SPACE 2022 will be held from Tuesday 13 September to Thursday 15 September at the Rennes Exhibition Centre.
Hit by the Covid 19 pandemic for the past two years, in-person visits to the Expo were cancelled in 2020, only to return in 2021 under conditions adapted to health safety measures. For this reason, for its 35th anniversary, SPACE has ambitions to make its next edition stronger than ever. It looks to engage in the challenges of livestock farmers, bring together all the different animal production sectors in a forward looking approach, and, thanks to state-of-the-art developments and innovations presented by the exhibitors, show visitors what the livestock industry is really about today. It’s an industry that undergoes continual shifts as it pays close attention to citizens and consumers, one that does what it takes to meet societal demands both in terms of rearing practices and their impact on global climate. These changes occur in a context rendered even more complex by the conflict in Ukraine, alarming climate conditions due to drought, the Avian Influenza crisis, the soaring costs of raw materials and the amount of expenses required for energy, fertilisers and feed.
In such an unstable overall climate, food sovereignty has become a major concern. During the Covid crisis, players in the agricultural sector demonstrated their strength by making sure the food supply chain continued to function for citizens. Currently, farmers are again faced with numerous challenges as certain areas of the world are confronted with the risk of famine and shortages. The FARM initiative supported by the European Union and France is a response to the food security challenge at hand. Its goal is to encourage the agricultural sector to produce enough to sustain trade relations and emergency food assistance in the coming weeks, without losing sight as local food production as a priority.
The compelling nature of this challenge is part of a larger picture, one in which climate issues require immediate action. The Climate Law includes a legally binding obligation upon which the European Union has to reach climate neutrality by 2050. The objective calls for an at least 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Espace for the Future, located in Hall 4, will be focused on Livestock farming and climate: reducing the impact. Presentations of technical solutions, daily round tables, breeder testimonials and on-farm videos will inform SPACE Expo goers and help them develop ideas on these topics.
It is therefore an Expo firmly focused on the future that is currently taking shape for the month of September. In that mindset, its organisers aim to further solidify that dynamic by giving voice to the youth enrolled in agricultural training programmes.
Nearly 1,100 exhibitors are registered to participate in this next edition, of which 185 are new and 318 are from countries outside France. This year, the poultry farming industry will occupy halls 10A and 10B, while that of animal nutrition will be well-represented in halls 9 and 5.
The Innov’Space competition is what makes SPACE the leading event for innovation across all the livestock sectors. For over the past 25 years, these awards have been a real quality seal for the industry. They demonstrate the extent to which our sectors are efficient, innovative and always thinking ahead. Each year, exhibitors show great interest in these awards, recognising them as a major commercial advantage that highlights the expertise they invest in the name of breeders. 83 % of exhibitors say that SPACE is the ideal place to showcase their innovations.
In 2021, 35 products, services and equipment were awarded prizes from the panel of experts. Two of the winners took the microphone to talk about the impact of Innov’Space at the Expo’s Podcast Space.
On the Friday of the 2021 edition, SPACE went fully virtual to account for the switch to a shorter three-day event. This strategy was mainly designed to keep ties strong between exhibitors and the trade show’s international audience thanks to digital tools specially developed for the occasion. And, now we can continually offer information and services all year long without having to dedicate a specific day to them. These tools offer extensive content and features: a platform for scheduling BtoB meetings, a marketplace, webinars, podcasts, web TV programmes, the Innov’Space prize-winner list, product descriptions, an interactive map, the conference schedule and animal presentations, etc.
The web portal digital.space.fr and the mobile application app.space.fr will be available to help users prepare their visit to the Expo. These interfaces will be further enhanced with new features to make them even more easy to use.
The SPACE podcasts The Voice of Farming and SPACE TV by Web-agri video reports will also be available all year round from these digital tools.
The conference programme will be full and varied again this year based on the room reservations. The extent of the topics covered makes SPACE an absolutely unique meeting place for the livestock farming industry.
For further information: www.space.fr
