romanian gastronomy. The national teams of Romanian chefs will be with us, internationally recognized pastry chefs and bakers will set the trend in Romanian cuisine.
Mainly, we aim for Romanian products to be taken over by these culinary masters and later, through the partners from HoReCa and retail, to reach the tables of consumers in the country and abroad.
Will CARNEXPO Grill reach the borders of the country again?
We are living through difficult times for all mankind, and our thoughts are certainly on understanding and peace. CARNEXPO Grill was very well received last year by the authorities and specialists of the Republic of Moldova and we have high hopes that we will organize it again in 2022. We also presented the concept of several European associations in the meat industry and we plan a special edition at Brussels, in the autumn, which will include the lobby we want to make at the European level.
What is the message you send to the producers? Why should I attend CARNEXPO Grill?
Our message is one of unity, of developing partnerships between specialists and implicitly of growing the Romanian economy. The motto of this year's edition is the Great Unification (of Romania) and we expect all the industries involved in this gastronomic show to find the best collaboration solutions to be able to provide consumers with quality products at competitive prices.
We are a team specialized in marketing and event organization, with over 15 years of experience, which has confirmed over time, through all the projects it carries out, that it wants to contribute to the development of the agri-food sector in Romania.
Therefore, the companies from the Romanian industry are invited to support as much as possible this project, which is an excellent business platform in the development of local businesses. Only through such projects can we create a favorable picture for the Romanian industry.
The meat industry suffers from a lack of communication and promotion of meat products. That's why, at CARNEXPO Grill, we have integrated a nutrition and sports area, and together with the partners from HoReCa, we aim to educate consumers, to eat as healthy as possible and to do sports. Only with the involvement of food industry operators will we be able to raise the level of performance of the sector, in order to continue to provide safe and quality food.
About this year's event
15,000 sqm will host 8 dedicated areas:
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